Here is part 2 of the “who you are is how you grow in God” list of spiritual paths for different personality types, based on the Meyers Briggs Temperament Indicator. See intro on previous entry.

Now, for the last 8 types:

ESTJ

Practical, traditional, and organized. Likely to be athletic. Not interested in theory or abstraction unless they see the practical application. Have clear visions of the way things should be. Loyal and hard-working. Like to be in charge. Exceptionally capable in organizing and running activities. “Good citizens” who value security and peaceful living.

Study, Fasting, Simplicity, Confession

• You are very practical.
• You enjoy obedience to the church, and get great spiritual value out of belonging to the church community.
• You need stability.
• You are best at daily Bible study and prayer. Make use of this.
• You will be unlikely to find value in the more emotional types of Christianity.

ISTJ

Serious and quiet, interested in security and peaceful living. Extremely thorough, responsible, and dependable. Well-developed powers of concentration. Usually interested in supporting and promoting traditions and establishments. Well-organized and hard working, they work steadily towards identified goals. They can usually accomplish any task once they have set their mind to it.

Study, Meditation, Submission, Worship

• Pray in action. Pray “on the job”.
• You enjoy scheduled prayer and meditation.
• Your spirituality is private. You don’t get much value from groups.
• You prefer order, and are rational – what you believe must make sense to you. So, pursue answers to your questions.
• You will also grow when everyone around you is growing, so take care of the spiritual growth of those closest to you.

ESFJ

Warm-hearted, popular, and conscientious. Tend to put the needs of others over their own needs. Feel strong sense of responsibility and duty. Value traditions and security. Interested in serving others. Need positive reinforcement to feel good about themselves. Well-developed sense of space and function.

Prayer, Fasting, Submission, Guidance

• You need structure to your disciplines.
• Maybe use notes and guidebooks.
• And don’t beat yourself up if you don’t do it everyday.
• Try mystical approaches.
• You will find God in nature, and you will feel God with you rather than think out how He could be with you.
• You will find God amongst the poor and needy, wherever there are concrete problems to be solved. If you are poor, don’t wait for someone to rescue you. Start to do something about it.
• Go to the poor and pray. You will find God.

ISFJ

Quiet, kind, and conscientious. Can be depended on to follow through. Usually puts the needs of others above their own needs. Stable and practical, they value security and traditions. Well-developed sense of space and function. Rich inner world of observations about people. Extremely perceptive of other’s feelings. Interested in serving others.

Prayer, Meditation, Service, Guidance

• You need to meet real needs. Church can sometimes feel superficial and a waste for you.
• You need to get out and get dirty for God.
• You need an emotional component to your spiritual expression and an outworking in reality of any professed spirituality.
• Your growth comes in the struggle to take worship out of the church and let it make a real difference in the world. Don’t try to change everyone else – you just get out there and do it.

ESTP

Friendly, adaptable, action-oriented. “Doers” who are focused on immediate results. Living in the here-and-now, they’re risk-takers who live fast-paced lifestyles. Impatient with long explanations. Extremely loyal to their peers, but not usually respectful of laws and rules if they get in the way of getting things done. Great people skills.

Study, Service, Celebration

• Social spirituality is most attractive to you – poverty programmes, peace movements, demonstrations. Participate in these! You can change the world.
• You need a specific space, and a specific time to pray and study.
• But you don’t respond well to structure and order otherwise.
• You battle with leaps of faith, and most of what you’ve been taught about spiritual growth doesn’t work for you. Don’t let that stop you seeking!
• For you, more than most, spirituality is a life long difficult journey. The good news for you is that spirituality is, in fact, a journey, not a destination. Understand that!!

ISTP

Quiet and reserved, interested in how and why things work. Excellent skills with mechanical things. Risk-takers who live for the moment. Usually interested in and talented at extreme sports. Uncomplicated in their desires. Loyal to their peers and to their internal value systems, but not overly concerned with respecting laws and rules if they get in the way of getting something done. Detached and analytical, they excel at finding solutions to practical problems.

Meditation, Simplicity, Corporate (really difficult)???

• You need a rational spirituality that makes sense to you.
• Make time for private meditation.
• Your approach will be individual. And probably unknown to most other people.
• You will get great value from specific directions and practical, routine work. Try things like visiting the sick, soup kitchens, caring for the poor.
• You will get great value from guidance, especially by an Intuitive Feeler.

ESFP

People-oriented and fun-loving, they make things more fun for others by their enjoyment. Living for the moment, they love new experiences. They dislike theory and impersonal analysis. Interested in serving others. Likely to be the center of attention in social situations. Well-developed common sense and practical ability.

Inward (really difficult)??, Service, Worship, Celebration

• Read the Psalms. Try Psalm 18. God is your Rock and Refuge. Trust in Him.
• You need solitude and security.
• You will get great benefit out of being a religious community.
• You need to work on prayer and spiritual activity. These will be helpful for you.
• You believe things, but circumstances often shake your beliefs and lead to rethinking of your faith. You will grow most with suffering.
• The church is one of the best places for you to find support and structure.

ISFP

Quiet, serious, sensitive and kind. Do not like conflict, and not likely to do things which may generate conflict. Loyal and faithful. Extremely well-developed senses, and aesthetic appreciation for beauty. Not interested in leading or controlling others. Flexible and open-minded. Likely to be original and creative. Enjoy the present moment.

Meditation, Solitude, Confession

• Get involved in activities and missions.
• The emotional component of your spirituality is critical.
• You need time to reflect privately.
• You need a series of steps to spiritual growth, but these must emphasize feelings and emotions, and not just be about thinking.
• You need to work with, and interact with other people. But you must also take time alone and be in nature. Often!
• Try to regularly reflect on your day with someone who shared it with you. Detail the emotions, feelings, interactions and learnings.