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Building Character

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Your character defines who you are as a person, but there is true character and there is acting. True character is what’s in your heart and the only one that can fully see it besides yourself is God. The question to ask yourself as a Christian is, do you consistently project your heart out to the world? Or do you have a spiritual valve in your heart that you open and close depending on your surroundings? Does your character change depending on who you are around? This can be confusing because it makes you wonder who you really are sometimes. I know this can be common with new believers but as they progress, they will eventually realize and reshape their character by re-aligning their values as they freshly read the Word. That’s because it’s that fresh fire inside as they learn about Jesus for the first time and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. We all felt it in the very beginning, and it is an awesome feeling. But if you don’t maintain the knowledge and don’t live it consistently, that flame begins to diminish over time and world distractions begin to take over the time you use to spend with God, so that feeling goes away. You have to be diligent in the Word to transform your character and to live under righteous principles and values.

The point of all this is that the principles you set for yourself must be consistent daily. Keep that feeling going! You need to consistently feed your mind and heart. Take in the knowledge and live it. If you become wise in the Word, then you have established a strong foundation for your life.

Lets tie in your dream with your character. Lets say you have a dream and you have found your purpose in this world as you become consistent in God’s Word. By welcoming Christ into your life, you have become a temple for the Holy Spirit, and have developed this very special relationship with God. Your faith is strong, you have found your purpose, and the Lord is right there with you every step of the way. This doesn’t mean everything is going to be easy and perfect in your eyes. The Lord will test you. He wants to be sure your faith is strong, not just toward Him, but faith in yourself as well. Sometimes these tests and trials can be hard and devastating and cause us to suffer in many ways. The Lord will allow us to go through this to make us stronger and build us up spiritually. It is up to you to figure that out through knowledge and wisdom by being diligent in feeding yourself with His Word. By reading the Word, you will understand that there is hope because you’re confident in God’s promises. You will understand that God is strengthening your character as you persevere through whatever pain is in your life at that point of time. Paul describes it best to the Romans:

Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

 

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Foundation

Knowledge

Any structure that is upright needs a strong foundation. Having a strong relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation that everyone needs to be upright.

When you have a relationship with the Lord, He becomes a part of you and you a part of Him. If you think about relationships, what really makes up a relationship? To have a relationship with someone means you have some significant connection with them. You communicate with them, you think about them, and you can associate feelings for them and with them. This is how the Lord wants to have a relationship with you. If you feel guilty and have a sense of regret for the sin that you have done in God’s eyes, then that is repentance. Repenting is feeling regret, remorse, and sorry for what you have done, especially if someone else’s heart is involved. If this is how you feel when you sin in God’s eyes, then a relationship is there. If you are trying your hardest to turn away from sin, He can see that and He wants to help you just as anyone that you have a strong relationship with would. He wants the relationship to grow and wants you to ask Him for strength and to know that He is right there with you no matter what the conditions are.

A relationship with the Lord provides you with a foundation that will hold your framework upright and together. The more you allow the Lord into your life the deeper the relationship becomes. The deeper the relationship, the deeper the foundation. The first building block to a strong foundation with the Lord is obtaining knowledge of His Word.

Knowledge and Wisdom

Ecclesiastes 10:10
If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.

Even King Solomon was saying to work smarter not harder. If the knowledge is there why not use it? The only way to become skillful and wise is to put your knowledge into practice. Practice means to train, rehearse, and exercise. It does not matter what it is in life, if you rehearse it physically or mentally you are sharpening your axe. Why wait for the opportunity of need to arise when you don’t fully understand the knowledge you have gained? If you are skilled and wise, then is it really work when the opportunity of need arises? I would say not! The opportunity is your time for success!

Experience knowledge, don’t just read about it, be about it!

Two Words

There are two words to avoid in life and two words to look forward to. Two words to avoid are “only if”. Two simple words we use every day but when you put them together, there becomes a sense of regret. “Only if” I would have pushed myself a little harder, “only if” I would have taken that opportunity, “only if” I had the courage. Depending how your life is at the point of “only if”, with regret comes remorse, guilt, and maybe depression. Don’t get caught up in an “only if” life.

The two words to look forward to in life are “thank you”. With thank you there is a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. You have received something that you need. God has provided you what you needed so you want to live the life of thanks. “Thank you” Lord for giving me the opportunities, “thank you” Jesus for providing me courage and salvation, “thank you” Father for giving me courage and being my stronghold!

Bottom line is to recognize the gifts God has given you to serve and glorify His name. Use them to fulfill your life’s purpose for Him and yourself.

Ecclesiastes 2:24
A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.

Start 2016 with this in mind…

2Cor5_17

Book is coming soon!

 This is a book that I am currently working on and soon to be published. I am not sure when but I will keep updating the status here and on Twitter #framework2life.

 The Framework to Life is about having a purpose in life through a relationship with God. Many go alone trying to reach dreams but do not invite The Lord Jesus Christ into their lives. Having a relationship with God allows you to understand what His purpose is for you so you can live prosperously under His glory. Believe it or not, if you establish a relationship with the Lord you will find out that His purpose for you is the dream you have been wanting all along.

The Framework itself is a set of principles that are based on common sense values that most of us really never take to heart. I will not mention them just yet, but as I get closer to publishing my book I will share with the world!

What’s your purpose in life?

This is a question that most people have no matter what stage in life they may be in. Have you ever taken a second to think about God’s purpose for you? Take some time to think about how God can use you for His purpose as you try and figure out how it becomes your purpose in life. As you live for the Lord, you have to think of your purpose as being eternal. As Christians we know where we’re going, so why live life through earthly lenses while trying to figure out what your purpose is? Why put an end date on it when you know that life on earth is just a temporary place! Look at the gifts and passions the Lord has given you? Think about the talents you have and the skills that you possess. Do you feel that God has given you these talents and interests to enhance your life and give you purpose? Absolutely! Living life with the perspective of living for eternity kind of changes how you view your purpose. How can you enjoy the life that God has given you if your purpose is just for this world? As you live for eternity, envision how you can glorify Him with what He has given you. There are many ways you can glorify the Lord with the talents and passions that He has provided you. You don’t have to go on mission trips around the world to glorify His name, you can glorify Him right where you are now doing whatever it is you love to do. Though mission trips around the world may be an awesome experience for believers, but they may not be for everyone and that’s what makes us all unique in God’s kingdom. People have passions for many different things. People who actually go out and serve the Lord under harsh conditions around the world have chosen that lifestyle because of passion! Your mission trip for the Lord started when you invited the Lord Jesus Christ into your life. Since then, it’s been your mission to glorify His name in your everyday life. Your mission may be right outside your door or on the other side of the world, but the bottom line is to live the life God has given you to your fullest potential, glorifying His name in everything you do.

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