25th May 2014

Church - Pastor Muyiwa

CHRISTIAN CHARACTER

Is what makes our life, reflects God, righteousness and spiritual life
Product of our personal conviction, inner resolve
We need charisma AND character (charisma is a gift, if you dont have
character you will lose your gift - 2Peter 1:5)
It is what makes us try disciples of God when we exhibit Christian character
We must constantly develop ourselves
We cannot go into perfection if we do not build on our character

Building blocks of Christian character
1. Courage - having the strength to act out your conviction
2. Integrity - Internal and external consistency
3. Diligence - careful and persistent work or effort
4. Discipline (Acts 24:16) - when you train yourself you apply yourself to
discipline. Grace empowers us to be disciplined.
Two aspects of discipline: 1) Training and 2) correction - you must allow the
word of God to correct you. Discipline is persistent and not giving up even
when things are not working out. You must be disciplined in the use of TIME!
Discipline yourself not to be arrogant and proud. Discipline yourself to not
spend what you do not have. Live within your limits. Discipline yourself to
WAIT.

5. Gratitude - appreciate God, develop a heart of gratitude every time you wake
up, the reason why you are proud and arrogant is because you think life is a
right. People who are content. (Josephs attitude in the house of Potifer was
an attitude of gratitude). Three things you need to be grateful for: God, Life
and people (Lamentations 3:21). Learn to give thanks for the little things.
Every time you are appreciative you are building your character because you
are putting your life in the hands of God.

6. Patience and Perseverance - patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate
delay, capacity to deal with problems, capacity to hold on to God when you
are struggling.
Perseverance is to persist with God despite difficulty or delay in achieving
success, you are still full of faith and not complaining, anxious or bitter with
God - you must always see things through. We need to train to apply
ourselves to processes and principles. Miracles do not create a platform for
you. Perseverance is delayed gratification. (2Peter - Add perseverance to
your faith, Joseph was grateful to be in prison).

7. Meekness - power under control, meek person can not easily be provoked.


(Phil 2:5-8) A person that is meek is not cheeky, you are calm nothing moves
you, when they are pressing your buttons the battery is dead (Matthew 5).
When you step back God will step in.

8. Forgiveness - (Genesis 50:18 - forgive and forget so that you can nourish
your enemies. Pray for them, Love them. You must train yourself to forgive,

9. Loyalty - you must commit yourself to an act, glue that holds a relationship
together, commitment. (Ruth 1:15-16 and Naomi)

10. Accountability and self control (Ephesians 5:21)


All these building blocks take a process, assess what areas you need to build up.