A friend once
said that 'Character is on the endangered species list.' I agree with that statement. If you were
to evaluate your life and ask yourself 'who in my life displays a Godly
character without compromise?' I would imagine the list would be short.
Reason---we are in a world where
those who live in the public eye have compromised their own beliefs, their
integrity, and their own families for power, greed, abundance, stature,
prestige, and titles.
The current vernacular of elitism is
null and void of character---let alone individuals living with a Godly character. If the word integrity is mentioned, it is
quickly blotted out by self-gratification, me-ism, entitlement belief system,
or the simple issue of an over active narcissistic attitude or opinion.
"You can't talk your way out of what
you've behaved yourself into."
-Stephen
R. Covey
Behavior, or the character of our behavior, finds its origin
inside one's self. It is an internal feeding
of both the heart and mind. We cannot
change from the outside in, because the outside isn’t what caused the change in
the first place. Actually, Jesus said
that what has happened came from within.
He reminds us why we need to be filtering
everything that we allow to take up residency in our hearts and minds in Mark
7:21-23.
“For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual
immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy,
slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make
a man ‘unclean’ “. Mark 7:21-23
Imagine what the billboard of your life resembles when it is
filled with such thoughts, actions, and attitudes?
For the few next weeks, come with me on a CHARACTER Mini-Summit. Let your senses gravitate back to the heart of God and His
code of ethics. King Solomon, the wisest person
to ever have lived, said, “Here is my
final advice: Honor God and obey His
commands. This is the most important thing people can do.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
God intended His Words to be Words of Instruction on how to live. Yes, the Bible is relevant in the present day and His Word can help us to have an inner change; a
character change that can guide us in sustaining a stronger walk with God. Each week we will briefly look at an important concept.
THIS WEEK’S CONCEPT:
1. Your THOUGHT life determines your LIFESTYLE.
“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7
I
have found that my mind has to be regularly cleaned by allowing God to remove
the trash. I am talking about my
attitude, my perception, and re-aligning my mind with better
resources. This is when I use my
spiritual compass to point my mind and heart to my true north star---my Heavenly
Father. It is here where I can refill my
mind with God's thoughts, God's way of handling change, God's strength for
handling disappointments, and God's grace for when I have veered off my path to
Him.
Here
is where I find an entirely new perspective of the struggles I face and a re-thinking of my thinking towards how God can teach His children that He is always there --
ready to empower us. The following is a
quote that I have personally lived by over the years, may it challenge you this week :
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your for habits, they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” ~Tom Krause
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your for habits, they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” ~Tom Krause
