Topic: CHARACTER(1) 30 September 2021 By Pastor Faith Oyedepo Living Faith Church [ Winners Chapel]
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CHARACTER(1)
Dear Reader,
It is with great joy I welcome you to another glorious month. It is my earnest prayer that the eyes of your understanding be open to see the great truths that God has in store for you, in Jesus name! This month, we shall be focusing on a crucial topic I captioned: ‘Character’. We shall be exploring what character is and how a good Christian character can be built and sustained.
You may ask, is it possible to build and sustain a good Christian character? Yes! I know this because it is working in my own life, in the lives of my children and family members, and I also know it is working in the lives of other Christians. It shall begin to find expression in your own life too, in Jesus name! As someone rightly said, ‘Character is what we do when we think no one is looking’. It has its base in the heart, i.e., the inner man. Your character does not end there; it starts there and reflects outwardly in your actions. The Bible says,A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things (Matthew 12:35). Jesus Christ is our perfect example of how a Christian Character should be. Believers were first called Christians in Antioch because their lives reflected the attributes of Christ in their day-to-day living, in their actions and words. Therefore, the moment you are born again, your life must reflect the very nature of Christ. God has wonderful plans for you; however, it is one thing for God to plan for you, and it is another for you to lay a solid foundation for that glorious future He has in store for you. How far you go in life is a function of your character or lack of it. No matter how talented or how charismatic you are, if you lack character, you lack substance. I must tell you that the best time to build that strong Christian Character is during your single days.
Building godly character is non-negotiable; it is crucial. You can build up or crash your destiny by your character. Just like the physical foundation is to a building, so is a character to your future. A crack at the foundation is a threat to the security of the building. Therefore, you must be willing to pay the price required to cultivate, nurture and sustain the right character.
How then can I build a godly character? It is important to state clearly that no one can successfully build a godly character without Christ. As it is written, For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God (Hebrews 3:4). If the character is a matter of the heart, then the question is, where is your heart? Proverbs 4:23 says, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Is your heart towards the Word of God or the world? What you put in your heart will ultimately manifest in your character. Hence, make God your priority in life, give His Word first place in your life and watch how His Word reforms and reshapes your life, thereby equipping you with all you need in life to soar higher. Your future is too great, so you cannot afford to toy with it. Therefore, you must consciously work towards becoming that man and woman of godly character that God intends you to be.
However, the first important step to building a godly character is accepting Jesus into your life. He alone can make all the difference in the decisions you are required to make. If you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, please say this prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come to You today as a sinner. I believe You died for my sins and rose on the third day. Forgive me of my sins. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Make me a child of God today.