Character Development Part 1

 Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters. 

What was your life like before you met Christ?  When people described you, how did they describe your personality and temperament?  I know that before I met Christ, it was very easy for me to lose my temper.  If people treated me poorly or insulted me, I would quickly respond in anger. When it came to controlling my tongue, I did not have very much self-control.

In fact, when I was born again, one of the first areas of my life in which the Holy Spirit began to work was how I used my tongue.  I knew God wanted me to change.  I knew I could not insult and criticize people if I was going to follow Christ.

What about you?  What were the aspects of your life and behavior that the Holy Spirit spoke to you about when you were first born again?  How did he begin to work to transform your life? I know He spoke to you because He wants to transform each and every one of us so that we reflect the character of Christ.

Ephesians 4:22-25 tells us that “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

If your story is anything like mine, you found that it was not easy to put off your old ways of living.  It was not easy to change the way you spoke so that no unwholesome talk came out of your mouth.  It was not easy to get rid of rage and anger, brawling and slander.

But here is the good news.  We do not have to fight the battle for character development alone.  God gives us his Holy Spirit to live in us, empower us, and transform us so that we reflect the character of Christ. By faith, we receive the power of the Holy Spirit to change our bad behavior and be made new. This is one of the most powerful lessons that you as a church planter can teach your people: We can be transformed. This transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit works this transformation in the lives of those who trust him to do so.

So here is my word of encouragement for you today: Trust the Holy Spirit to continue his transforming work in your life today.  Teach your people that they too can be transformed when they trust God the Holy Spirit to make them new.

This has been “Multiply,” and I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #CharacterDevelopment #Transformed