Polly Phlegmatic - Counsel

There are many Polly Phlegmatics in our group of friends across the country, but very few of them will ever seek help even when they recognize they have a problem.  There is one Polly in particular that comes to my mind.  She was just about as fearful and introverted as any phlegmatic I have ever known.  On the surface her friends were never aware that she had this turmoil going on inside, for she presented herself to others as a very calm, self-confident, and capable person.  But one day she seemed to come unglued and confessed to me that what she represented on the outside was not at all what was taking place on the inside.  (Even phlegmatics have their breaking points.)

She confessed how fearful she was of other people and how inadequate she thought she was. When asked to serve on a board in the church, she refused with a flimsy excuse.  And when other leadership and ministry opportunities arose, she repeatedly responded the same way.  It was then that she began to realize that she was cheating herself of many opportunities to serve Christ by her fear and indifference.  Her children and husband were all active in the ministry of their church, but she was the one on the outside -- uninvolved, indifferent, and supernegative.  Finally, this began to show in her mental attitude toward her family and the church until, on one particular day, this dear lady faced the reality that she was being left in the dust spiritually as a result of her fear and selfishness.  I read  2 Timothy 1:7 to her from my Bible.  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  She then genuinely confessed her sin to Christ and prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit, asking God to do a beautiful thing in her life.  She desired not just to be involved int he ministry of her church, but also to be a warm, loving, motivated, godly woman who was freed from the fears that bound her within.

I have watched this Polly turn from a woman paralyzed by her own fears to a beautiful example of the Spirit-filled woman.  Her husband and children are pleased and proud of the new lady at their house.  It has been like watching a rosebud open into full maturity as a beautiful, sweet-smelling flower, bringing joy and leaving a fragrance with all those who come in contact with her.

The Spirit-Controlled Woman by Beverly LaHaye   Get your copy today!

Polly Phlegmatic - Greatest NEEDS

The greatest needs of Polly Phlegmatic for spiritual growth ---

1.  To overcome her passivity.

2.  To learn to give of herself to others.

3.  To stop acting like a Christian and begin trusting God for everything.

4.  To recognize her fearfulness as sin and give it over to God.

5.  Walk day by day in the control of the Holy Spirit.

6.  Replace her natural fears with faith in our living Lord, which will enable her to take on the projects she would otherwise quickly decline, thus limiting herself by unbelief.

The complacent, peaceful Polly Phlegmatic is probably the easiest to be around because of her easygoing and well-balanced nature.  But she usually holds everyone at arm's length and protects herself from getting too involved with people or work.  Her greatest need is to recognize her fear, which is not of God, definitely limits her effectiveness for Christ.  She needs to treat her indolence as a sin; then, through Jesus Christ, Polly will be able to give of herself to others.  Polly is quite a capable person when she is willing to let go of herself and let God take control.

Martha Melancholy - Greatest NEEDS

1.  To overcome her critical spirit.

2.  To be delivered from self-absorption.

3.  To become occupied in loving service for others, thus forgetting herself.

4.  To develop a thankful spirit.

5.  To walk in the Spirit on a daily basis.

6.  To develop the mental habit of thanksgiving living -- "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Martha Melancholy has other lesser needs, but nothing will transform her life as greatly as changes in these six.  As she yields to the Holy Spirit in these areas, God will use her to the maximum and she will like herself much better --and so will her loved ones.

The self-sacrificing, thinking Martha Melancholy is probably the most gifted of all the temperaments.  and yet, because of her self-centeredness, her critical spirit, and her gloom, she suffers more than any of the others and limits her ability to use her talents and gifts.  It is only when her heart and mind are controlled by the Holy Spirit that the melancholy can forget herself and her critical spirit and become a genuine Christian who helps those around her with a tender and sensitive nature.  She can develop a thanksgiving heart that will become a pattern of living for her.  Only then will she find fulfillment, peace, and satisfaction in Christ.