Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not qualified.
You can do whatever you want.
Don’t wait till you have your doctorate or you’ve got 15 years of experience under your belt. Do the impossible today. Go for it.
But there is something you do need. Without this you will fail. To ignore it will lead to your eventual demise.
What do you need?
Character
Without character your dream will fail. Without integrity, honesty, and a passion for truth, you’ll never make it.
Let me ask you a question: How is your character doing?
Character is like a plant or flower – it needs watered to grow. To neglect care is to neglect life.
In the same way, character is not a once and for all decision or gift. If you stop investing in your character, you stop living an effective life.
The Danger Of A Double Life
I feel I’ve gotten beat up lately – pulverized by the news of yet another Christian superstar leader living a double life.
Living a lie.
Achieving globally recognized ministry success while sleeping with another man’s wife.
This doesn’t just hurt me, it hurts the church.
But you know what else hurts me? Myself.
I have a doctorate in pointing the finger and fail at repentance. I’m a CEO at faking it.
But this blog is worthless if I don’t invest in my character.
My worship leading is worthless if my family falls apart.
You can love this blog while I live a double life behind the scenes. You’ll never know. That, my friends, is sobering.
What Not To Do
But we don’t need more striving.
We don’t need more New Year’s resolutions.
We need broken saints who fall on their face before God and cry out for mercy.
Live crying out for mercy.
Live desperate for the moving of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Without it, you won’t make it.
With all this talk about fulfilling your dreams, doing something amazing, shipping your work, and starting, we need more talk about character.
The Difference Is Tied To Your Devotion
It doesn’t matter what difference you make if you’re living a double life.
The difference you make is in your devotion to Christ – to live so closely to His Word, His heart, His love that you distract your wandering heart with glory.
Distract your self-worshiping heart with a beauty beyond this world.
Pursue your dreams. Make them happen. Don’t wait. But don’t lose your family, your morality, and your soul in the process. It’s just not worth it.
Join the ranks of those who make a difference and yet keep their hearts set upon the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Question: Why is good character so easy to overlook? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
“We need broken saints who fall on their face before God and cry out for mercy.”
Man, I love this.
Sometimes I feel my character is like this Drought we are having here in South Texas. In need of cool fresh rain.
I need mercy to rain down on me.
I need grace to come and wash me in the river
And I need HIS Love to bring a flood and drown me in Him!
Thats what I need…
Sounds like a song idea 🙂
Challenging post, friend. I think character is easy to overlook because of how deceiving appearances can be. It’s easy to go through the motions and fake it. And most people would never know.
I’m thankful for constant reminders to keep things spiritually fresh and pray I never become satisfied with an being an average pastor living a stagnant relationship with God.
I think you’re right. We’re always presenting our “best” self. Good thoughts, Ryan.
Powerful!
Amen, brother!
When you take this whole blogging thing seriously, you definitely have to set boundaries. I’d be lying if I said It’s been easy for me to keep balanced.
This was the premise behind my personal blog, myoneresolution.com. It’s making the only resolution that matters: knowing Christ and becoming more like Him daily.
Great post!
Are you finding it more difficult to balance multiple blogs?
It has been difficult, but it’s just too much fun. I just have to get up really early, and resist the urge to write in evening. That’s kids and wife time. It isn’t easy, but I’m getting better daily at it.
I hear ya, Don. I’m tempted to write in the evenings so I have less to do in the mornings so I have less to do in the evenings…and so on. A vicious cycle.
Without character, Christians become a joke. Laughing stock. It may seem painful to build character, but this pain is a fraction compared to the pain on failure’s path. This verse challenged me in my 20s … Lam 3:26-27 “So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline.” Thank you for clear words of truth.
Great verse, Liz. Thanks for sharing!
Great post, couldn’t agree more about our character!
This post was greattt!!
Currently I am asking the Lord to help me build my character. I am a new worship Leader Assistant and I think I do not have a leader character, I feel I need to be stronger, those are the feedbacks I get. ” I am too sweet” any advices??
Absolutely amazing. Thanks for the kick in the pants. What a great reminder.
Thanks Sammy. I hope I didn’t kick you too hard 🙂