Why Character Matters
“Good character is the best insurance; crooks get trapped in their sinful lust.” Proverbs 11:6 (MSG)
One thing I’ve sadly recognized is that we have too many leaders who are lacking a real major important thing. That thing is CHARACTER! We have leaders who are lacking character. Character is a very important thing to have yet is an overlooked quality. I’ve heard it said that the moral force of leadership is character. Character is the foundation of successful leadership. If you don’t build or stand on character- you will fail! You have to have good character. I’ve in all my study on leadership have never actually heard anyone speak on the importance of character in leadership. Everyone is in love with titles and positions. We think if we have a title then that’s what makes us a leader. But that’s not the case. David was anointed to be king. We don’t know how old David was when he got anointed. Many scholars believe he was around 12 years old when he was anointed by Samuel. But David didn’t become king until he was 30 years old. Why did David have to wait to be king? Why did God send David back to the pasture instead of sending him directly to the palace? Because God had to develop his character! God doesn’t place you into positions without making sure your character is in tac. We continue to place others in positions and give them titles when their character hasn’t been developed! The pasture developed David’s character. The palace doesn’t make character it only reveals character! The palace will show who you really are! Positions don’t make a person it only exposes a person! Oooh!!! It’s dangerous giving a person a position who doesn’t have character! Every position brings a certain level of power. Positions and power go hand and hand. Abraham Lincoln once “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” That’s so true because nothing will expose who you really are like power! How you do things and how you treat people when you have power shows me who you really are! Can God trust you with power? I’ve seen people who get a title and it changes them. A lot of people let titles get to their head! A title isn’t an indication of your function but of your character! When you get wrapped up into titles you lose your humility. It’s not about the “title” it’s about the “task”. You can have the title and someone else can do the task. Titles aren’t important if you can’t do the job. And the task isn’t important if your character isn’t good. Our character is the mirror of our heart. Leaders ask yourself: how is your heart? The heart is what needs to matter as leaders. David asked God to create in him a clean heart. The heart is a combination of the thoughts and feelings. How is your heart? The heart shows my character. What is character? Character is the aggregate of a person’s ethical and moral qualities, and it is demonstrated through the choices we make. It’s our ethics and morals that’s seen through our actions which are all rooted in our values and belief systems. Nothing showcases character like decisions. Especially decisions made whenever there is pressure. Pressure will reveal your character! Pressure is something every leader has to deal with. Samson was presented with temptation and it revealed his character. He was strong outwardly but weak inwardly.
There’s a difference between character and reputation. A lot of leaders are too concerned about their reputation but not their character. There’s a difference between the two. Reputation is who people think you are, character is who you really are! Abraham Lincoln also said “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Are you hiding behind shadows? Not showing who you really are? It’s time to show the tree!!! The tree is the real you!!! Character is who you are when no one is watching! It’s when the PUBLIC you and the PRIVATE you walk in alignment. It’s about the set of convictions you have in your life. Are there certain things you won’t compromise for? That’s character! Character doesn’t make compromises, it holds on to its convictions. Character lives as if someone is watching at all times! Character is like living with a surveillance camera. It’s practicing what you preach! It’s all about being ONE! Too many of us have many personalities. With one person you’re one way, with another set of people you’re a totally different way. On Sunday you act like “this” but on Friday we don’t recognize you! Character says “I’m one person.” I’m the same guy Friday that I am Sunday. I’m the same guy off stage that I am on stage! Character isn’t about personas or self perception. Character is about self awareness and self reality! Who you really are at your core! Character isn’t about who you pretend to be or you portray yourself to be! Character is about my WHO and my DO walking in harmony! When who I am and what I do is inseparable, that’s character! When I do the very thing I say I believe, that’s character! When my values and actions go hand and hand, that’s character! When I’m not hypocritical and two different people, that’s character! ARE YOU A PERSON OF CHARACTER?! God deeply cares about our character. The Bible says that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart (a.k.a. character)! Performance, ability and strength doesn’t impress God! God is moved by your character! To God character matters! I feel like as leaders we look for competence and charisma but we overlook character! Myles Munroe once said we’ve produced…
Charismatic leaders without character
Gifted leaders without convictions
Powerful leaders without principles
Intellectual leaders without morality
Visionary leaders without values
Spiritual leaders without conscience
This is true! Jesus warned us in Matthew 7:15–20 (MSG). It reads “Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.”
We need to start looking for CHARACTER! We have to move passed being charmed and look for character! Who you are is the main thing not what you say! The scripture says preachers and leaders who don’t have character, who are exploiting people’s pocketbooks and emotions are going to be chopped down and burned. When you don’t have character you have ulterior motives. People without character do the right things but for all the wrong reasons. Character is doing the right things for the right reasons! Character will protect you! Without character, power will corrupt you! Character will preserve, protect and safe your leadership! Good character is the best insurance! There are five components to character. Here are some traits people display who genuinely have character.
5 Traits Of People With Character:
Compassion (Love for the people)
Integrity (Person who fulfill and live by their word)
Trustworthy (Can be trusted by people)
Discipline (Operate in self control by watching their thoughts, words and actions)
Respect (Treat people with kindness)
People with good character do good by others and they are true to themselves. Compassion, integrity, trustworthiness, discipline and respect all attribute to your character. Don’t forsake or overlook character. Character will take you a long way! It brought somebody like Joseph who was sold into salvary to be a mighty person of influence. Whether he was in the pit, the prision or the palace- Joseph was always promoted because of his character! Your character will promote you! Character pleases God and God rewards character! This is WHY CHARACTER MATTERS!
by Kyler Briscoe