In our modern age — especially within Christian circles that embrace self-awareness and spiritual growth — people often talk about identity in terms of personality types and natural strengths.
Tools like the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, and StrengthsFinder are often used as mirrors to better understand ourselves and others. I’m a sucker for a good personality test like anyone. Though these frameworks can be enlightening at times, here’s the danger: These tools, as helpful as they may be in their place, can quietly become idols. They can morph into spiritual blinders that reinforce something far more subtly dangerous than we realize — the sin of self-determination.
True freedom isn’t found in finding our perfect role — it’s in letting God define our role entirely.
Let’s be clear: Nowhere in scripture does God say, “Because of your personality type, you get a pass on obedience.” He doesn’t say, “Oh, you’re an Enneagram 5, so it’s fine that you’re emotionally detached,” or, “You’re naturally quiet — don’t worry about speaking the truth or sharing the gospel.”
And yet, how often do we do just that? We spiritualize our preferences and protect our comfort zones, all while whispering to ourselves or boastfully proclaiming to others, “This is just how I am.”
That mindset is a slow poison to surrender. Instead, we should be asking, “How are you shaping and stretching me, God?” When personality profiles become excuses, and natural giftings become the boundary lines of our obedience, we risk falling into the ever-subtle sin of self-determination rather than surrender to God and His calling.
But we must be open-handed to how the Lord wants to use us.
When personality becomes permission & gifting becomes a boundary
The moment personality becomes a shield and natural gifting becomes the edge of our obedience — we’ve stopped following Jesus and started following ourselves. The line is razor-thin, and it’s easy to cross. And when we do, we quietly slip into the belief that we get to define what obedience looks like.
We must resist the lie that God only wants what comes easily. His Spirit is not limited to what we’re “good at.” He doesn’t ask for your comfort — He asks for your “yes.” A surrendered, open-handed “yes.”
I hear these phrases often:
“I’m not a good cook — that’s not my gift.”“I’m not into hosting — it drains me.”“That’s just not my personality.”
But scripture doesn’t ask if hospitality is our thing. It commands us to pursue it. Romans 12:13 says, “Seek to show hospitality.” In John 21, the resurrected Jesus makes breakfast for His disciples. The Son of God washed feet and fed friends. Not because it was His “strength,” but because love serves. These were not “kingly” activities, but the model of Christ crushes our excuses.
If Jesus Himself served others in such a practical, humble way, how much more should we be willing to do the same?
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There are many everyday skills — like cooking, cleaning, and hosting — that may not come naturally to us, but they are often the very means through which we love others well. It’s been said: “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
God calls us to serve and be uncomfortable by stretching ourselves in areas we’re weak in. In fact, God rarely calls the “qualified” to accomplish His purposes in the Bible or those with natural talents to lead.
Moses, Jeremiah, Gideon, the disciples — all were not technically qualified to do what God called them to, but God chose them to lead because He’s not hamstrung by “natural giftings.” He delights in using weak vessels marked by humility far more than those who believe they’re strong enough and talented enough to do life without Him.
God rarely chooses the ‘qualified’
Look at the men and women God uses throughout scripture.
Moses stuttered and protested God’s calling — pointing to his lack of eloquence and confidence. Gideon was timid and afraid — weakest in his family and least in his tribe — yet called to deliver Israel. Jeremiah was “too young” and didn’t know how to speak, but God gave him the words and equipped him. The disciples were unremarkable fishermen, tax collectors, and misfits. Their resumes were unimpressive, but their obedience was history-making.
God delights in using the weak. Why? So no one else gets the glory but God.
In God’s Kingdom, the question isn’t, “What are you naturally good at?” It’s: Are you willing to obey, even when you feel utterly unqualified?
And the truth is: We’re all unqualified — until the Holy Spirit empowers us.
When we rely solely on our strengths, we rob God of the opportunity to showcase His. When we only serve from comfort, we take credit for the fruit. But when we step into weakness, we have to depend on God — and He loves to meet us there.
This pattern is found all throughout the Bible. Jesus didn’t choose disciples based on charisma, influence, or spiritual gifts. Peter was impulsive and brash; Thomas was analytical and skeptical; James and John were ambitious. Yet, Jesus called each to follow, be transformed, and participate in His mission.
The biblical narrative consistently confronts the lie that our natural bent defines our usefulness. In God’s economy, identity is not who we are by default, but who we become through surrender and obedience.
God’s power is made perfect in what we’d rather avoid
Let’s not forget what Paul said: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Do you believe that God wants to show His power through your discomfort? That He may intentionally be calling you to that ministry, that task, that person — not because it fits you perfectly, but because it will stretch you deeply?
Spiritual gifts, too, are not about personality. They’re supernatural empowerments from the Spirit for the edification of the church. And often, they come in areas where we feel most ill-equipped. Why? So we’ll never forget that it’s God working through us, not us working for Him.
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Just look at Billy Graham. The man who would preach to millions of people around the globe was initially hesitant to speak in public and cut off the very idea of it as an adolescent. He was so uncomfortable as he felt God pushing him to share the gospel through public speaking that he practiced sermons to birds and trees just to gain confidence. But his fear didn’t get the final word — God’s calling did. And because of that surrender, eternity is different for countless souls.
If we only say “yes” to what we like or understand, we miss the miracle of transformation. God’s call is not about where we shine most naturally — it’s where He shines most supernaturally. Our weaknesses are not a liability; they’re an invitation.
So let’s stop asking, “What do I want to do for God?” and start asking, “God, what do You want to do through me?” Let’s not be closed-fisted with our preferences when God is asking for open hands.
Here are a few practical steps toward true surrender:
Pray with a posture of surrender: Don’t just ask for clarity — ask for courage.Use personality tools with humility: They’re descriptive, not prescriptive.Get around people who challenge your comfort: Don’t just look for affirmation — pursue sharpening.Step into discomfort as a form of worship: Obedience is often inconvenient — and that’s the point.
True freedom isn’t found in finding our perfect role — it’s in letting God define our role entirely.
There is no “personality pass” in God’s Kingdom — only the call to be conformed to the image of Christ. That means surrender. That means obedience. That means going where we’d rather not go and doing what we’d rather not do — because He is worthy.
We were not made to serve from comfort. We were not saved to play it safe. We were called, chosen, and commissioned to live a life that displays the glory of a God who works powerfully through surrendered weakness.
Let’s stop limiting God to our giftings. Let’s start asking Him to do what only He can do — in us, through us, and in spite of us.
Christian, Christianity, Enneagram, God, Myers-briggs, Personality tests, Self-determination, Sin, Strengthsfinder, Faith
