Believe Become Be: Becoming the Man God Believes You Can BeSample

 God gave each of us a distinct and unique personality. Like snowflakes and fingerprints, we each have our detailed make-up, so our Father wants us to be who He made us to be. However, as disciples of Jesus, we should allow Him to overtake our personality, whether extroverted or introverted, loud or quiet, high energy or laid-back. Slide over to the passenger seat and let Him be the driving force behind our character and speech. Christ alone, not our personalities, should be the gatekeeper of our mouths.

Jesus can help extroverts learn when to be quiet and listen. He can teach introverts when to speak up and say what is on their minds. He, not our flesh, becomes the Source of the overflow of our hearts. Our personality can simply become the unique way we express Jesus in us through our words, actions, and attitudes.

To be effective ministers of the gospel, to which every disciple is called, we have to surrender to Christ and allow Him to empower us to do His will and work in His way, not ours. Regardless of our personality type or our comfort levels with people, that process is going to be uncomfortable in some way. God wants to continually use and stretch us in who we are. He wants to see us grow throughout our lives. That simply requires us to be available; it is not so much about us being able.

As Truth, Jesus is the only Source from which all truth flows. We will find truth by no other means. Searching inside our own hearts, the ways of the world, or through the many belief systems of the ages will not produce truth. Truth from anywhere else that is correct is just borrowed from Scripture. Because that is where Truth began and is still the only Source.

As Truth, Jesus is also the Destroyer of lies. In John 8:44, Christ called Satan “the father of lies.” This is the only time the Enemy is referred to as a father. Where Jesus is, the truth resides, therefore where no lies exist. As His truth penetrates us, He can then destroy the Enemy’s lies. But Christ will not take them from you. You have to hand them over.

What is one aspect of your personality or speech that you know you need to hand over to Jesus to be your gatekeeper?