YOUR CHARACTER COUNTS (PART 2)
Titus 2
Beloved, an African proverb says; character is like a smoke that cannot be covered permanently, it will appear / reflect at a time.
I have often wonder why people live a life of deceit: especially the nominal Christians, we are always a perfect masquerade presenting a double face in relationships,- the good and the bad in appearance, utterances and actions, which cannot be relied upon until otherwise proven. We come into the presence of God like holy men, but many are of questionable characters.
Until you live or work with a man for a period of time, you cannot be sure of who he is.
Many can change, when contented, the real character will emerge.
There is this tendency to believe that character is something we possess at birth, the result of heredity or of chance. This is a misconception and dangerous.
Many concludes that there is nothing they can do to make their character strong.
However, Proverbs 25:28 saith “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls” .
You must rule your Spirit, that is, your mind. Proverbs 4:23 says” keep thine heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues if life”.
The Scriptures is not speaking about that organ that pumps the blood, but the Spiritual heart of a man; where emotions and desires dwells, Our Spiritual heart resides in the soul.
The Soul is the Spirit of life given of God to keep man alive. The breath of life. (Genesis 2:7)
Man was made in a tripartite nature by God. The Body, Soul, and Spirit, only the body is physical, the soul and spirit resides in the man, the soul is the life in him and the spirit is the part of man that relates with God.
Using science as a searchlight- Psychology gave an insight that every man behaves in a kind, and propounded that men are categorized in four patterns of character /behaviors,/temperaments.
1.)A PHLEGMATIC CHARACTER -is sluggish and not easily excited to action. He is calm and reasonable.
2.)A MELANCHOLIC – is always affected by great sadness, depression,- of a thoughtful or introspective nature.
3.) A SANGUINE – is optimistic, anticipating the best, not despondent but full of hope. But indulgent in pleasure to the exclusion of important matters.
4).A CHOLERIC – Easily becoming angry, irate and indignant.
The assumption here is that every individual must fall into one of these categories.
The Bible in Romans 12:2 says “… But ye be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God”. Character problem has a Spiritual influence, it is the tactics of the devil to separate man from his God. If you renew your mind you shall be able to attain the Three wills of God.
( a)The Good will,
( b)The Acceptable will, (c)The Perfect will.
Lets keep moving, we shall get there. (Ephesians 4:13)
(The Recreated Vessels).