The Daily Fight for Character

By David Rhea

Our Daily Fight for Character is about becoming more and more like Jesus. Our conduct displays our true character, regardless of what we may be saying. Character is shown by our veracity (truthfulness), our integrity in what we do, not necessarily what we claim. We have become so entrenched in the world's methods of fighting; they become terribly hard habits to break. Even when we want to do right and be righteous before the Lord, we struggle to "help" Him win the battles He has asked us to simply stand in faith before Him on (Exodus 14:14) comes immediately to mind. The fight for godly character is relentless, daily, and we must be intentional about really picking up our cross and following Jesus to our own crucifixion if necessary.

This book looks at both sides of this issue and what God's words have to say about it. It is a journey, and each of us has to take that journey. Jesus promises us, we will succeed as we follow Him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9798886859256

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The Daily Fight for Character

David Rhea

ISBN 979-8-88685-924-9 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88685-925-6 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by David Rhea

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Our Daily Fight for Character!

A Story about Faith and Promises

Depart from Evil

A Minor Example

For the Lord Loves Justice

The Encounter in the Graveyard

Cheating

You Are God's Creation—He Forged You

Their Attitude toward God

The Difference between Charisma and Character

The Heritage of the Righteous

Character Is Measured by Conduct

So How Do We Build on This Godly Character?

Godly Character Has Graces

The Fight

Workplace Issues

A Story from a Long Time Ago

Making Things Right

The Rewards of Godly Character

An Example

Dealing with Uncomfortable People

Forgiving Those Who Persecute You

So Let's Consider Mediocrity

Which Spy Are You?

A Quick Story

What Did I Choose?

About the Author

Abstract

Our Daily Fight for Character!

Be an example. Show kindness to unkind people. Forgive people who don't deserve it. Love unconditionally. Your conduct always reflects who you are—your character.

Someone asked me about godly character one time. They asked, what did I think it was? That is a great question, and it forced me to consider what I think character is. When I think about myself, who I am, and what do I stand for, what is most important to me? What is that essence that I would defend, and what hill would I stand and die on? I have to think about my character as a man before God. I need to realize that God always cares more about my character than my comfort. We also must learn that a godly character isn't based on a few big decisions but on thousands of thousands of smaller daily ones over the course of our lives that enable us to make the right big ones.

As I considered this, I was aware of the great struggle going on daily in our world over these issues. With each decision we make, we are confronted with our motives for or against the decisions. Some are really easy to work though; others are really difficult, depending on who you have chosen to serve in your life. Examples could include deciding what to have for lunch—desert, yes or no? Healthy foods or comfort foods?

But also, it will include how we treat others in our lives from siblings, other relatives, coworkers or costudents, employers, truth and integrity issues, work ethics. What creates the difficulty is that both God and the devil want you. Both will input into your life and decisions daily. There are some differences here, and you should be mindful of them.

God's input comes from His holiness. His input has all power and can do anything. It seems like a simple win here, right? It could be, except that He gave us free will, and we can choose not to listen to Him anytime we want. The devil has power, but it's limited. He doesn't care about your free will except to exploit it if he can. His tools are lies and discouragements, and he knows all of them. The devil will use all of those lies and will use others who serve him to put pressure on your decisions and not for your well-being. As I think about all of the battles, big and small, going on daily over our choices that we really don't think about too much, I am amazed our world isn't in more chaos than it is.

We do not like to be uncomfortable at home and in our private or professional lives. We seem to believe we have a right being comfortable. But growth—real growth—always carries the challenge for us to get out of our comfort zones and into the battle before us. The battlefield is generally always new territory, but sometimes it's old injuries and wounds too. The battle we are writing about is our character before God, and it is a very important battle because it also is our character and credibility before each other.

My initial faith, in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior is the foundation for all that I build upon. A non-Christian builds on a world's standard. We do build our own characters, you know, by our many choices in every aspect of our daily lives from infancy to either the grave or Christ's return for us.

It matters somewhat when you came to Christ. But overall, that is not an overbearing issue that I see regarding character. Just look at the thief on the cross that asked Jesus to save him. Jesus knew when you would come to Him. He knows everything about you—from your lineage, your parents, the places you have lived, schools you have attended and how well you did in each grade, your siblings and their relationship to you in the family. Friends, you have had and currently have for good or bad too—the things you have been exposed to for good or bad throughout your life, how you have interpreted and molded them into the sum of your current character.

God knows your abilities and propensities to accept instruction and change or how stubbornly you fight for every inch of ground you surrender to Him. He knows how messy your life was, is, and will be, yet He loves you so much that He went to the cross willingly for you. Think on this: If you were the only person He could have saved on the cross, he would still have purposely, willingly chosen to go there just for you.

Luke 1:37 (NKJV) says, For with God nothing will be impossible. This was recorded as being said to Mary by the angel Gabriel as he told her she was favored by God to bear Jesus the Messiah. Mary was but a teenager engaged to be married. It was an incredibly difficult position for her to accept in light of Jewish law at that time, but in verse 38, she replies: Then Mary said, Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word. I have read translations that used the term bondslave. A bondslave had the opportunity to be free but chose to remain a slave because they loved their master. Afterward, the angel departed from her. I would bet the angel (Gabriel) had a huge smile on his face and a joyful heart as he returned to the Father. Her story so intertwined with that of her son, Jesus. It has so many parts—joyous and heartrending too. The Bible says she pondered many things in her heart over it all.

For with God, nothing will be impossible! Let that settle into your spirit today. Let that inhabit your heart from now on. The daily battle for your character is a bloody vicious fight that all Christians must fight. Name any person you know, and you frame a picture of their character as you interpret them in relationship to your values, knowledge, character, and life.

Billy Graham is quoted as saying, The greatest legacy one can pass onto one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life but rather a legacy of character and faith.

Think about this, for some people in your life, you have judged their character on what someone else may have told you, not necessarily on what you have seen personally. Anybody who easily believes lies about you or you about them without hearing both sides of the story are already looking for a way to be against the other person (you or them). The victim of that character assassination may not even know they have been slandered. Do you know the veracity of the words you were told about that person? It is something to think about. Why did they say what they said about that person? What was their motivation in sharing that information with you? The motives for sharing gossip or an outright lie about someone is seldom a good motive nor representative of godly character.

Your character has probably been judged by what someone told another person rather than what they have taken the time to see for themselves, and that is not a fair assessment, yet it is one that is in use daily in the world.

So some of those people, based on what you have seen or heard, you will distrust at some level. Others may repel you because of their observed character. There will be people who are just completely neutral to you—meh, to use a modern-day slang term. Sometimes you just don't mesh personalities with certain people. Then there are those that attract you as a moth to a light or flame, those you want to be near and be like. And it's your shared characteristics that cause you to be drawn to each other. People do have kindred and antagonistic spirits that recognize each other.

There will be people who you find yourself in an antagonistic frame with. And in this, you must be careful to discover if you are antagonistic because of something in them, or is it something in you? Everyone has that tendency to frame everything in the context that we are always right and good, and the they are always wrong. We all have the fantasy that we're always the hero; everyone else is always the villain we're defeating or the victim we are saving or impressing, and that is seldom the complete truth. We all battle with sin in our own lives, and the Holy Spirit must convict us of our sin and ugliness before we can change our character. We must remember that we cannot change another person's character either, only they, with the Holy Spirit together, can do that. So when you are being convicted by the Holy Spirit, remember, he is dealing with you, no one else.

Notice that after the second paragraph, I went into a long explanation about the influences of character judgment. I didn't try at that juncture to tell you what my character is like. I could tell you things I want you to believe about my character, but I know you will look at what I do and say and possibly what someone else may tell you about me, then make your own assessment and decision about my character. I know what I want it to be. I personally work hard at getting to the character I want to represent. I want you to see character that is like a child of God, a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. I want you to become aware of your character and to address it so that you, through surrender and obedience, resemble Jesus.

Other people's characters I've seen fall into several groups. There are those that want to have good character, and they work at it. But godly character only comes from surrender to the will of God. And for that, you have to study His word and surrender all of yourself to Him. Surrendering all of yourself to Him is not a one-and-done thing. Satan will fight you every day and every step of the way. He will discourage you and lie to you about everything and anything you allow him to lie to you about.

Other people appear to be lazy about their character. They want to be known as people with good character, but they don't really want to have to work very hard at it. I saw a quote about faith the other day: Millions of Christians have settled for a faith that comforts them but doesn't challenge or change them! and it seems millions have settled for a character that seems, on the surface, to be good but doesn't really stand for what it proposes to really say.

Your relationship with Jesus must go deeper than just public displays of affection. Matthew 6:1 (NKJV) states, Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven.

It's a perception of each of our characters that is contained in our outward conduct. What you do shows what you are. But those things can be faked for a bit, but at the gut level, in the middle of very difficult times and decisions, the truth always comes out at some point. Jesus wants our relationship to be intimate with Him—personal, daily, all day, not just when out where others may see you practice public displays. If it's not real with Jesus, it will not count. We cannot haggle and create our own bargains with God. He sees the truth and intent of our hearts always. Remember, God always meets you where you are, not where you pretend to be.

Jesus is talking here.

A tree is known by its fruit.

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you being evil speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of a good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil things. (Matthew 12:33–34 NKJV)

We will all be known by what type of words and conduct comes out of our hearts—good or bad character, words and actions that heal, or words and actions that hurt and kill. As this book moves forward, you will hear time and time again that you, with your free will, get to choose what your character will be. You will also reap the rewards or the consequences of those choices.

Have I succeeded or failed with my good character before you? Have you succeeded or failed with your good character? Both probably could be correct, depending on the day the question is asked and to whom it is asked and how long they have known you or me. Both could also be incorrect if we aren't being fair or have a biased opinion. We all are humans with feet of clay. We all have moments when we fail miserably and joyous moments when we triumph gloriously too. Character tends to prove itself out over the long run. Charisma shows up fast and looks really good. But it's character that proves itself, good or bad, over time.

Prayerfully, over the long run, I want my character to resemble Jesus. He was really all things He said He was when you carefully look into His short time here as Jesus, about thirty-three years. The differences between His life and ours, though? Jesus never failed. He never sinned. He was the Lamb of God, and He willingly died a violent, brutal death as the ultimate sinless sacrifice for our sins.

Godly character has many characteristics attached to it: faithfulness, truth, honesty, love, mercy, disciplined lives, integrity. It is generous, giving, wise, discerning, kind, gentle, yet strong. Godly character is a warrior too. It has fidelity. It is long-suffering, determined, forgiving. It has justice and fairness for all as a tenant. It is patient. It does not envy. It does not dishonor or lie about others. Those were easy to copy, even read and agree with. But actually living them out is another story. To actually live them out is a lifelong journey, all uphill through many trials and troubles.

Godly character does not delight in evil. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It trusts, hopes, and always perseveres. Some of you are already at 1 Corinthians 13:4–13 (NKJV). And, yes, those are all part of our character or not depending on our personal choices. Each of those are uphill battles for us.

Character development always brings with it many choices. Choices have consequences. We like to fantasize that our wrong choices have short consequences, but far too often, they do not. The Bible records choices made thousands of years ago that are still bringing difficult consequences today. A bad choice can ruin a life, destroy a future for others. All that to say is that this is not a game. Your character plays a big part in a life-and death-struggle for many people, not just you. How many of us can say if only someone had warned me or circumstances were different, and I wasn't pushed into a bad decision.

We actually get to choose our character path from an early age. And the character you wind up with as an adult was an original choice you made years ago and have pursued with other choices through the course of your life. And, yes, there are many influences on your early decisions, both for good and for bad. I knew from about the age of seven or eight that I was a sheepdog, a defender of the weak, standing against bullies, etc. I just didn't know that title sheepdog back then.

And as I grew up, so did that conviction in my heart that I am a servant at my core but a warrior too. In my late twenties, I was offered a very high-paying salesman job in Florida that promised a lot of money and advancement. I turned it down because being a salesman was not what my soul was called to do, and I knew it.

Both my brother and I have felt a calling in our lives to serve others in law enforcement. We got that, I'm sure, from our dad who got it from his dad. Do I believe there are family lines that are called or meant to be protectors? Yes! I do.

When I was in high school, we had to take a set of tests for career development. I clearly remember the day my mom came to school to meet with the counselor about my test scores. As we sat down in the counselor's office, the counselor (a woman) looked at my mom with compassion in her eyes.

She explained that I scored exceptionally high in several categories. Mom beamed with pride for a few moments. The counselor went on to explain that the categories were adventure, risk-taking, and science. She went on to explain that I actually went off the end of the scale in the adventure category of the test. My mom was mortified. She had a Peter Pan on her hands.

Now my parents (Mom mostly) had, in their minds, already decided I would be the first in our family line to go to college and make something of myself. They had decided I would be a teacher or a scientist, a safe occupation. The counselor gave my mom a list of three jobs: army officer, air force officer, or police officer. (Now mind you, my dad was a law enforcement officer.)

There was a very audibly heavy sigh from my mom. It was not what she wanted to hear. Me, I was pretty happy right then. fortunately, I was smart enough to contain my excitement. It would not be well if Mom had committed murder on her oldest son in the counselor's office.

Things were not very happy at home that night. Mom insisted that I was still going to college and still going to graduate and become a teacher because they were safe occupations. And that is what I obediently did. Three months after getting hired for my first teaching job at the Morro Bay Junior/Senior High School, I started applying for police departments in California.

I saw a quote recently that said (paraphrased here), If you have a dream, it will be tested to see if you really want it. My dream was severely tested for about fifteen years before I pinned my first badge on my chest. Once while heading home from college, I was in the back seat of a car with my girlfriend, and my roommate was driving with his girlfriend in the front seat. Three California highway patrol cars blew past us at well over a hundred miles per hour. As I leaned forward to watch them, my girlfriend asked, What are you doing? My roommate (Marvin) said, Wishing he was driving one of them, and he was absolutely right.

Years later, as a high school teacher, I went to night school through an extended