Chapter 5
BUILDING A STRONG CHARACTER.
There is the need for every child of God to build up a strong character especially in this time and age where there is a lot of mess in Christendom. Many of the chaos today in the Body of Christ are as a result of the negligence of character and the Fruits of the Spirit in the lives of Christian.
Christians today have more manifestations to showcase to the world but very little fruits to boast of. Our pursuit of power above character has being the cause of most of these tensions. Our love for power far exceeds our power of love.
But Jesus is after a bride that will manifest His life and not just His power. Remember what He said to His disciples in John chapter 13:35. He said: “By this shall all *men+ know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Notice that He didn’t say, by your gifts and anointing. He only said by we loving ourselves will the world identify us as his disciples. He was making reference to character and not to the gift.
Before we can fully fulfill our ministry . . . Before we can sustain our God given ministries . . . Before we can touch the heart of the world . . . Before we can move God to testify on our behalf, we need to first build up ourselves in character. It is very good and scriptural to chase after the anointing and we thank God for that. But in chasing after the anointing, we shouldn’t forget to first exercise ourselves unto godliness. Because without a godly character, there is no way God will trust us with a serious anointing. He is in great expectation of consecration from His vessel.
The following scriptures admonish us on the necessity of character as believers. This is what the scripture says to us;
“. . . exercise thyself *rather+ unto godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7).
“. . . be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).
“. . . have a good report of them which are without . . .” (1 Timothy 3:7).
“Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord *is+ at hand” (Philippians 4:5)
” . . . have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8)
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)
“. . . shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13)
“. . . have compassion, making a difference” (Jude 1:22)
“Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that . . . they may by [your] good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12)
“Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love . . .” (2 Corinthians 8:24)
God is more interested in how we manifest His Fruits than the Gifts he deposits in us. The anointing we operate in doesn’t move Him because He gave it to us. The great testimonies he gave concerning His vessels of old had to do with their disposition and character and not the oil they carried on their head.
Nothing moved God concerning Job than his character. That is why he could say to Satan: “. . . Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth . . . “(Job 1:8). God couldn’t boast of Job on any other thing than his character.
It was the same with David. God refers to him as the man after His own heart. He said that not because of the oil he sent Samuel to pour over his head but because of the way he possessed his vessel. He proved himself fit and sanctified for Divine Use.
Also, notice that in addressing all the seven churches in Asia, God began by saying, “. . . I know your works (ergon).” From the church of Ephesus through to Laodicea, God started addressing them by saying; I know your works (deeds). No reference was made to the gifts or manifestations that operated in the church. Everything had to do with the doctrine they held, the character they potrayed and how they reacted with other vessels. So you see, God is more interested in how we possess our vessels than in how we manifest His oil.
The story of Jesus is no exception. God lifted him up to sit with Him in that height of glory not because of the mighty works and miracles he did but because of his character. He was a man of humility. He moved the heart of the father as He striped himself of all reputations and go to the cross in humility. God was moved by that simple act of humility and obedience He saw in His Son and by it was compelled to confer on Him an authority that transcends all authority. Character is what moves God.
Any anointing or gift that operates in our life here on earth is only temporal. It is only limited to our stay here on earth. One day, they will all be no more. The Bible even attests to that.
“. . . whether [there be] prophecies, they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:8).
I love one thing Paul said before saying this. He said, “charity never faileth . . .” which in other words means, “love never dies or fails”. This signifies that the fruits of the Spirit have more preeminence than the Gifts or manifestations of the Spirit.
No matter the magnitude of anointing we carry here on earth, when we die, we either leave it behind on this earth or go into the grave with it. We don’t carry it along to eternity. We leave everything behind. But the fruits we are able to bear via the help of the Holy Spirit still remain with us even unto eternity. It never dies.
Jesus for example left all His power behind to His church. As he ascended up on high, he gave gifts unto men (Ephesians 4:8). He gave them to us “. . . to occupy till he come.” He left everything behind to his church. Had he taken them into heaven, they would have been useless because in heaven there is no need of healing, redemption or salvation and hence no need of a Healer or a Saviour.
Even in heaven, he is not known as Jesus but as The Word. The name ‘Jesus’ means The Saviour and it is obvious he can’t bear this name in Heaven since there is no need of salvation there. In heaven He is known as the Word of God.
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a
white horse; and he that sat upon him
[was] called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make
war. His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and
on his head [were] many crowns; and he
had a name written, that no man knew,
but he himself. And he [was] clothed with
a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is
called The Word of God.”
(Revelation 19:11-13)
However, the Loving Jesus we know here on earth is the same Loving Jesus in heaven. The Faithful and True Jesus is the same Faithful and True. His personality has never changed. He is still humble, Loving, Faithful, Patient and Virtuous.
This confirms what Paul said to the church at Corinth particularly when he said: “CHARITY NEVER FAILETH : but whether [there be] prophecies, they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall vanish away” (1 Corinthians 13:8).
Necessity is therefore laid on us to build up ourselves to manifest the Christ type of life. God won’t impart character unto us. We have to develop it ourselves.
To build up yourself in character, then learn to;
Exercise yourself
“But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise
thyself [rather] unto godliness.” (1 Timothy 4:7)
In building a strong character whether in preparation for ministry or for marriage, the very first step you have to take is to exercise or train yourself. You have to first discipline or train yourself towards godliness. It is something you have to do personally. No one can do that for you. It is a one-man ‘Wahala’. This is what makes character building somehow difficult.
The purpose of training, that is general training, is either to get you acquainted with something or to make you more specialized in something. We were all not born with all the talents in the world in us. Some of us were naturally born preachers or singers whilst others were also born footballers. Every one has his or her naturally endowed gift or gifts. Moving in these gifts demand training.
When a naturally gifted footballer for example trains on a park, his purpose is to build up on himself or to enhance his skills. However, when this natural footballer decides to sing which is very unnatural to him, what he needs again is training. But this time, the initial training is not to specifically build him up but rather to get him acquainted with his new subject. So you see the purpose of training is either to get you acquainted or to enhance you on what you already have.
With respect to character as well, training serves the same purpose. You can exercise or train yourself in love either to start loving or to love the more. It is all about exercising and disciplining yourself.
I get fascinated when I hear folks say, “I wish I were like you - referring to character.” Of course you can be like any one you want to be. It is just a matter of desiring and training yourself to be like the person you want to be like.
We human beings are naturally not loving, humble or patient. The only way we can start having these virtues operating in our life is by exercising and training ourselves unto them. It will cause us our time, reputation and energy. It won’t be easy. It will be a hard nut to crack but I can assure you of its sweet kernel.
You can train yourself to be humble, patient, decent or anything you want to be. There is no need staring into the eyes of a friend and wishing to be like him. You have to begin by exercising yourself and it takes discipline. As you keep training yourself, you shouldn’t also forget to test yourself along to see if you are on course. The Bible even admonishes us to do so. It admonishes us to test and evaluate ourselves to see whether we are holding unto the faith.
“Examine and test and evaluate your
own selves to see whether you are
holding to your faith and showing the
proper fruits of it. Test and prove
yourselves [not Christ]. Do you not
yourselves realize and know [thoroughly
by an ever-increasing experience] that
Jesus Christ is in you--unless you are
[counterfeits] disapproved on trial and
rejected?” Corinthians 13:5 (AMP)
It is very necessary to test yourself as you train yourself. As you exercise yourself to be humble, you need to be checking on yourself to see if you are really on course. If the purpose of your training for example is to have a very mild temper, you will have to test yourself along to see the progress you are making. You can do this by presenting yourself to provoking situations just to see your reactions to them. That is the only way you can access your progress.
If you want to be godly, you have to first exercise yourself unto godliness. Thank God for prayer but you have to first exercise yourself unto godliness. You will have to take the pain to exercise yourself.
You can exercise, discipline or train yourself not to respond to insults or accusation. You can also exercise yourself not to be offended by what people say or do. The same way also, you can exercise yourself to practice all the good virtues of life. Discipline will make you attain to where you want to attain to.
Sometimes you will have to create the opportunity for yourself before you can exercise yourself. You will sometimes have to create the opportunity for your own self to show some love or some humility if you are naturally not that type. If the opportunity presents not itself, you will have to do that yourself. This is what I meant by saying, it will take you time.
Exercising ourselves unto godliness is not a one day agenda. It is also not a week, a month or a year agenda. It is something we have to do continually.
Build yourself
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most
holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,” (Jude 1:20)
We can completely and successfully exercise ourselves unto godliness by building ourselves along. There is no way we can attain unto the fullness of what we exercise ourselves in unless we build ourselves along. Building up on ourselves along side exercising ourselves will make the equation balanced.
In exercising ourselves, we discipline our bodies or emotions in the natural but in building ourselves, we discipline our bodies and emotions by the help of the Holy Spirit. Also in exercising ourselves, we build up on our character but in building up ourselves, we build up on our Spirit Man.
Like stated in the scripture above, we can build up on ourselves by praying in the HOLY GHOST or by speaking in other tongues. By speaking in tongues, we exercise our Spirit man and cause it to rise higher and higher.
I know you may be thinking this way: “How does tongues speaking connects with building a strong character?” The answer is that, it has a lot to do with character building.
As we spend time everyday praying in tongues, the spirit man becomes very sensitive and conscious to the presence of God and that of His Holy Spirit. The more conscious and sensitive we become to God and the indwelling presence of His Holy Ghost, the more it affects our manner of life and conducts thereby making us vessels unto honor fit for the master’s use.
There are some levels of godliness we can never exercise ourselves unto without the help of the gift of speaking in tongues. Spending time to fellowship with God everyday in tongues speaking will cause us to rise high and high to fulfill all righteousness. It will bring awesome manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit into our lives. As you put the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit within to work by praying in tongues, it will accomplish for you all the fruits of the Spirit.
“But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the
work which His presence within
accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness),
peace, patience (an even temper,
forbearance), kindness, goodness
(benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness
(meekness, humility), self-control (self-
restraint, continence). Against such
things there is no law [that can bring a
charge].” Galatians 5:22-23 (AMP)
I will advise you start seeking the face of God to speak in other tongues if you don’t exercise that gift because it will build you up to live up to expectation. Just by spending roughly 20 to 30 minutes daily praying in other tongues, you build up on yourself spiritually. You will also build up on your character.
Purge yourself
“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, [and] prepared unto every good work”
(2 Timothy 2:20-21)
In taking the decision to build up a strong character, there is also a great need to purge, clean and to consecrate yourself. You will have to disengage yourself from any appearances of evil in case you are engaged in one. This is a must because without it you can’t fulfill all righteousness. You should be able to purge yourself from things that are not profitable. No one will help you do this. You have to do that yourself.
Taking this step has a lot to do with discipline and self denial because it involves doing away with some friends and other things that are capable of hindering you from taking the right step. By purging yourself, you create less room for the evil one from coming in to sow tares among your wheat and to rob you of your harvest.
Exercising and building up yourself will be useless, if you refuse to go the extra mile of purging yourself.
If you are seeking for example to live a humble life, there is the need to purge yourself from certain friends whose presence makes you feel proud and boastful. If you are also in dying need to show love to people around you, you will also have to do away with certain friends whose presence arouse hatred in you by speaking evil of every one. You will have to purge yourself from them.
You will also have to do away with certain sights, music and anything that negatively affects you. Some songs are not worth listening to. They don’t add anything to you. They rather take from you. From such turn away. Try and make yourself busy by thinking and meditating on wholesome things. Always spend time speaking to yourself is Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. Not just any song with the name ‘gospel’ but those capable of adding something to your life.
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are
true, whatsoever things [are] honest,
whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever
things [are] pure, whatsoever things
[are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of
good report; if [there be] any virtue, and
if [there be] any praise, think on these
things.” (Philippians 4:8)
“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody in your heart to the Lord”
(Ephesians 5:19)
Look unto Jesus.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 )
The scripture above happens to be one of my favorite in the Bible especially its first three phrases. At one point in time, it was the main subject of my prayer. I spent hours praying to God daily to give me that needed discipline and grace to fix and keep my eyes on Jesus and on Him alone. For as long as my eyes were kept upon Him, I became the happiest and the most disciplined person on earth. The more I look at Him, the more I become like Him. The more I focus my eyes on Him, the more I live His way. If there is anything I desire on this planet, it is just to sit and behold the face of My Lord just like Mary did.
It humbles and refreshes me. It soothes my sorrow and heals my wounds.
I only succeed in making myself bitter and offended anytime I begin looking at my own self or at someone else. But immediately my eyes get hold of Jesus, I begin to live like heaven on earth. It builds me up in character.
There is nothing so awesome and refreshing than looking unto this infinitely perfect being and keeping your very mind on Him. Fixing your imagination on Him will take away any hatred, offense, pride and any evil thing that hides in your heart. It will mend and revive your broken heart.
As you keep looking at Him, you receive more empowerment to live like Him. Looking at either man or yourself will only make you more bitter, offended or discouraged. There is no way you can experience the God kind of peace in your life with your eyes away from Christ.
Jesus wants us to live like Him here on this earth. Notice what he said in Matthew chapter 11:29. He said “. . . learn of me . . .” Jesus wants us to learn every single thing about Him and one way we can do that is by looking unto Him and by looking more diligently.
The writer of Hebrews advises us to look unto Jesus diligently.
“Looking diligently ( unto Jesus) lest any
man fail of the grace of God; lest any
root of bitterness springing up trouble
*you+, and thereby many be defiled”
Hebrews 12:15 (explanation in bracket)
Looking diligently unto Jesus is one way we build up ourselves in character. The more we look at Him, the more we become like Him. Desiring to build up a strong character without practicing this scripture (Hebrews 12:2) is nothing more than putting money into a torn pocket.