COMMITTED to train men and women
to have minds for the Lord Jesus,
hearts for the truth, and
hands that are skilled to the task.

"Character" Tagged Sermons

TWEET AND WATCH

Founder, Jack Dorsey, explains,
“We came across the word ‘twitter’, and it was just perfect. The definition was ‘a short burst of inconsequential information,’ and ‘chirps from birds’. And that’s exactly what the product was.”
Jonathan Zittrain, professor of Internet law at Harvard says,
“The qualities that make Twitter seem insane and half-baked are what makes it so powerful.”
But just because a message is short, does not mean it is insignificant.
Horatio Spafford saw his life collapse when he heard his four daughters had drowned in a shipwreck. This news came from his wife’s poignant telegram: “Saved Alone.”
What made Gordon Wilson a standout was that he as a Christian forgave those who planted and activated the bomb that killed his daughter. Many other Christians could not understand what Gordon Wilson was doing.
Mary McAleese writes:
“It was as if Gordon and spoken those words of forgiveness for the first time in human history, as if Christ had never uttered the words, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing.” One outspoken critic, who was Christian, said to me about Gordon Wilson. “Surely, the poor man must have been in shock,” as if offering love and forgiveness is a sign of mental weakness instead of spiritual strength.”

THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES…

There is more than one reason for this state of affairs. But mostly it comes down to not knowing how to participate with God in ways that allow truth to alter our very way of PERCEIVING AND UNDERSTANDING OUR OWN LIFE.
“It costs a man just as much or even more to go to hell than to come to heaven. Narrow, exceedingly narrow is the way to perdition!” Soren Kierkegaard
“To depart from righteousness is to choose a life of crushing burdens, failures, and disappointments, a life caught in the toils of endless problems that are never resolved. Here is the source of that unending soap opera, that sometimes horror show known as normal human life. The cost of discipleship, though it may take all we have, is small when compared to the lot of those who don’t accept Christ’s invitation to be a part of his company in the way of life.” Dallas Willard, “The Spirit of the Disciplines”
Transformation is about changing our very character – not our environment, not the people around us, not even our behavior – it is about changing who we are from the inside out.
OUR WILL WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO BE ABLE TO FORCE OUR HEART TO CHANGE.

BLESSINGS THAT LAST

Matthew 5:1-12 2 Timothy 3:12 1. Our Needs to RECEIVE THE BLESSINGS THAT LAST Matthew 5:3-5 Psalm 51:17 Luke 18:9-14 2. Our Desire PURSUE THE BLESSINGS THAT LAST Matthew 5:5 Matthew 5:20-37  3. Our Disposition to SHARE THE BLESSINGS THAT LAST Matthew 5:7-9 Psalm 24:3–4 4. Our Perseverance DEMONSTRATE THE BLESSINGS THAT LAST Matthew 5:10-12 Luke 16:13–15  

Prepared To Fight Godly

For the next five weeks we will take a very close look at the battle every Christian is involved in on a daily basis. We will look at what the Word of God says about these battles, and how God intents us to fight according to His will and His word.
In other words, it is possible for born again Christians, for genuine followers of Jesus Christ, to be victims of Satan, who ensnared us, who has taken us captive for one purpose, which is TO DO SATAN’S WILL. We all know that we as the children of the living God ought to DO GOD’S WILL and not Satan’s will. However, God’s word is warning us that Satan can take one of us captive at his will. In other words it is possible for a believer to come under the influence of a “tormenting spirit”.
James is saying that wisdom and understanding comes only from the Lord and from His word. If we claim to have that wisdom, then show it by good conduct. And if your conduct is not godly, not according to the Word of God, then someone has set a trap for you by making you believe a lie and you act on it. And by acting according to the lie, you by default will do SATAN’S WILL.
What is a stronghold? A stronghold is a person’s inherent qualities of mind and character.
Listen, all of us grew up in a home, some homes are better than others. As children we have heard and observed a million different actions and reactions from our parents, from our siblings, from our teachers, from our friends. All such observations have somehow shaped our mind and character. Especially our families and what they have done, how they lived, will influence our mind and character. Such influences have formed strongholds, patterns of thinking, which we will eventually act out.
Whatever your stronghold or strongholds may be, there is a solution to your problem.
These strongholds can be demolished, by taking your thoughts captive, prisoner. Before you act on what you think, ask yourself the question: WHAT DOES GOD’S WORD SAY ABOUT THAT BEHAVIOR? Do not enter into an argument with God. Paul commands to CAST DOWN THOSE ARGUMENTS AND EVERY HIGH THING THAT EXALTS ITSELF AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD.
You must be prepared to fight godly, that is GOD’S WAY. You must come to God with a willing heart and to ask Him to destroy those strongholds in your life. The Lord wants you to break those strongholds by learning to think God’s way. Accept the Word of God as your only sure guide in all your decisions. Remember, the Word of God is sharper than any two edged sword and is a discerner of your very thoughts. When the Word exposes your pattern of thinking as opposite to God’s revelation, take those thoughts immediately captive and before long, your strongholds will be demolished. GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD.

We Have A Higher Calling

Jacob’s sons had a past that needed to be addressed by the Lord because their conscience constantly condemned them for what they had done. And as God’s chosen people, they have to confront this issue head on. Because GODLY CHARACTER IS A PREREQUISITE TO RULERSHIP. God will spare no pain in bringing us back to where we belong. Jacob’s sons are about to enter into God’s recovery program. There is no recovery from guilt and sin without facing them. The fruit of a grapevine is always on the new growth. This is the reason for pruning the vine. Without new growth there is little or no fruit.
God is always reminding his children that they have a higher calling than just making a living down here on earth. He is training them for ruler ship and insecurity is something that needs to be dealt with. Receiving God’s grace always brings us to a position of conviction of our sins. The gift of grace should always bring us to the place of repentance, a place that reminds us of our higher calling. Living for God and bringing Him glory.

Do Not Be A Dimmer-Switch

Studying the attitudes of Joseph and his two fellow prisoners will teach us a great lesson of God’s way of preparing us for ruler ship. Nothing will dim the light of God in and through us faster than murmuring and complaining. The Bible reveals to us that such attitudes will hinder the Holy Spirit to work through us, and without Him we cannot shine the light of God into this dark world. How did Joseph manage not to be a dimmer switch, not to turn the spiritual light down, but to shine brightly in a dark prison, surrounded by complaining people? Joseph was God’s servant who refused to become a dimmer-switch. Spiritual maturity is not something which we receive when we finally give up our selfish life and surrender it to Jesus Christ.
As born again believers, we become candidates for spiritual maturity, but it is God who designs which classes we have to take and what circumstances we have to face. PROBLEMS ARE GOD’S GIFTS TO US TO MAKE US STRONGER. PROBLEMS ARE THE BLESSINGS TO MAKE US MATURE. Your circumstances do not make you the way you are. Negative situations do not make us, they simply reveal who we are. Believing and embracing what God has promised to us will make us loving Him more and through this love He will manifest himself through us to the world.

The Value of Hard Times

In 1963, an Anglican bishop by the name of John Robinson, published a book entitled, HONEST TO GOD, in which he coined the term: NEW MORALITY. Three years later, in 1966, Robinson was joined by Joseph Fletcher, the former dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Cincinnati. Both, Robinson and Fletcher suggested that the new morality allowed a person to choose a loving response for any situation. In other words, the New Morality took authority from the hands of God and placed it in the hands of men, allowing selfish permissiveness that suggested, “If no one gets hurt, anything goes!”
As we are being prepared to rule and reign with Christ on day, studying Joseph’s life will give us insight what kind of schooling we need and WHAT KIND OF TESTING WE WILL HAVE TO FACE. Prosperity and success is not a matter of CIRCUMSTANCES, but a matter of CHARACTER. When a man begins to develop a sense of satisfaction in his accomplishments, he opens himself up to temptation. And as we learn from Joseph, it takes a man of character to defeat that sort of temptation.
Joseph overcame because he had a conviction and he was loyal.