The Heart & Character of a Leader

The character of the leader is vitally important to the amount of influence that a leader will have. Those leaders who exhibit positive characteristics such as love, gentleness and kindness are more likely to be accepted as leaders by their friends and community than those who exhibit pride and dishonesty. Therefore in order to improve our effectiveness as leaders and people of influence, those who are leading and directing the lives of others, it is important that we look at our character – the type of character that we should foster in our lives and the type of character that we should avoid.

WHAT IS IN YOUR HEART?

Luke 6:45 "A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say."

Matthew 12:34 "You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say."

One of the great lessons Jesus taught His followers is that a man's or woman's character is always a matter of what is in his or her heart. If a person commits adultery it is because that is what he has living in his heart, and a person's heart is always his responsibility. This is why God tells us that we are to guard our hearts, to protect them with the greatest of care. Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." In this passage the leader is exhorted to guard his heart as a soldier guards the city gate. The leader must watch over his affections so as to prevent an invasion of foreign values and beliefs. In so doing, the leader guards what will eventually come out (his ministry).

The great news is that because character is a choice, you can choose to change it! It is therefore important that we take an opportunity as leaders to look at our heart and find out the type of things that we are allowing to grow there.

WHAT IS CHARACTER?

"Character is what you are in the dark." D.L. Moody

The Greek word, "charakter" is translated as image. It is a word that is derived from the Greek word "charasso" which means "a notch, an indentation, a sharpening, scratching or writing on a stone." This word came to mean an embosser and a stamp for making coins. In Hebrews 1:3 the author said that Christ is the very character of God, the very stamp of God's nature and the one in whom God stamped or imprinted His being. Thus the English word for character means a distinctive mark impressed or otherwise formed by an outside (or internal) force upon an individual.

Christian character is the moral, virtuous, spiritual foundation that holds the frame of our action. Character is the springboard from which all we do and say in life comes. Character is not just having integrity or honesty or doing the right thing, it is not one aspect or even a few it is a living, growing relationship in Christ which produces the fruits of the Spirit. Character is aligning our lives so our behaviour is Christ-like. It is the fruit that the vine of our abiding in Christ will produce.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER

God absolutely cares about character, so much so that it could be said that the Bible is a character textbook. It is filled with instructions on what it means to live righteously, that is, in a "godly" and upright manner. The Bible is also filled with stories of men and women who have done it right, and many who have not. These examples have been given for our learning so that we can benefit from the examples of others.

The psalmist eloquently described the temporary success of the wicked (Psalm 37:35; 73:3). Jesus also recognized the short-term advantages of the unprincipled (Luke 16:8). But although unprincipled people in power may gain quick success, they and their followers always reap the consequences of their immorality and opportunism. The Old Testament writers vividly described the results of evil leadership (Psalm 7:11-16; 9:15; 37:7-15; Proverbs 28:10; 29:6; Ecclesiastes 10:5-9), as did Jesus (Matthew 6:23; 15:14; 23:15; Luke 6:39-40; 11:34). In the long term, however, a person of integrity has the advantage.

Good character may limit a person's options at times, but wisdom flows from good character (Job 28:28; Psalm 1:1-4; 111:10; Proverbs 3:3-4).

HOW IS CHARACTER DEVELOPED?

Character is fueled by the Spirit empowering us so we can model the character of Christ! Character only comes from our submission to God, which produces love, kindness, gentleness etc. We become a Christian by the work of the Spirit. But, our maturity in Christ and how we practice our faith is determined by the choices we make from the conviction and confidence of our beliefs as we yield to the Holy Spirit. We choose to take the faith He gives and make it more real and effective. We choose to make the right choices through His empowerment. We have to make the determination and be willing to align our lives to His Word and precepts so our behaviour represents who we are in Christ.

BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD INDWELLING THE BELIEVER

God's Holy Spirit indwelling a man's heart is the first building block of good character in an individual. The world would have you believe that by using any standards he feels right for him, an individual can be a person worthy in character. That simply is not true. God Himself is the only one who can make it possible to think, act, feel, and process information differently than what is natural for man. Natural man has only his flesh as a resource to process and react. The flesh is full of sin and can never really be trusted. God sets the standard for what are right and wrong patterns of behaviour. The carnal man cannot live a Godly life. "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14) But when a person believes in God and receives His Son, he becomes able by God's indwelling Spirit to live a life that will glorify God and have an impact on others.

BY SURRENDERING CONTROL TO GOD

Releasing control is the second element of character. Little by little, a new Christian learns how to yield his life and will to the Lord, allowing God to control him, his thoughts, his actions, his reactions. The Lord teaches us to give up trying to control what we can't control, so we can attain the unattainable – that is called being "filled with the Spirit." "And do not be drunk with wine [controlled by wine] in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit [controlled by the Holy Spirit]." (Ephesians 5:18) Constant filling or control of the Spirit of God is commanded (not suggested) for all Christians but most people never release control of themselves to God to do His will. They choose rather to fail in their own power than have victory in Christ.

THROUGH A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE

The total attitude of a person who has godly character is different than the rest of the world or even his own attitude that he had prior to salvation. His mind becomes totally focused on Christ Jesus and God's will. This new attitude permeates his mind and therefore his whole thought pattern is changed. Because of this dramatic inner change, he is referred to as a "new creature in Christ." His thoughts are no longer from below but from above. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

THE OUTWARD WORKINGS OF CHARACTER

The relationship between conduct and character is an intimate one. In the form of repeated actions over time, conduct produces character. That is the teaching of 2 Peter 2:14 and Romans 6:19. But it is also true that character determines actions. What we do, we become. What we are, we do. Conduct is always feeding character, but character is also always feeding conduct. Paul's experience while shipwrecked on the Island of Malta furnishes a good example of this relationship. The islanders built the refugees a fire because of the rain and cold. Luke relates in Acts 28 that Paul gathered a pile of brushwood, and, as he put it on the fire, a snake came out of the brushwood and fastened itself on Paul's hand. Under the adverse circumstances of shipwreck, why would Paul have gone about gathering fuel for a fire built and tended by someone else? Why didn't he just stand by the fire and warm himself? He didn't because it was his character to serve (see Acts 20:33-35 and 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9). He had learned well the lesson Jesus taught us when he washed his disciples' feet. Because it was Paul's character to serve, he gathered the brushwood instinctively. He probably did not even think about it. He just did what his servant character dictated at the moment. Since conduct determines character, and character determines conduct, it is vitally important that we practice godliness every day. That is why Peter says, "Make every effort to add to your faith . . . godliness" (2 Peter 1:5-6).

Our character will affect our life, our speech and our goals and accomplishments.

LIFE

The Christian's manner of life is noticeably different to a person of the world. The Bible calls this a person's walk. Changes on the inside of the heart causes him or her to behave in a manner that people seem as unusual. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) A person of worthy character puts an action to the love that was given him at salvation. He sees the needs of people around him and gives of himself to help those less fortunate than himself.

SPEECH

The manner of speech also betrays the character of an individual. The person of character will speak words that others will refer to as "talking about God" even when he doesn't mention God at all. The content of his speech is altered by knowledge of the Word of God. He is mindful that God listens and holds man accountable for every idle word, so the person of character makes every word count. He speaks with an "attitude of God" in his words, caring how they will affect his testimony to others. He tries to encourage at all times, pointing his brothers and others to Christ as the answer for all life's dilemmas.

GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The release of control to God, by the Christian leads him on paths that most people would never choose for themselves. Does the person of character want silver or gold? Yes, but he wants it in heaven. Does she want honour? Yes, but she wants it from her Lord when He sees her face to face. The person of character therefore has learnt to live and act for eternal purposes and not only for present pleasures.

A LEADER'S CALL TO LIVING A GODLY LIFE

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" Colossians 3:12

Godliness consists of two distinct but complementary traits, and the person who wants to train himself to be godly must pursue both with equal vigour. The first trait is God-centeredness, which we call devotion to God; the second is God-likeness, which we call Christian character. Godly character flows out of devotion to God and practically confirms the reality of that devotion.

We may express a reverence for God; we may lift our hearts in worship to Him; but we demonstrate the genuineness of our devotion to God by our earnest desire and sincere effort to be like Him. Paul not only wanted to know Christ, he wanted to be like him; and he pressed forward with utmost intensity toward that goal. Philippians 3:7-11 "I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!"

For the leader to pursue a life of holiness, he/she will need to fulfil the following requirements:

FIRSTLY, HAVE THE RIGHT MOTIVE

The first principle of godly character is devotion to God. This can be the only acceptable motive for actions that are pleasing to God. This devotion may express itself in one of several different ways. We may have a sincere desire to please God or to glory him; we may do or not do a particular action because we love God, or because we sense that he is worthy of our obedience. However our motivation expresses itself, if it is God-centred, it arises out of our devotion to God and is acceptable to Him.

Unfortunately, too often our motives are self-centred rather than God-centred. We want to maintain our reputation before others, or we want to feel good about ourselves. Or we may even seek to live a decent and moral life or to do good deeds because such an ethic has been instilled in us from childhood. But that motivation is never related to God and thus is not acceptable to Him. When Joseph was enticed by Potiphar's wife, he did not refuse her on the basis, "If I did that and my master found out, he would have my head." No; he said, "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9). His motivation for morality was centred in God, and because of that it was acceptable to God.

When God commanded Abraham to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice, he tested his motive. As he stopped Abraham's knife from the fatal plunge, God said, "Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son" (Genesis 22:12). It was Abraham's fear of God that motivated him to go forward with that supreme act of obedience. We usually associate Abraham's obedience with his faith. It was by faith that Abraham was enabled to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, but it was the fear of God that motivated him. And it was this motivation that the Lord saw and accepted and commended.

As we look into the New Testament we see this motivation emphasized again and again. Jesus taught that all the Law and the Prophets hang on the two commandments of love for God and love for our neighbour (Matthew 22:37-40). He was not teaching merely that these two commandments of love sum up all the other more specific commandments, but rather that all the other commandments depend upon the motivation of love for their fulfilment. The fear of consequences may keep us from committing the outward acts of murder or adultery, but only love will keep us from committing murder or adultery in our hearts.

SECONDLY, UNDERSTAND WHERE YOUR SECRET SOURCE OF POWER COMES FROM

The second principle of godly character is that we understand that the power or enablement for a godly life comes from the risen Christ and not from our own strength. Paul said in relation to his ministry, "our competence comes from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5), and, "I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me" (Colossians 1:29). He said of his ability to be content in any situation, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).

As the source of power for godliness is Christ, so the means of experiencing that power is through our relationship with Him. This truth is Jesus' essential teaching in His illustration in John 15 of the vine and the branches. It is only by abiding in Him that we can bring forth the fruit of godly character. Paul expresses this relationship as "living in Christ." He says in Colossians 2:6-7, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith."

THIRDLY, HABITUALLY PUT OFF AND PUT ON YOUR CHARACTER

The third principle of godly character is the development of godly character which entails both pulling off and putting on character traits. Paul says, "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" (Ephesians 4:22-24).

In the succeeding verses (4:28-5:4) Paul makes some very specific applications of this principle:

• We are to put off falsehood and put on truthfulness.
• We are to put off stealing and put on generosity.
• Unwholesome talk must be put off and replaced with speech which is helpful for building others up.
• Bitterness, rage, anger, and slander are to be replaced with kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.
• Obscene or suggestive speech is to be replaced with thanksgiving.

Even the Fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 are set in contrast to a lengthy catalogue of vices of the sinful nature which must be put off by the godly person. Paul instructs us to "hate what is evil; cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9). Therefore we need to put to death, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, the misdeeds of the body. But we must also, again with His enablement, clothe our selves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

FOURTHLY, PURSUE BALANCED GROWTH

The fourth principle of godly character is to pursue growth in all of the graces that are considered the fruit of the Spirit. This would include traits such as compassion, forbearance, and humility that are not included in the nine-trait list of Galatians 5 but are obviously a result of His ministry in our lives. Godly character is balanced. It displays with equal emphasis the entire spectrum of graces that are set forth in the Scriptures as characteristic of the godly person. We tend to emphasize in our lives those traits that seem most natural to our particular temperaments. But the fruit of the Spirit is not a matter of temperament; it is the result of the individual Christian seeking to grow, under the direction and aid of the Spirit, in every area of Christian character.

FIFTHLY, GROW PROGRESSIVELY IN CHARACTER (DON'T GIVE UP)

The fifth principle of godly character is that growth in all areas is progressive and never finished. Even the apostle Paul recognized this truth in his own life. In the context of his great longing to know Christ and to be like him, he said "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on" (Philippians 3:12). In prison, near the end of his apostolic career, he was still pressing on, exerting every effort to continue growing in his knowledge and likeness of Christ. Even in those areas in which we have grown, there is always need for further growth. Paul wrote in his first letter to the Thessalonians that they had been taught by God to love one another and, in fact, they did love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. That is quite a commendation! But Paul was not satisfied. He went on to say, "Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more" (4:9-10).

Growth in Christian character is never finished until we go to be with Christ and are transformed completely into His likeness. Growth in godly character is not only progressive–and always unfinished, it is absolutely necessary for spiritual survival. If we are not growing in godly character, we are regressing; in the spiritual life we never stand still.

SIXTHLY, WE ARE TO TRAIN OURSELVES FOR GODLINESS

The word train in Paul's admonition to Timothy, "Train yourself to be godly," occurs only four times in the New Testament: 1 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 5:14 and 12:11 and 2 Peter 2:14. In three of those instances, the result of such training is positive and God-honouring. But consider the fourth passage, 2 Peter 2:14. The context is Peter's sharp denunciation of and warning against false teachers. He refers to them as "experts in greed." The word expert is the same word translated in the other three passages as "train." In fact, the New American Standard Bible renders it, "having a heart trained in greed." The implication of Peter's use of the word train is very sobering. It is possible to train ourselves in the wrong direction! That is what these false teachers had done. They had practiced greed so well that they had become experts in it. So there is a sense in which we are growing in our character every day. The question is, in which direction are we growing? Are we growing toward godly character or ungodly character? Are we growing in love or selfishness; in harshness or patience; in greed or generosity; in honesty or dishonesty; in purity or impurity? Every day we are training ourselves in one direction or the other by the thoughts we think, the words we say, the actions we take, the deeds we do.

Romans 6:19 "I speak this way, using the illustration of slaves and masters, because it is easy to understand. Before, you let yourselves be slaves of impurity and lawlessness. Now you must choose to be slaves of righteousness so that you will become holy."

Principles for training: 1 Tim. 4:7 "Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives' tales. Spend your time and energy in training yourself for spiritual fitness."

There are several principles in Paul's exhortation to Timothy to train himself to be godly that are applicable to us today.

• Take personal responsibility: Paul said, "Train yourself." Timothy was personally responsible for his progress in godliness. He was not to trust the Lord for that progress and then relax, though he certainly understood that any progress he made was only through divine enablement.
• Understand that everyone needs to grow: Even though Timothy was an experienced, well-qualified Christian minister, he still needed to grow in the essential areas of godliness—the fear of God, the comprehension of the love of God, and the desire for the presence and fellowship of God.
• Be committed to the cost: No sports person can make it to the level of the Olympics without a commitment to pay the price of rigorous, daily training. And similarly, no one ever becomes godly without a commitment to pay the price of the daily spiritual training which God has designed for our growth in godliness. The concept of commitment occurs repeatedly throughout the Bible. It is found in David's cry to God, "earnestly I seek you" (Psalm 63:1). It is found in God's promise to the captives in Babylon, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). It occurs in Paul's pressing on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of him (Philippians 3:12). It lies behind such exhortations as, "Make every effort . . . to be holy" (Hebrews 12:14), and "make every effort to add to your faith . . . godliness" (2 Peter 1:5-7). None of this seeking, pressing on, or making every effort will occur without commitment on our part. There is a price to godliness and it never comes cheaply or easily. The verb train, which Paul deliberately chose, implies persevering, painstaking, diligent effort.
• Learn from a skilled teacher: No athlete, regardless of how much natural ability he has, can make it to the Olympics without a skilful coach who holds him to the highest standard of excellence and sees and corrects every minor fault. In the same way we cannot train ourselves to be godly without the teaching and training ministry of the Holy Spirit. He holds us to the highest standard of spiritual excellence as He teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains us through the Word of God. Therefore we must consistently expose ourselves to the teaching of the Word of God if we are to grow in godliness. In Titus 1:1 Paul refers to "the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness." We cannot grow in godliness without the knowledge of this truth. This truth is to be found only in the Bible, but it is not just academic knowledge of Bible facts. It is spiritual knowledge taught by the Holy Spirit as He applies the truth of God to our hearts.
• Practice, and more practice: It is practice that puts feet to the commitment and applies the teaching of the coach. It is practice, where the skill is developed, that makes the athlete competitive in his sport. And it is the practice of godliness that enables us to become godly Christians.

SUMMARY

That which is in the heart of man (his nature and character) will be reflected in his actions and speech. Therefore as leaders, if we endeavour to be positive influences on our families, employees, neighbours etc, we need to ensure that our character is godly.

We can grow in godliness when we:

• Have the right motive and that is to glorify God
• Understand that our source of power to change comes from the Holy Spirit
• Habitually put off those character traits that are negative and put on those which lead to being filled with the fruits of the Spirit
• Pursue a balance life by being challenged to change those areas in our lives that are the hardest to change and not only those that come easily to us
• Don't stop growing and becoming more and more like Him
• Train ourselves like an athlete does – taking personally responsibility, being committed to the cause and being open to our coach, the Holy Spirit, to work in our lives