Christian Personality Development

Christian Personality Development

Dear Student,

Welcome !!

Man was created in the image of God, but this image has become marred because of human sin. This is one reason why people have personality-related problems like shyness, fear, anxiety, indiscipline, etc. However, all these problems can be overcome with divine help because God has not left His children orphans. He has made arrangement enough to meet all physical, spiritual, and mental needs of His children.

Even if you have no spiritual problems, this course can help you to utilize your mental and spiritual capacities to the maximum. Thus we invite you to launch into a sojourn that can turn into a milestone in your life.

May God Bless You,

Instructions

Kindly note the following:

1-All lessons have some answers to be recorded in a notebook by you. Do not neglect to write them .

2-Test-paper is given at the end of the module. Send it electronically to us as soon as possible. This will help you to know where you stand, and might even earn you the privilege of studying some more courses free.

3-There is a definite period within which you have to finish doing this course. Thus make a time-table so as to finish this course in a reasonable time (1 month).

Table Of Contents

Bear With Us If Some Of The Material Looks Too Elementary. Do Not Omit Them ! After All, The Best Marathon Runners Had To Take Their First Step Before They Could Attain Present Endurance !!

Chapter 1: What Is Personality

Chapter 2: Personality And The Bible

Chapter 3: Let Us Begin Using The Bible

Chapter 4: Why The Bible

Chapter 5: Bible Reading, How Much

Chapter 6: Getting Started

Test Paper

We Have Only One Life To Live !

Let Us Live It In Such A Way That We Would Not Have To Repent About

It In Eternity !!

Lesson 1

What Is Personality

Many people have mistaken notions about "personality". Personality is the sum and substance of a large number of things. Thus personality is not to be equated with:

Beauty
Handsomeness
Charm
Education
Height
Physique
Clothing
Conversation
Courtesy
Accessories (Clothing, make-up, things)

Some of the above things are components of personality, but they in themselves are not the personality of a person.

Thus every person should work at a combination of things that together give rise to a charming and God-honouring personality. They should also note that not everyone will have the same components in their personality. For example, some people might be good conversationalists but not everyone can be so.

It does not matter if you do not have a particular component because personality is not equal to individual components. It is the sum and substance of a large number of factors. If you get most of the factors right, then you become the owner of an attractive and God-honouring personality.

Now take up the following assignment. You will be coming back to these answers in another module, so it is essential that you write these answers before going further. Write them in a diary\notebook of your own.

Q1-Write down any five things that you feel are part of a person’s personality:

Q2-Mention any five things that you feel give a person a "good" personality:

Q3-Mention any five things that you would like to develop in yourself as part of the present Personality Development course:

Keep these answers for checking them at the end of this course.

Personality And The Bible

You must always keep in mind that this is "Christian" personality development course. Consequently, all discussions would be based upon a Christian World-view.

World-view has many definitions. One of them is: "world-view" is that angle or outlook from which a person evaluates everything in past, present, and future.

The angle or outlook from which we evaluate things is an important part of our life. It is like a "scale" used for measuring everything. If the scale is right, the results would be right; if not, the results would be wrong. If the scale is too small (in comparison to the real one), the results would be exaggerated. If the scale is too large (in comparison to the real one), the result would be disappointingly be small. On the other hand, if the scale varies from time to time, the results would be totally chaotic !!

A Christian world-view is developed by going to Bible, which is the only source for spiritual truths. Contrary to what many people believe, Bible is NOT a closed book. Nor is it a book made up only of do’s and don’ts Rather, Bible is a dynamic book meant to enlighten people about all aspects of life — including personality!

Now write the answers of the following questions in your diary:

Q1- Read Psalms 119:99 "I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies [are] my meditation."

A-Upon what should we meditate:
B-How Does the above meditation affect one’s understanding:
C- What are some synonyms of "understanding" (check a dictionary/thesaurus if needed):
D- Do you think that a better "understanding" can improve a person’s over-all personality:

Q2- Psalms 111:10, "The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth for ever." Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

A- What is the factor acting as the beginning of wisdom

Q3- James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

A- What is the practical step to be taken to acquire wisdom
B- Is giving liberally a part of God’s nature
C- Does God place any limits upon the wisdom that He promises to grant His prayerful children

Let Us Begin Using The Bible

It is obvious even to the casual observer of the few Bible-verses cited in the previous chapter that relationship with God, studying the Bible, and growth in the spiritual life, have all got intimate connection with gaining of knowledge or wisdom.

It is also obvious that "knowledge" and "wisdom" are used here in their broad sense — not in a restricted sense to mean "spiritual" wisdom alone. Thus it is obvious that walking along the biblically guided path increases the over-all wisdom of every person. This includes, among many others, wisdom in the following areas:

Handling of personal life

Handling of personal problems

Handling of one’s spiritual life

Handling of one’s spiritual problems

Handling One’s Social life

Academic life

Family life

Office life

Spiritual ministry

It is surprising how many of us overlook the fact that Bible records the story of many ordinary, uneducated, timid, and disadvantaged people who were infused with wisdom to manage their lives. Some of these people are:

Joseph

Esther

Ruth

Daniel

Shadrach, Mesach, Abed-nego

Peter

Timothy

In the light of the above, please write answers to the following questions in your diary:

Question: write down in your diary, the names of Biblical characters who obtained help from God/Bible to handle the following subject with wisdom/knowledge:

Handling of personal life
Handling of personal problems
Handling of one’s spiritual life
Handling of one’s spiritual problems
Social life
Academic life
Family life
Office life
Spiritual ministry

You might wonder whether one can see examples of people in Bible who obtained wisdom/knowledge for all the above. You might even be perplexed at first. But keep reflecting. You are allowed even to ask others. Finally you will get answers to all the above questions !!

May God Help You In Finding Right Answers !!

Why The Bible For Personality Development ?

Most people expect a Personality Development course to be some sort of a Magic — which works upon them, but for which they have to do no labour. Let us not fool ourselves, NOTHING worthwhile can be obtained in this world without working for it.

Almost all precious things require a lot of HARD work. You might wonder if I am planning to lead you into some kind of struggle which would be too much for you. Not at all ! Rather, I wish to point out that you are a brave student because you have come so far so fast.

Now at this point you might begin to wonder if the whole course is made up only of Bible-studies ! The answer is NO ! The course is actually a mix of Bible-studies plus discussion of scientific subjects that are related to Personality Development ! Soon we will be discussing subject like memory-improvement, overcoming fear and anger, overcoming lustful thoughts, and many, many other such themes. Of course all of this is controlled by a Biblical world-view.

There are plenty of Personality Development courses that delve directly into the above subjects without discussing the Bible at all. However, any course of study that handle human beings, their present nature, a change of nature, etc. without bringing in the Bible would bring only temporary benefit. Permanent benefit and change would come only when the renewal is attempted from the foundation onwards.

Answer the questions in your diary:

Q1-Can a crack in a building be repaired by merely repainting it

Q2-Why not

Q3-Why should the mason repair it from the foundation onwards

NOTE: Only a strong foundation can support the weight of a massive structure. If weak, the structure would automatically collapse, no matter what repair one does at the surface.

Q4-God knows the problem of humans from foundation onwards. Would you like to be helped by His word

Q5-Are you willing to devote at least 30 minutes a day to study this subject

Q6-Do you realize that there is NO shortcut to this

Q7-Do you realize that all those who offer shortcut are trying to help you by painting the cracked wall, and not by repairing from the foundation onwards

Q8-Read Romans 12:1,2. Then write your comments:

A-Which is the place where renewal has to take place

B-What areas of your life are affected by this renewal

C-Can a person’s mind be really transformed/renewed without if he does not spend time with the Bible

Record these answers in a diary for checking them at the end of this course.

Bible Reading: How Much To Do It For Spiritual Health

Surveys show that very few Christians read the whole Bible regularly. Most of them remain faithful to just a few portions familiar to them. This is tragic.

God has give His word to be given. We should not restrict ourselves to selected portions like children who prefer eating only candies, rather than consuming wholesome and balanced food.

It is necessary for each person to develop a systematic plan to read the Bible — and the WHOLE of it. Probably you would be shocked, and you might even revolt at the suggestions that you should read the WHOLE of the Bible. If so, the next paragraph is going to shock you much more than that.

I would like to suggest very lovingly that you should plant to read the WHOLE of the Bible at least once EVERY YEAR !

Now you might say that I am placing too much of a demand upon you, and that it is better to abandon the whole idea of Personality Development than listening to me. But wait ! You might be making a serious miscalculation and mistake. Reading the whole Bible in one year might not be as difficult as you think !

Let me illustrate this with a little calculation. First of all, let us estimate the time needed to read the WHOLE Bible, just once in your mother-tongue (first language). Please circle the correct answer below:

I believe that it would take at least the following number of hours to read the FULL Bible in my mother tongue:

1000 -500 Hours ?

250 -200 Hours ?

150 -100 Hours ?

Before I give you the correct answer, let us make another calculation: All of you indulge in one or more of the following activities every day:

Reading newspaper

Watching TV