What Are the Attributes That Define Character?

Accountability and responsibility are both firmly bound up in faith but can be ignored if strength of character is deficient. Hosea 8:7 reminds us if we sow the wind we will reap the whirlwind by rejecting what God has called us to be with our lives.

This truth is spelled out by Samuel Smiles: “Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.” His poem implies accountability is unavoidable.

Our character and destiny are measured by courage, accountability,  and faith. Personal growth in faith and trust clears the way for walking humbly before God. Micah 6:8 is instructive. “The Lord has told us what he requires, and that is to do what is just, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.” The Lord God empowers you to be accountable as you trust in him. 

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For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do.

~Galatians 5:17 Good News Bible

 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

~Matthew 26:41 New International Version

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Preparing for Temptation's Assault

It's not a question of whether temptation will confront you, but how to prepare for its assault. Each person is unique in how temptation pierces their vulnerabilities. Some people are not in danger of submitting to a specific temptation but fail miserably when confronted in another category.

While an adulterous relationship is prohibited, a cutting-edge, secret emotional affair could be rationalized because no one would know and, supposedly, no harm is done. Yet emotional affairs create irreparable damage because faithfulness is compromised in the heart of the person.

Listen to Jesus from Matthew 5:28. “Do not commit adultery. But I tell you: anyone who looks at the opposite sex with lust is guilty of adultery in their heart.” You can prepare for cutting-edge temptation by seeking wisdom and truth from God’s word. Accept that temptation is evil and ask God for strength to escape its grasp. He will provide an escape for you. And thank him!                   

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“Keep alert and pray. Otherwise, temptation will overpower you. For the spirit indeed is willing, but how weak the body is!”

~Matthew 26:41 The Living Bible

 

All thanks to God, then, who gives us the victory over these things through our Lord Jesus Christ!

~1 Corinthians 15:57 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English

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Flirting with Disaster

The allure of temptation may be direct or subtle. Satan is always on the prowl seeking to find the vulnerable and unsuspecting. Satan doesn’t portray temptation as objectionable and unsightly, but as inviting, desirable and beautiful. Christians need not go out looking for the challenge of temptation. It will find you. 

There are individuals, however, who seek temptation for the thrill of its challenge. Samson demonstrated this by intentionally pursuing Philistine women as love objects, knowing they would betray him. He also played with the temptation of revealing the secret of his strength, believing he could somehow escape the clutches of death. 

Samson persisted in flirting with disaster until he was eventually pulled into its snare. God gave us Samson’s story because each of us is vulnerable to temptation, but Jesus gives us a way to avoid falling into the pit. "Watch and pray so you will not fall into temptation." Be alert and wise to keep a vigil for God's help and deliverance.  

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 Dear friend, don’t let a bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do what is right prove that they are God’s children. Those who continue in evil prove that they are far from God.

~3 John 11 The Living Bible

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