Character

Jesus has changed my life!

Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and of a good courage, and be not afraid.
For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

What is "Character"?

Character is the qualities of people that give them a good reputation. Much of our character is formed early in life and also over time as we grow up. A person's behaviour is an indication of their character. This behaviour may be good or bad. A person with strong character shows energy, determination, self-discipline and willpower. They see what they want and go after it and this attracts followers.

On the other hand, a person with a weak character shows none of these good qualities. They do not know what they want, they are disorganised, hesitate, and are inconsistent. They will attract no followers.

Strong and Good Character:

A strong person can be good or bad. A gang leader is an example of a strong person with a bad character, while an outstanding community leader is one with both strong and good characteristics. God needs leaders with both strong and good characters, who will guide others and show that they can be trusted. Do you have a strong and good character?

Effective Leaders:

To be an effective leader, people must have trust in you and know that you display a good character. Character is the way you act and is made up of your beliefs, values, skills, and traits.

Beliefs are what a person holds dear. They include what you believe about life, death, religion, what is good, what is bad, what is human nature, etc.

Values are your attitudes about the worth of people, concepts, or things. For example, you might value friendship, personal comfort, and your Cellphone. These influence your behaviour in weighing up the importance of alternatives. For example, you might value what your friends say more than what your parents say.

Skills are the knowledge and abilities you gain throughout life. The ability to learn a new skill varies with each person and some skills come almost naturally, while others come only by study and practice.

Traits are the distinguishing qualities of a person. We will focus on a few that are crucial for a leader.

Leadership Qualities:

The more qualities you display as a leader, the more people will trust and believe in you. Test yourself and see how many of the follwing qualities you possess:

Honesty - you display sincerity and integrity in all your actions. Deceptive behaviour will not inspire trust in people.
Competent - your actions should be based on reason and good moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike desires or feelings.
Forward-looking - you set goals for yourself and have a vision of the future. Effective leaders work out what they want and how to get it.
Inspiring - you display confidence in all you do and say. By showing endurance you will inspire people to reach for new heights.
Intelligent - you read, study, and seek challenging assignments.
Fair-minded - you show fair treatment to all people. You are sensitive to the feelings, values, interests and well-being of others.
Courageous - you accomplish a goal, regardless of the obstacles.
Sound-judgement - you seek to make a good decisions at the right time.
Imaginative - you make timely changes to your thinking, plans and actions. You show creativity by thinking of new and better solutions to problems.

Pray every day and ask Jesus to add leadership qualities and abilities to your life. If you do this, you will find yourself taking the lead and other teens will begin to follow you and imitate your behaviour.

God Bless!