You will always retain your uniqueness. Your uniqueness is enhanced and your potential expanded and fulfilled when you submit to God
The permanence and uniqueness of the human heart, personality and desires that God created in you for the expression of His kingdom in your life is unique to you and you alone, it will never be removed from you. God does not demand that personality be destroyed.
The combination of gifts and psychological make up and personality is forever yours, and will forever be irreplaceable. The expression of the life of God, the love of God in your heart therefore is a unique expression. Each saint is not uniform in His or her Christ-likeness. The beauty and individuality of each saint is evident.
Compare the personalities of apostles John and Paul – John is poetic, a teacher, prophetic, thematic in his letters and intimately relational in His romance with Christ, calm and peaceful yet deeply worshipful in His devotion to God. Paul on the other hand is systematic, deeply thoughtful, hard-driving, zealous in his work, energetic and powerful in His service to the Church.
One represents the heart, the other the head. Examine their language in their letters. John is metaphorical – he uses a lot of imagery and personal insight and intimate stories– teachings of Christ being the bread of life, his letters are filled with the stories of Jesus and His teachings before his death, that He is the vine, we are the branches stories and teaching which are intimate, simple and heart moving. He gives us the promise that “the Peace that Christ gives us, the world cannot give to us”, truths that Father God loving us even as He loves Christ.
Paul on the other hand represents the phrase – love God with all your mind. He challenges us to understand the wisdom of God, “which is beyond understanding.” To Experience the power of the Holy Spirit who gives wisdom, to believe in and apply redemption truths of the cross. Challenging us to believe and take redemption in Christ personally- in all its glory for heart, mind, soul, behaviour and action, and applying, appropriating God’s promises for mind, spirit and soul.
Is individuality obliterated in the Kingdom? Obviously not. They are hardly the same person but each manifests an aspect of God given to each personality. The bible calls this glorification of Christ within the heart and soul. Your glorification likewise will be unique, the revelation of God given to you is a unique portion, for no one else.
Our potential to achieve is not limited by God, but when His grace comes to empower you, your potential is expanded and your secret life desires are fulfilled in God you achieve more than you ever could on your own. Paul says “I worked harder than all the other apostles, yet not I but the grace of God working powerfully within me”.
The new life coming in does not over-ride personality, making you a mindless zombie.
Dying to self does not destroy that part of human nature which the bible calls the soul. The bible calls this process being that the soul is “saved”, cleaned up, set free from the selfish, self-serving nature which binds it.
The torment of our sinfulness
Sin and its effects are tormenting to the soul. Imprisoning, painful wretched and torturous. We are compelled and forced by the cruel slave master of sin to chase things that can never satisfy. The eye is never satisfied proverbs 27:20 Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are human eyes. The heart is forever forced to hunger and crave – human recognition from society, wealth and status. The power of sin and lust never lets us let go, it forces you on from conquest to conquest, never letting you rest and repose. It offers no peace, no freedom even with wealth, no satisfaction even with the more it craves. It devours like a black hole sucking all that is beautiful and light into a never ending abyss of darkness.
Lust destroys the soul – our greed for more kills our potential to care about others, it stifles the growth of mercy and true compassion, empathy and love. When unchecked it is the little fox which spoils the whole vine of the soul of our humanity which is meant to live in an unselfish and unbound and free manner. Greed invites us to live with self in the centre of our lives, with fear as our warden and gatekeeper, with the fleeting promise of unreliable earthly riches as our treasure instead of the strong and eternal security of God’s care and love.
Luke 12:15
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose His soul?
Freedom – our heart’s true desire
The process of submission to the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a process of becoming holy – the bible calls this ‘sanctification’. The soul is gradually subjecting itself to the rule of the Spirit and The Lordship of Christ who commands us to a life of loving your brother as Christ has loved you. Being filled with the love of God your Father, daily “abiding” and dwelling in a real experience of Christ’s love for you so that you can manifest the love of God in heart, soul mind and action is the path to ultimate freedom, although it looks like death.
We gain freedom from the agitating worries and cares of this life when we make God our primary concern. Seeking His agenda, His desires, His purpose for our lives above all other worldly and earthly cares. There is a peace that surpasses all understanding which is found and enjoyed by those who “leave the camp” of this world and its lusts and passions and run after Jesus in the wilderness of solitude, to walk close to Christ.
There is a peace that settles in the heart when all the sinful passions of the pride of life and ambition “to be someone” cease, and all we want to do is to worship and serve Him more to serve and love others more.
There is freedom when we embrace humility – that our life is not simply about making ourselves happier and richer and more comfortable. That our life is about serving God in humble adoration and humbly serving others with simplicity, sincerity and love.
Freedom – our heart’s true desire
The process of submission to the power and indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a process of becoming holy – the bible calls this ‘sanctification’. The soul is gradually subjecting itself to the rule of the Spirit and The Lordship of Christ who commands us to a life of loving your brother as Christ has loved you. Being filled with the love of God your Father, daily “abiding” and dwelling in a real experience of Christ’s love for you so that you can manifest the love of God in heart, soul mind and action is the path to ultimate freedom, although it looks like death.
We gain freedom from the agitating worries and cares of this life when we make God our primary concern. Seeking His agenda, His desires, His purpose for our lives above all other worldly and earthly cares. There is a peace that surpasses all understanding which is found and enjoyed by those who “leave the camp” of this world and its lusts and passions and run after Jesus in the wilderness of solitude, to walk close to Christ.
There is a peace that settles in the heart when all the sinful passions of the pride of life and ambition “to be someone” cease, and all we want to do is to worship and serve Him more to serve and love others more.
There is freedom when we embrace humility – that our life is not simply about making ourselves happier and richer and more comfortable. That our life is about serving God in humble adoration and humbly serving others with simplicity, sincerity and love.
There is great freedom when we are free from fear, when the power of God’s love fills us and a supernatural faith is born within us, that all things are indeed possible with God.
There is freedom from loneliness when God the Father comes close in a personal experience and makes our heart His home. There are treasures of comfort and power and assurance which surround the heart which causes the soul – the heart and mind to rejoice in freedom and in the great love of God.
There is confidence to face life and all its challenges, sometimes likened to a storm which rocks our life – the puny fishing boat. Because Christ has overcome hell, death and every temptation in this life and because He dwells within you, He will make you overcome your storms as well. When God holds your hand through life, there you find unlimited possibility, unlimited hope, unlimited power and faith to face the challenges of life.
There is hope for impossible situations in God. He is the mover of every mountain. The raiser of the dead. Would you not like to live in possibility and hope continually? Would you want to live this type of life?
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