Bible Reading: Ezekiel 47, 48, 1John 3.
Memory Verse: “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3 (KJV)
Character is how someone thinks, feels and behaves. It is your total being. Your character is fruit bearing. It can bear fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23) or it could be adultery, uncleanness, idolatry, hatred, wrath, envying, drunkenness (Galatians 5:19-21). Your character could also be a combination of the above.
Your character will affect how you respond to issues. This is what we see in the Shunamite woman who decided to feed and house a man of God, Elisha. (2 Kings 4 :8-10). This is also what David exhibited when he saw a beautiful woman having her bath and was attracted to her. When he asked that people should investigate her, they came with the fact that she was the wife of one of his soldiers. Still he went ahead to commit adultery with her. ( 2 Samuel 11:2-4).
Character is what you do when nobody sees you, it is what you do when no one can question your authority and it is a resultant effect of your thought process. It is, interestingly, a thing of choice. You choose to behave in a certain way because of how your thought process had been shaped over the years. You can change the process. Your experiences of hardship and sufferings over the years will shape your character and consequently how you respond to future events. It is important to note that the character yields result as well over time. The Shunnamite woman was rewarded with a child later ( 2 Kings 4:14-17). Also David paid for his adultery with Bathsheba. And the Lord Jesus showed us how the character of some people made way for them in heaven. ( Matthew 25:31-45) . So no matter what you do, your character will speak for you. You cannot cover this with garment of christianity.
Christianity is expected to change your character to that which will show love in everything you do by conforming to Christ. Thus the bible says in
1 John 3:3 (KJV), “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
So if your character is not purified, you cannot cover it with religion to get results from God. This is why prayers without proven character will sound like broken record! So while prayer is essential for regular fellowship with God, you must ensure you are aligned with Him in your character to get the desired attention. Hebrews 12:14 (KJV) says, “Follow peace with all men , and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Your character is an indicator of your holiness. Hence the bible says by their fruit, we shall know them!
Action Point: Check your character and take deliberate actions to align it with the word of God.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero