The Power of Personality


Saul sent messengers to take David; and when they saw the company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.--I Sam. 19: 20.

Here was a marvelous thing, how those messengers were affected when they came into the presence of Samuel. The incident reveals the power of a great soul, the tremendous influence of a divinely inspired personality.

“Truth through personality,” was Phillips Brooks’ definition of great preaching.

A distinguished educator declared that the greatest thing a teacher ever brings to a pupil is not subject matter, but the uplift that comes from heart contact with a wholesome personality.

Through the years of my pastoral ministry, I came to know many people in the churches I served who wielded a powerful and uplifting influence, not so much because of anything they said or did, but rather because of what they were. There was something fine and inspiring in their personality; something you felt the moment you came into their presence, something that changed the atmosphere when they came around. From contact with them, you always got an uplift; your thoughts were lifted to a higher and nobler level; your feelings were softened and sweetened; you felt a new friendliness toward everybody; your faith was strengthened to brave the ills of life; you caught a glimpse of brighter skies beyond the gathering mist, which made this life seem more worth while and heaven a surer heritage.

Now, as I write, the faces of many of these people come up before me. Just thinking about them makes me feel better, lifts my heart. Many of them have passed on, but they seem not far away. I feel the touch of their spirits upon my spirit, making more conscious of heaven.

Don’t feel that you can’t wield a great influence because God has not given it to you to be a great prophet like Samuel or a great preacher like Phillips Brooks. Let the Spirit of God possess your soul, and you’ll be a great soul, breathing into the souls of others a great influence. The Spirit of God touches the dull clay of our nature and makes it a radiant personality, Christlike in its beauty and warmth. And a Christlike personality is the greatest force for good in the world.