Character: Part Two

By Carol Dickey
We will all give an account for what we say on the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36; Romans 2:16; 1 Corinthians 4:5).

Character is not only submitting to God’s standard of right and wrong. It also means surrendering to God our expectations of others. If we extend anything less than the grace of God to those who wrong us, then we fall short of God’s standard. Character involves “loving our neighbor as ourselves,” even if they don’t return the love we show to them (Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8).

The instructions God has given us are critical to our survival. Without integrity, it is a matter of time before we destroy each other. If we can be honest about ourselves with others, it can give them hope for their own failings and turn them towards our gracious God.

We will never be truly successful or know peace until everything in our lives is done in honesty and integrity.

To some, it is a daily challenge to be honest in all things. Way too often people take shortcuts when it comes to expense accounts, insurance claims and income taxes.

There are countless people of flawless integrity. Unfortunately, we do not hear about them very much. These people go quietly about their lives conducting themselves with honor and earning the respect of others.

Nine traits of a person of character who is close to God are found in Psalm 15. The description of a person with godly character is as follows:

1. His or her walk is blameless.
2. He or she does what is right.
3. He or she tells the truth.
4. He or she does not gossip.
5. He or she does not mistreat people.
6. He or she keeps his/her word.
7. He or she lends money to those in need without interest.
8. He or she does not take advantage of people for financial gain.
9. He or she does not repeat bad reports about others.

Character, Part One: What is Character?

By Carol Dickey
The dictionary defines character as a distinctive trait, quality, kind or sort, behavior-pattern, reputation, status and position.

Biblical character finds its source in the nature of our Creator rather than in the behavioral pattern of man. We want to find in others such virtues as honesty, loyalty, self-control, faithfulness, patience and kindness. We may not want to commit to these actions ourselves, but we certainly want to count on these characteristics in the people we associate with.

Character demands a commitment to do what is right, because it is the right thing to do as defined by God. In order to become men and women of character, we must surrender to God’s ownership.

Our character is on display to a watching world.

Without character, people will soon destroy one another; eventually the friction of our differences will take its toll, and individuals who seem destined to be together will tear each other apart.

There is no clearer measure of our character than the health of our relationships. Healthy, long-term relationships are evidence of the presence of strong character. The pursuit of character means having a genuine concern for the people around us. It requires that we serve them. (Matt. 23:11) “He who is greatest among you shall be your servant.”

A person of character is someone who quickly owns up to his or her mistake instead of blaming others. A person of character is quick to give credit to the person who originated an idea rather than taking credit for him or herself.

We find ourselves wanting to be like them. We enjoy their company.

When there is character, there is compatibility. Where character is lacking, there is conflict.

Are You Suffering from a Spiritual Identity Crisis?

By Kathy Smith
You are an extraordinary person, made in the very image and likeness of God. You are His special treasure, hidden in an earthen vessel. He has given unto you all the power and authority over all the power of the enemy. You, dear child of God, have a wealthy Daddy. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He spoke and the whole universe was established! He exhaled and the stars slipped into place. What an awesome God we serve. Beside Him there is no other!

In light of these facts, does it not seem incredible that many in the body of Christ are weak, sick and poor? Why you might ask? Knowledge is power, but not knowing who you are can make you weak. You could have untold wealth and power, but if you did not know you had it, nor knew how to access it, it would be worthless to you. Having a million dollars in the bank in your name would be worthless to you if you did not know you had it. Many in the body of Christ are living on less than God’s best. Why? They simply have no idea who they are or the power they have in the name of Jesus. I call it a spiritual identity crisis.

We are extraordinary people. We were made in the very image and likeness of God himself. We are extraordinary, not because of who we are, or what we have done, but because of who we are in Him. Christ in us is the hope of glory.
Who are you?

If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are:
A member of the blood-bought Church, saved and sanctified.
It is God’s promise to fill you with the Holy Ghost!
You are kings and priests.
You are members of a royal priesthood.
You are heirs... joint heirs with Christ.
You are seated in heavenly places with Him.
You are overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony.
You are the head and not the tail.
You are above and not beneath.
You are victors and not victims.
You are blessed and not cursed.
You are well and not sick.
You are rich and not poor.
You are the children of God, made in his very image and likeness. 
YOU Are Extraordinary!

Hope Floats

By Kathy Smith
“Lay hold of your hope, it keeps you afloat, in the midst of life’s storms.”

The poorest person on the face of the earth is the one who has no hope. The person who has no hope, also has no dream. What is hope? Is it not the earnest expectation of our dreams and desires?

The Message Bible says, “ I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. When you come looking for me, you'll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else,” Jeremiah 29:11-13.

Even before God knit you together in your mother’s womb, He knew you. Embedded in the fibers of your being is the hope of God for you in the form of dreams and desires. It is your spiritual DNA. He knows the plans He has for you; He created you for a purpose. You are no accident. God does not have accidents, and He makes no mistakes. You are special, you are extraordinary, and you are unique. The dreams and desires stirring in your spirit are the hope of God for your future.

We all have days, and sometimes even months, when it seems like nothing is going right, when it seems that everything and anything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Nothing you put your hand to turns out right. Where do you turn?

Have you ever tried to mix oil and water? They simply don’t mix. So it is with hope and adversity... they don’t mix; oil will always float to the top. And so it is with hope, in the midst of the storms and in the midst of the trials, hope always floats. It’s like a life preserver that keeps you from sinking. Just remember to lay hold of your hope and hang on.

Hebrews 6:18-19 says, " That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast..."

What is hope? It is our built-in homing beacon which motivates and propels us toward our expected end, the purpose that God Himself formed and created us to fulfill. If we will pursue our hopes and dreams, we will discover the purpose of God for our life.

Dreams and desires give birth to hope, but it is faith that gives hope substance. Hebrews 11:1 tell us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

So if it is faith that gives our hopes and dreams substance, then it is love that acts as a catalyst to our faith to make it manifest. Our hopes and dreams are given substance by faith, and activated by love. If faith were the flour in bread dough, then love is the yeast that makes it rise.

"For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love," Galatians 5:6.

If I were to ask you what is a cake made of, you might say flour, sugar, and eggs. Just as cake is not a cake until you put all the ingredients together and allow it to bake...
So a dream is
NOT a reality
Until it is conceived in hope,
Given substance by faith,
And birthed by love.

The Cost of Following Him

By Judy Cheetham
There is indeed a great cost for choosing to follow our Messiah, Jesus Christ; however, when we first chose to follow Him, did we really know what that price would be?

I can personally say I did not know. I remember hearing the gospel over sixteen years ago. Never once did anyone tell me that the decision to follow Him would cost me nearly everything that I held dear.

No one rushed to point out what Jesus said in Mathew 10:22:

“You will be hated by all for My name’s sake,” (NKJV)

or in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12:51-52 when He also said:

“Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three” (NKJV).

I am not sure one really considers the sacrifices that they will need to make or the persecution it will bring them when they hand their life over to the Savior. However, as our journey in Christ deepens, we begin to realize how heavy the cross is that we are required to carry.

The weight of this cross meant I would suffer rejection from family members and friends. I no longer receive phone calls from siblings just to chat, nor is my home a place where frequent stops are made by family and friends as it once was. Most of them say, “You’re in over your head” and that I have become fanatical about Jesus.

Well, they are right; I am fanatical about my Savior, but are we not supposed to be this way? Should not our love for Him be this great?

I do not agree that I am “in over my head,” because I so desperately long to go deeper still in this relationship with Him. Jesus said in Luke 14:26:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”

The word “hate” in this passage does not mean to literally hate these people or yourself. Its translation comes from the Greek word miseo, which means “to love less” (Carroll Roberson, The Christ, His Miracles, His Ministry, His Mission, 2005.)
Therefore, instead of just acting fanatical about my Savior, I am actually being obedient unto my Lord and putting Him first in my life over all things, including family, friends and the desires of my flesh.

This transformation did not happen to me overnight. In fact, I sadly admit it took many years for me to reach this point in my life. It was not until I was filled with the Holy Spirit that I began to slowly die to myself. The more I removed the things of this world out of my life, the more room there was for Jesus to take over. The more He took over, the deeper my love for him grew. However, the more I grow in Him, the greater the persecution I face from family and friends. A famous hymn states exactly how I feel about this transformation in my life:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of his Glory and Grace
(Helen H. Lemmel, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” 1922. Retrieved from library.timlesstruth.org).

Does this hymn reflect the transformation you have also experienced?

When we examine ourselves, we should be able to see the radical changes that have taken place in our lives. We should be experiencing persecution and rejection from our family and friends.

However, if we have not experienced either of these and if our life has not been significantly changed from what it was previously, then we must ask ourselves, “Have I truly made Him the focus of my life?”

It is when we allow Him to sit in the driver’s seat of our lives that we experience the cost. As followers of our precious Savior, let us be set apart from this world and make Jesus the priority of our life. If we will be obedient, put our hand to the plow and never look back, making it all about Him and not about us, then we can be filled with His perfect peace and unspeakable joy.

I have learned that the more I empty this vessel of mine and allow Him to fill the empty space, the more I will be able to stand the testing for His name’s sake. I do not consider any of the things I have left behind to be a sacrifice, because I have gained so much in return. I am not less than I was before, but rather more than I was before. Every breath I take I strive to make for Him and with Him. When we give ourselves over wholly to our Lord, we are giving Him the honor and glory He truly deserves. Therefore, let us be fanatical about Jesus; let us become obsessed with our King. In return, the reward will greatly exceed the cost of following Him.

In His Love,

Judy Cheetham

Help! I’m a Woman in Ministry!

By Karen Jones
This is not a devotional about women pastors/ministers, but women in ministry. I believe that if you are a woman that is a Christ-follower, then you are a woman in ministry.

I am not called to preach, but I am called to speak into the lives of people. I am a wife to a pastor/minister... BUT I am not a “two for one” special; unfortunately, this is the only job it seems people try to make a requirement! :) I am a woman in ministry!

Four Priorities I Live By:

God First
My relationship with Him is first. I cannot depend on my spouse’s relationship with God. That’s not his responsibility to me; it’s mine!

Spouse Second
My “hunka-hunka-burnin’ love.” He is my most important human relationship! No one else should be able to make him feel loved like I can.

Kids Third
My/Our most important and utmost responsibility besides honoring God and each other is our kids! We must let them see and experience what it means to have a daily walk with God and what marriage should look like and be like. Whether you like it or not, you are training your children about these two things, good or bad.

Career/Ministry Fourth
Yep, it’s the last on the list and it has to stay there. This doesn’t mean I don’t care; it just means I care more about the other three priorities above it. If I will keep the other three in order, this fourth one will just fall into place.

If you don’t believe in this set of priorities, you must understand that they are biblical. God himself set it up this way. If you don’t believe me, take it up with Him!

The Names of God

By Diane Russell
“For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20, NIV).

“And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!” (Exodus 3:14, AMP).

So what did that mean back then and what does that mean for you and me today?

As a young man, Moses knew about God and His power; however, his zeal set him on a misguided mission to bring God’s people out of slavery. He failed miserably and ended up on the backside of the desert for 40 years.

After an encounter with God that brought him into a relationship like no other he had ever experienced, he became a vessel of leadership that God could use to lead an entire nation out of bondage to a land that flowed with milk and honey.

When God told Moses “I AM THAT I AM,” Moses began to understand that the “I AM” is more than enough! This explains God’s name
Jehovah and signifies that HE IS...

1. Self-existent: He has His being of Himself.
2. Eternal and unchangeable; always the same, yesterday, today, and forever.
3. Incomprehensible; we cannot, by searching, figure Him out: this name prevents all bold and curious inquiries concerning God.
4. Faithful and true to all His promises, unchangeable in His Word as well as in His nature;... . “I am, and there is none else besides Me.”

“El Shaddai, Elohim, Adonai... through His names, God reveals His character and His love. He is the Creator and the Everlasting God, the God Who Sees Me, the Lord Who Heals, The Lord My Rock, The Lord My Shepherd, and the Father who is calling us into [a] deeper, more satisfying relationship.”
(From Ann Spangler’s book, Praying the Names of God.)

To know Him is to love Him. To have that deep and intimate personal relationship with the Lord is to draw into a depth, a secret place that is set apart for you and God alone.

There is no reason nor excuse NOT TO know God and have that close personal relationship with Him. When the veil in the Temple was rent at the time Jesus was on Calvary, full access was granted into the very presence of God. He has given the invitation to you and me and it is our choice to draw close, to get to know Him, to accept His invitation. When you truly know Him, like Moses, you will become that vessel He can flow through to draw others to Himself also.

“For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” (Romans 8:38-39, AMP).