Building Strong Character

[It is] better to have self-control than to conquer a city.
Proverbs 16:32


First and foremost, building strong character requires self-discipline.
Self-discipline is the ability to do what's right, when you don't feel like it.
Plato asserted, "The first and best victory is to conquer self."
Yes, your greatest victories are internal ones.
Bobby Jones was winning golf tournaments by age 12. But he had a temper. His nickname was "club-thrower". An older gentleman called Grandpa Bart recognised Jones' talent and his character issues. He said, "Bobby, you're good enough to win, but you'll never win big until you control that temper of yours." Jones did master his temper, and went on to win his first US Open at 21. Grandpa Bart used to say, "Bobby was 14 when he mastered golf, but he was 21 when he mastered himself."
English theologian Henry Parry Liddon observed, "What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline."
If you're serious about building strong character, set higher standards for yourself and refuse to lower them.
Need a role model?
You won't find a better one than Jesus. He said, "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself" (Matthew 16:24 ).
Each day look for an opportunity to say 'no' to yourself in some small area.
Try it; you'll be surprised how hard it is. But the payoff will come when you need to say no to yourself in some big area of life.
Like saving for a rainy day, you'll have Spiritual strength to draw on when you need it.

God determined... the way to bring out His best in us.
1 Corinthians 2:7



Building strong character requires having a clear sense of purpose.
Paul writes: "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord… [for] appointing me to His service" (1 Timothy 1:12 ).
So, what do you see as your life's purpose?
You have only two options:
(a) Speculation. Dr Hugh Moorhead, a philosophy professor at North Western Illinois University, wrote to 250 of the best known philosophers, scientists, writers and intellectuals, asking them, "What is the meaning of life?" He then published their responses in a book. Some offered their best guesses, some admitted that they had just made up a purpose for life, and others were honest enough to say they were clueless. In fact, a number of famous intellectuals asked Professor Moorhead to write back and tell them if he discovered the purpose of life! Fortunately, there is an alternative to speculation about the meaning and purpose of life.
(b) Revelation. We can turn to what God has revealed about life in His Word. It is our Owner's Manual explaining why we are alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future. It explains what no self-help or philosophy book could know. The Bible says, "God's wisdom… goes deep into the interior of his purposes… It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest - what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us" (1 Corinthians 2:7 ).
God is not just the starting point of your life, He is the source of it.
To discover His purpose for your life you must turn to God's Word, not the world's wisdom.
You must build your life on eternal truths, not "pop psychology", success, motivation, or inspirational stories.

The integrity of the upright guides them.
Proverbs 11:3



Building strong character requires having integrity.
The word integrity simply means "to integrate, to become one with".
It requires being consistent in your values, thoughts, and actions. Margaret Mead stated, "What people say, what people do, and what people say they do, are entirely different things." Amazingly, there are some who actually promote this inconsistency.
A popular fashion designer recently said: "The crux of a person's identity… resides in the trappings, not in the person himself… one needn't be well-read, so long as one surrounds himself with books… In short… one can seem to be what one wants to be."
The trouble is, while you may make an impression with "trappings", the real you always comes through! Impressions are like shadows - they disappear when a strong enough light is shone on them.
Integrity is the genuine article - the more you shine the light on it, the more of its details you can see.
Integrity shows that you truly are who you appear to be.
People of integrity always stand out.
Author Pat Williams tells of Gandhi's trip to England to speak before Parliament. The British Government had opposed India's independence and as a result Gandhi had often been threatened, arrested and jailed. Gandhi spoke eloquently and passionately for two hours, after which the packed hall gave him a standing ovation. Afterward, a reporter asked Gandhi's assistant how the statesman had been able to deliver such a speech without notes. "You don't understand Gandhi," he responded. "What he thinks is what he feels. What he feels is what he says. What he says is what he does. What Gandhi feels, thinks, says and does are all the same. So he doesn't need notes." Now, that's integrity!

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