This touching devotional has been set down for your reflection because it so beautifully portrays the way in which we would like to have "GOD" as we understand Him be there for us when we really need Him. Yet if your "GOD" really operated this way,

• would you have any way of affirming His presence with you during your times of trouble?

Or,

• would it ever be possible for you to evaluate your spiritual growth with Him during life’s journey?

Do you see that this idea of "GOD" failed to provide any feedback to the man, leaving him unaware of his relationship with his "GOD" until much later when he received his special dream. But if SPIRITUALITY is to be anything other than just a warm furry feeling, there must be feedback from your "GOD", otherwise how can terms like "relationship" or "spiritual growth" have meaning? With this realization the above questions must be looked at more closely.

Your decision to begin a relationship with "GOD" as you understand Him could be made in a brief span of time, even in a moment. But subsequent spiritual progress in acquiring a more fulfilling relationship with your "GOD" will take time, and if your idea of "GOD" is that He is demanding and intolerant of your SELF-CENTERED nature, it will involve on-going "spiritual warfare" within yourself.

If He is that SOVEREIGN (10, 10, 10) "GOD" of the Bible, your struggle will be directed to the level of the WAY YOU DECIDE. After all, if self-improvement could play no beneficial role in starting with this "GOD", it can likewise play no beneficial role in continuing with Him, for the same reasons.

However, if "GOD" as you understand Him is the DEMANDING "GOD", who is something less than the SOVEREIGN (10,10,10) "GOD", you will undoubtedly be motivated to struggle, not only with the WAY YOU DECIDE, but also with WHAT YOU DO, for self-improvement will almost certainly be viewed by you as a factor in SPIRITUALITY.

On the other hand, if your "GOD" is the ACCOMMODATING "GOD" who will fully accept your SELF-CENTERED nature just the way it is, SPIRITUALITY should be a snap for you. Obviously this "GOD" never condemns or reproves so there are few demands on the WAY YOU DECIDE or WHAT YOU DO.

And what word of encouragement can we give to that person who chooses that JUDGEMENTAL "GOD", who favors JUSTICE over LOVE? Well---good luck, you’ll need it!

Still, whether you must struggle for spiritual progress or not, the OUTSIDE WORLD will certainly continue to place demands on you, some just and some unjust. Therefore whether driven by a desire for greater SPIRITUALITY or just a way to provide some "damage control" against the OUTSIDE WORLD, you will be well advised to look for areas of internal change which might make life a little more tolerable.

Recall from Chart I of "US" in ACTIVITY I that internal problems rest within that part of "US" labeled PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT, for PROBLEM ATTITUDES coupled with wrong DECISIONS create PROBLEM BEHAVIORS and sometimes ADDICTIONS. Consequently, it is to this area that attention must be directed if progress is to be made in our ability to cope with the OUTSIDE WORLD.

What is really needed for ACTIVITY IV is some kind of a "standard" which provides an upper limit with respect to SPIRITUALITY and which could therefore be used as a "yardstick" to measure our progress in that area. Such a standard would benefit all of "US", no matter which idea of "GOD" we may have, because it would give "US" a way of checking our own level of SPIRITUALITY as we struggle to gain a greater sense of well being with respect to the OUTSIDE WORLD.

It is fortunate that the Bible not only defines the way in which SPIRITUALITY may begin with that perfect SOVEREIGN (10,10,10) "GOD", but also identifies the GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES He will provide for those who walk with Him, for this gives "US" just the kind of "yardstick" we need to compare against our own SELF-CENTERED ATTITUDES about things.

His ATTITUDES are found in the following statements in the Bible.

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh".

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control".

"Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires---If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit".

(Galatians 5.16, 22-25)

Notice that the nine-fold list of qualities referred to as "the fruit of the Spirit" possess several interesting features.

• First, it is seen that they are the gift of this SOVEREIGN "GOD". Since they are provided by Him from His own GOD-CENTERED nature, they are not inherently a part of "US" with our SELF-CENTERED nature. They are given to the person who chooses to walk with this SOVEREIGN "GOD".

• Second, notice that they are not subject to the Law of this SOVEREIGN "GOD", and if not to His Law then neither to His Law Enforcement, therefore if someone is given and uses these qualities, the JUSTICE of this "GOD" will not be executed against that person.

• Third, an inspection of these nine qualities will reveal that they are not BEHAVIORS, although they are the kinds of qualities that will certainly influence WHAT WE DO. Furthermore, they are likewise not emotions, therefore not a part of our BASIC HUMAN NATURE. Of course, if these qualities come from a perfect SOVEREIGN "GOD", then it goes without saying that they could not be a normal part of our own human nature.

Look at the first three qualities of LOVE, JOY, and PEACE. These are ATTITUDES, looking "inward" within the person who possesses them. These three may be further set apart by noticing that the first one, LOVE, is really the foundation upon which JOY and PEACE are built. This SOVEREIGN "GOD" first extends LOVE to the one who walks with Him, whereupon JOY and PEACE become the natural by-products.

Next look at PATIENCE, KINDNESS, and GOODNESS, and notice that these three qualities look to the OUTSIDE WORLD. Moreover, PATIENCE toward other people and circumstances becomes the foundation upon which KINDNESS and GOODNESS are built.

Finally, look at those last three qualities of FAITHFULNESS, HUMILITY, and SELF-CONTROL. These are the kinds of ATTITUDES that one is given toward this SOVEREIGN "GOD" for that person who walks with this "GOD". Once again FAITHFULNESS is the foundation, upon which is built HUMILITY and SELF-CONTROL in the presence of this SOVEREIGN "GOD".

Continue your study of these nine ATTITUDES provided by this SOVEREIGN "GOD" by studying the following definitions for each. See how different they are from our normal SELF-CENTERED ATTITUDES.

LOVE: This is that "unconditional" LOVE which would rate a "10" at the top of the scale in that previous ACTIVITY II study.

JOY: This is an inner sense of well being, caused by the realization that this SOVEREIGN "GOD", who has unlimited ABILITY, is in the process of carrying out a personalized plan that is designed ultimately to work in the best interests of the person involved.

PEACE: This is an inner calm or tranquility which is independent of the storms of life that may be exploding around the person who is walking with this SOVEREIGN "GOD".

PATIENCE: This is that inner quality which moves a person given this ATTITUDE to refrain from outbursts of anger, vengeance, or frustration, even though he or she may have the power and justification to take such actions.

KINDNESS: This conveys a quality which is not harsh but is always sensitive toward the feelings of others so that grace pervades this person’s nature.

GOODNESS: This quality creates an inner driving desire to always uphold integrity without compromise, to become a living demonstration of that which right and truthful in some absolute sense.

FAITHFULNESS: This defines that quality of complete trust in this SOVEREIGN "GOD" by the one who views His works as the "title deed" of things hoped for and the proof of realities yet unseen.

HUMILITY: This describes a quality of total submission to this SOVEREIGN "GOD".

SELF-CONTROL: This quality expresses itself in an intense desire to overcome those base desires, passions, and ADDICTIONS that come from one's SELF-CENTERED human nature.

Can you see that such ATTITUDES cannot come from inside "US" nor from anyone around us, except perhaps during rare fleeting moments? If they are to prevail within "US", they would have to be provided by a SOVEREIGN "GOD" with a GOD-CENTERED nature quite different from our own. It should not be difficult to agree that a person who always evidences them would have to be regarded as "super-spiritual". Unfortunately there is presently no one around who always completely matches these inner qualities.

That’s why they can be used as benchmarks or "standards" against which you can evaluate and compare your own individual ATTITUDES as you struggle for SPIRITUALITY with your "GOD".

Even if your "GOD" is this One who can provide these outstanding GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES to you as you walk with Him, you must still exercise your will in each and every encounter with the OUTSIDE WORLD if they are to become evident in WHAT YOU DO. Even if He is your "GOD", you are still not a machine; you have free will. These GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES can be available to you if you have made that initial firm commitment to trash your old SELF-CENTERED nature, thereby intending to discontinue its future use.

However prior commitments have a way of being misplaced and even forgotten, so your struggle must become that of continually re-prompting your memory so that you will keep choosing that to which you previously committed yourself. Your perseverance in this struggle will most certainly determine your spiritual progress, for you are required to walk with Him through life choosing His way continually, not to hopscotch from problem to problem before turning to Him.

The list of SELF-CENTERED ATTITUDES in Chart V below is a carbon copy of those PROBLEM ATTITUDES discussed earlier in ACTIVITY I, whereas the GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES are the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit associated with that SOVEREIGN (10, 10, 10) "GOD" just studied above. You may prove to yourself that those GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES on the right side of the chart oppose and (can) overcome the SELF-CENTERED PROBLEM ATTITUDES on the left, by completing a simple exercise.

Consider the meaning of the first word on the PROBLEM ATTITUDES list. An "egotistical" trait is sometimes associated with a person who is an EXTROVERT. An egotistical person is one who is conceited, who thinks more highly of himself or herself than they should. Now scan the list of GOD-CENTERED (SOVEREIGN) ATTITUDES, asking yourself which one most opposes this negative trait. In this case a possible answer would be "kindness", for if such a person were to be given an ATTITUDE of sensitivity and grace for others, this egotistical ATTITUDE would be overcome by this positive GOD-CENTERED (SOVEREIGN) ATTITUDE.

Now continue on down the list of PROBLEM ATTITUDES finding for each one, those GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES that would oppose and overcome it. You will usually discover that more than one GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDE may oppose a single PROBLEM ATTITUDE. For example a person who is "bitter" needs JOY, PEACE, and FAITH to oppose that PROBLEM ATTITUDE. After completing this exercise, you may also want to compare your answers with another WORKSHOP participant who has also completed Chart V; you will likely find that your answers will not be identical because different people may ascribe slightly different meanings to the words or may be associating a particular trait with someone they know personally.

As you scan the list of GOD-CENTERED (SOVEREIGN) ATTITUDES, you should also observe that GOODNESS, i.e. integrity, is directly connected with one’s CONSCIENCE, and that SELF-CONTROL can have a direct impact on one’s success over problem BEHAVIORS and ADDICTIONS.

(CHART V)

GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES (CAN) OVERCOME
OUR SELF-CENTERED ONES

If you are comfortable with the claim that this particular list of GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES of a SOVEREIGN (10, 10, 10) "GOD" (can) greatly benefit SPIRITUALITY, if substituted for our SELF-CENTERED ones, you may continue.

You will see that the following Chart VI is headed by a "circle" labeled "GOD" (10, 10, 10). This intends to picture the idea that here is a person who has become connected with the SOVEREIGN (10,10,10) "GOD". Consequently, the purpose of Chart VI is to construct a picture of SPIRITUALITY that you can use later as an standard against which you can measure your own level of SPIRITUALITY with your "GOD" as you understand Him.

You will immediately recognize the box labeled WHO WE ARE with its TEMPERAMENTS/GENETICS. The contents of this box are identical to those in ACTIVITY I, showing that inherited TEMPERAMENTS do not change when this form of SPIRITUALITY is added to a person’s life.

Likewise, the WAY WE DECIDE, i.e. INTUITIVE, SYSTEMATIC, DECISIVE, or OBJECTIVE, remains basically unchanged, except for the fact that this Chart now shows a connection with this "GOD" to reflect the idea that SPIRITUALITY with this SOVEREIGN "GOD" not only results in internal changes of ATTITUDES but also in His provision of daily guidance to that person who chooses to walk with Him.

The box labeled HOW WE (CAN) THINK is completely new from the corresponding one studied in ACTIVITY I. The change here substitutes those GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES just discussed for our old SELF-CENTERED ones. Therefore, Chart VI should now allow "US" to study the potential changes in WHAT WE (CAN) DO when driven by these new GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES, as this SOVEREIGN "GOD" provides wisdom in a walk with Him.

Chart VI is completed at the bottom by listing four sets of GOD-CENTERED BEHAVIORS, each set typically related to one of those four types of TEMPERAMENTS (EXTROVERT, INTROVERT, ACTIVE, and PASSIVE). Study each of these four sets of GOD-CENTERED BEHAVIORS and see how each TEMPERAMENT (can) produce very positive BEHAVIORS if they are driven by the right kinds of ATTITUDES provided by a SOVEREIGN (10, 10, 10) "GOD". Compare these good BEHAVIORS against those bad BEHAVIORS studied earlier in ACTIVITY I, by reviewing those problem BEHAVIORS that related to the TEMPERAMENT types listed in Chart II of ACTIVITY I. The ATTITUDES and BEHAVIORS shown in the present Chart are the kinds of practical life-transforming changes that SPIRITUALITY (can) make to PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT. The difference is simply that those in ACTIVITY I were SELF-CENTERED, but the present ones are SOVEREIGN GOD-CENTERED.

However, you can see that each of the TEMPERAMENTS will still very much influence BEHAVIOR. In other words, even though a SOVEREIGN (10,10,10) "GOD" can supply "US" with His GOD-CENTERED ATTITUDES, we are not made cookie-cutter copies of everyone else in the human race. We will indelibly retain our own personality traits that uniquely identify WHO WE ARE.

(CHART VI)