Imagine for a moment that you have all the money in the world and you are able to buy anything you want.  What would you buy?  Would it be a house, car, boat, private jet, maybe a private island?  It’s even possible to buy talent, hire people who know more than you do to work for you, so in essence you can buy knowledge.  But there is one thing you can’t buy – you can’t buy character.  There is nothing is more important than godly character. Either a person has it or he doesn’t, and, it’s better to keep your character than it is to lose it and then try to recover it.  Character is manifested in great moments, but it is made in the small ones.  Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation.  Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely who others think you are.

How a Christian deals with the circumstances of their life speaks of their character.  Crisis doesn’t necessarily make character, but it does reveal it.  Adversity in our lives is a crossroads where a person chooses one path – character or compromise.   Character is who you are when no one is looking.  Character is more than just talk for anyone can say they have integrity but action is the true indicator.  Your character determines who you are.  People that always seem to be at war with themselves have a problem in their character.  Proverbs 20:11 says that “even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.”  Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk!

Talent is a gift but character is a choice.  There are a lot of things in our life that we have no control over.  We don’t get to pick our parents, our upbringing, our talents, our IQ, but we do choose our character.  In fact, we create it every time we make choices, and our choices will reflect what’s inside of us.  Do your choices reflect someone with a godly character or are your choices determined by your flesh which is by its very nature evil?  A person of godly character will always take the high road which is the one less traveled but one that will bring lasting success.  Success without a good foundation of character is bound for failure.

Examine every aspect of your life; your relationship with God, your spouse, your children, your peers, your employer.  Identify short cuts and short comings in those areas. Pray about each one. Look for patterns. What patterns of weakness do you see? These are character issues.  Ask God to deliver you from these patterns.  Face the music. The beginning of character repair is when you face your flaws, repent and deal with them.  People with godly characters are described as those who are honest, loves people, works hard, keeps his word, is humble and seeks to serve others at every opportunity.  Have I just described the person you are?