I have been lent a book called “The Amputee Coach” to read by my physiotherapist. It has some very good material & great exercises, but it attempts to define life in terms of mind & emotions and brings up Maslow and the hierarchy of needs or as it now called the science of happiness. It is essentially humanistic and uses devices like writing down your fears, frustrations & hang-ups and then writing down your goals. I’ve always been averse to writing down my “goals” because I don’t subscribe to the notion that whatever the mind of man can conceive the mind of man can achieve.
I have never been able to crystallize my reasons for this until; just now. I don’t write out my goals nor have I ever done because all my goals have been written down for me in the Holy Bible. I just need faith to follow them. The Lord Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of my faith. My mental balance comes from him.

WANT TO READ ON THEN CLICKMy physiotherapist said I did things in my mind first – well she is not saved & sits in spiritual darkness, but is correct to assume this as this is how it appears. I do things through Christ Jesus in my spirit first and then I just flow on in this.
Be fashioned by the word of God and not by humanist thinking.

The Background:

The following corrects Marslow and Existentialism that floated around these sorts of ideas. Of course, he got these ideas, in the first place, by observing monkeys and he assumes that humans come from monkeys.

I was living between Bowral & Mittagong with Henry Gallus. Henry has now been called home to heaven by our Lord Jesus Christ. Henry & I were working our way through the book of Hebrews, using Andrew Murray as a sounding board. Henry used to bring fresh meat home from the butcher’s shop. One day, as we prepared our stew pot, I noticed that the newspaper that the butcher had wrapped the meat in had an article in it about Existentialism and Marslow. Henry & I chuckled at the notion of “strong meat” of the word of God as opposed to “milk” of the word of God. I was intrigued by all this humanism. I had not, in those days, connected the dots between today’s mental health solutions, the revised English bible and evolution. I knew that I did not care for the notion of evolution as it denied the word of God. So, here, in this newsprint fragment, was an explanation of human behaviour that excludes the need for a relationship with God. I looked at it very carefully. The article lists the qualities that a modern fully balanced superior person actually processes. I don’t have the actual newspaper clipping, but I do have my original hand written notes in pen & ink and not biro tucked away somewhere. And, yes, the newspaper used the term “superior person.”.

I took this list, there were 10 points in the newspaper, but there are actually more qualities listed as part of this Existentialist list of superior qualities. It’s all very humanistic, no need for God at all. I have taken them and put them in a scriptural context showing that we born again people are moving towards the type of humanity that God the Father intended for those he created in his image. This is only possible through the blood & life of the Lamb of God.

Anyway I hope that you are blessed by this list. Instead of “superior” I use the term “extra ordinary”

Extra-Ordinary People

A portrait of the type of person Jesus Christ will turn us into if we let Him.

Superior person or extra ordinary person in the sense of above natural thinking, practice & the world

[KJV] ROM 8:7 – 9

[Romans 8:7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. [Romans 8:8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. [Romans 8:9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

[KJV] 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The “humanists” invent nothing.

Once again the “humanists” like the “evolutionists” invent nothing but in their rush to dent God they put their own “humanistic interpretation on what they observe.”

These qualities belong to the spirit filled saint whose mind in renewed by the word of God.

Qualities of an Extra-Ordinary Person

Sons of God with love, power & sound mind

[KJV] [2TI 1:7] For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Extra- Ordinary Saints; believers in & followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Outside the normal ordinary attributes!

Saints who have the following characteristics:

A – Superior perception of reality

You can differentiate what is fake and dishonest from what is real and genuine. This reality is beyond the normal senses.

Discernment – Natural & Spiritual

discern v. 1 perceive clearly with the mind or senses. 2 make out with effort.  discernible adj.

discerning adj. having good judgement. discerningly adv. discernment n

[KJV] Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

[KJV] [LUK 12:56] Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

[KJV] [1CO 2:14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

[KJV] [1CO 11:29] For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

[KJV] [1CO 12:10] To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

[KJV] [HEB 4:12] For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

[KJV] [HEB 4:14] Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

You “see” & rely on these realities:

My redeemer is God & He is living in me in the power of an endless life

[KJV] [PSA 78:35] And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.

You are an heir of God

[KJV] [ROM 8:17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

All power in heaven & earth is given to the one who lives in me

[KJV] [MAT 28:18] And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Eternal Life is real.

This is force that drives you

[KJV] [1JO 5:11] And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

B – Increased acceptance of self, of others.

You have a quality that is more likely to take saints as they are than try to change them into what you think they should be –

This same acceptance is applied to your attitudes towards yourself:

If some quality of yours isn’t harmful, you let it be, even enjoying it as a personal quirk.

[KJV] 2CO 12:14 – 13:1

[2 Corinthians 12:14] Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. [2 Corinthians 12:15] And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. [2 Corinthians 12:16] But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. [2 Corinthians 12:17] Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you? [2 Corinthians 12:18] I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps? [2 Corinthians 12:19] Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in Christ: but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying. [2 Corinthians 12:20] For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults: [2 Corinthians 12:21] And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed. [2 Corinthians 13:1] This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

You are not a moaner or grumbler.

You know all thing work for good to them love God & are called according to his purpose.

You know the meaning of “Good Cheer.”

You have the ability to change.

You know the power of your mouth.

C – Spontaneity Increased

Increased spontaneity and simplicity:

You prefer being yourself rather than being pretentious or artificial

Christ writes his law of liberty on your heart – so you can be spontaneous!

You can move & flow in the Holy Spirit!

You live from within!

[KJV] JOH 14:20 – 21

[JOH 14:20] At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

[JOH 14:21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

You know the power of the indwelling life!

You can trust spontaneous action – you are sure of the position of abiding in Christ & this brings an increased spontaneity of action – you cry laugh & respond freely & easily – the life comes from the river within – it is not good manners it’s life.

D – Task-orientation, not self-centeredness

Increase in problem-centring – stronger focus on problems outside of yourself

You are problem-centred

Meaning you treat life’s difficulties as problems demanding solutions, not as personal troubles to be railed at or surrendered to.

E – Desire for privacy

Increased detachment and desire for privacy

You have had a need for privacy, and are comfortable being alone

[KJV] [MAR 1:35] And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

You are complete in Jesus Christ.

You love people but you are part of the answer not part of the problem

You know that solitude is an asset.

F – Increased autonomy

Sense of independence and autonomy

Independence of culture and environment

You are relatively independent of culture and environment, relying instead on your own experiences and judgments.

You have the ability to depend only on God & not on man & natural thinking

You look to God & you follow Christ Jesus.

G – A vivid and fresh appreciation of reality

A certain freshness of appreciation, an ability to see things, even ordinary things, with wonder

Vivid religious experiences

Higher frequency of peak experiences

A peak experience is one that takes you out of yourself, that makes you feel very tiny, or very large, to some extent one with life or nature or God

It gives you a feeling of being a part of the infinite and the eternal.

These experiences tend to leave their mark on a person, change them for the better

Mountain top experiences –

Often moved by the Spirit –

Like Paul who had times, left for dead, in the deep – jail – 7th heaven etc –

Beyond the mundane –

Living in the power of an endless life

H – Increased identity with humanity

Increased identity with humanity; identification with the human species

You have the ability to understand the human spirit – know your fellow man – know the spirit of a man – understand meetings (the flow of them & know people

I – Greater Freshness & Richness of Emotional Reactions

You enjoy intimate emotional relationships with people

Greater freshness of appreciation and richness of emotional reaction & experiences

You enjoy intimate personal relations & improved interpersonal relations – display brotherly love, compassion or philanthropy Intimate emotional relationships — social interest, compassion, humanity & hostpitality.

You have the ability to feel deeply & have a freshness about it

You can laugh, weep, joy, sorrow, peace or grief

The Holy Spirit can manifest himself in you, do with you what he will because you yield to the spirit

This brings you to improved interpersonal relationships

Deepening friendships -

That I might know him & the fellowship of his sufferings – greater oneness & unity – able to bear burdens – Paul longed after brethren with bowls of mercies

J – Democratic values and attitudes

A more democratic character structure – Democratic values and attitudes

This means that you are open to ethnic and individual variety, even treasuring it.

Ability to meet & greet all planes & types of people

Preach & minister to any – children / adults / rich / poor – people from all walks of life

K – Increased Creativity

Creativity – Greatly increased creativeness; your ability to be creative, inventive, and original

You have the ability to create ideas –

You are ready for inspiration & revelation –

You know that the abiding word of God creates – confessing the word knowing that the creator is your redeemer who brings to nought the things that are & creates what otherwise could not be

L – Own Highly Individual System of values

This drives you – like Paul you walk a path that is beyond what you expect from others – Jesus Christ’s value system was to do only the will of the Father

No confusion of means and ends

You have a different perception of means and ends. You feel that the ends don’t necessarily justify the means, that the means could be ends themselves, and that the means — the journey — is often more important than the end – because you can’t get to the end without taking the journey

You can see the value of the journey –

Recovery road – Christianity explained – Open house.

A sense of humour that is philosophical, not hostile –

You have an un-hostile sense of humour — preferring to joke at your own expense, or at the human condition, rather than directing your humour at others

M – Resistance to Conformity & Enculturation

Resistance to conformity & to cultural conformity; resistance to enculturation. And they resisted enculturation, that is, they were not susceptible to social pressure — they were, in fact, nonconformists in the best sense of the word.

Resist someone forcing on you what could be called “stuff” – culture or personal value systems

Just like the Jews tried on the Gentile Christians – you can tell the difference between this type of enculturation & real revelation

You have the ability to maintain your God given identity regardless of the company you are in

A transcendence of the environment rather than just coping.

You make a change by just being!

You are an over-comer

In many ways you are vulnerable

You can often suffer considerable anxiety and guilt — but realistic anxiety and guilt, rather than misplaced or neurotic versions.

You can be absentminded and overly kind.

You can be tough or hard when you have to be.

You can have moments of ruthlessness, surgical coldness, and loss of humour.

You have these following qualities

Truth – rather than dishonesty

Goodness – rather than evil

Beauty – not ugliness or vulgarity

Unity, wholeness, and transcendence of opposites – not arbitrariness or forced choices

Aliveness – not deadness or the mechanization of life

Uniqueness – not bland uniformity

Perfection and necessity – not sloppiness, inconsistency, or accident

Completion – rather than incompleteness

Justice and order – not injustice and lawlessness

Simplicity – not unnecessary complexity

Richness – not environmental impoverishment

Effortlessness – not strain

Playfulness – not grim or humourless drudgery

Self-sufficiency – not dependency

Meaningfulness – rather than senselessness

You have the following characteristics:

1.    Superior perception of reality

2.    Acceptance of self and others

3.    Spontaneity

4.    Desire for privacy

5.    Sense of independence and autonomy

6.    A vivid and fresh appreciation of reality

7.    Task-orientation, not self-centeredness

8.    Vivid religious experiences

9.    Increased identity with humanity

10.    Intimate emotional relationships with people

11.    Democratic values and attitudes

12.    No confusion of means and ends

13.    A sense of humour that is philosophical, not hostile

14.    Creativity

15.    Resistance to conformity

16. A transcendence of the environment, rather than just coping.

17. Own Highly Individual System of values

These saints are Individuals

1. They avoid publicity, fame, glory, honours, popularity, celebrity, or at least they do not seek it for its own sake. It is not terribly important one way or another.

2. They do not need to be loved by everyone.

3. They generally pick out their own causes, which are apt to be few in number, rather than responding to advertising or to campaigns or to other people’s exhortations.

4. Their fighting is not an excuse for hostility, paranoia, grandiosity, authority, rebellion, etc., but is for the sake of getting things right. It is problem-centred.

5. They manage somehow simultaneously to love the world as it is and to try to improve it.

6. They respond to the challenge in a job. A chance to improve the situation or the operation is a big reward. They enjoy improving things.

7. They do not need or seek for or even enjoy very much flattery, applause, popularity, status, prestige, money, honours, etc.

8. Expressions of gratitude, or at least of awareness of their good fortune, are common.

9. They tend to be attracted by mystery, unsolved problems, by the unknown, and the challenging, rather than to be frightened by them.

10. They enjoy bringing about law and order in the chaotic situation, or in the messy or confused situation, or in the dirty and unclean situation.

11. They try to free themselves from illusions, to look at the facts courageously, to take away the blindfold.

12. They feel it is a pity for talent to be wasted.

13.    They tend to feel that every person should have an opportunity to develop to his or her highest potential, to have a fair chance, to have equal opportunity.

14. They like doing things well, doing a good job, to do well what needs doing. Many such phrases add up to bringing about good workmanship.

15. They get great pleasure from knowing admirable people (courageous, honest, effective, straight, big, creative, saintly, etc.)

16. They enjoy taking on responsibilities (that they can handle well) and certainly don’t fear or evade their responsibilities. They respond to responsibility.

17. They uniformly consider their work to be worthwhile, important, and even essential.

18. They enjoy greater efficiency, making an operation more neat, compact, simpler, faster, less expensive, turning out a better product, doing with less parts, a smaller number of operations, less clumsiness, less effort, more foolproof, safer, more elegant, less laborious.

The above is a portrait of someone who is patiently awaiting the Lord Jesus.

These qualities are only possible because you are a new creature and all things have become new.

[KJV] 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

[KJV] Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Daniel Wooldridge from thoughts spanning from 1964 to 2011