(ThyBlackMan.com) “Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would really obey his commands”. Deuteronomy 8:2
As men, a lack of character keeps us in the “male” stage of manhood. It’s a place where we are driven by hunger, greed, selfishness and pleasure seeking. In this stage, nothing is to interfere with that urgent demand to please oneself.
I cannot remember a time in my life when I was taught about good character. Many of us have at least one person in the family that displays “good character”. We may have learned a thing or two from that individual, but for the most part, we were never taught about good character and the importance of integrity.
In my life, a lack of good character caused me to lie, cheat, and steal as a young boy. That same lack of character allowed me to tell myself that it was ok to have sex and play mind games with as many women as I could. It 
aided me in adultery which produced a child outside of my marriage and devastated my wife. My story may sound familiar since many of us have walked or are still walking down that road. In order to change, we must be willing to develop the character necessary to walk in manhood.
Character Development
It takes time to develop success in any area of life. Good character is only developed after consistently making choices that are right. You may be wondering how you can always know when a decision is right. As humans we will not always know because it is human nature to make mistakes. It is important that we train ourselves in developing the character of manhood, we must constantly be renewing our mind. To change your behavior, you must change the way you think. Just as an athlete will train his body daily to build stamina, endurance and peak performance, we too must train our minds by taking in new information daily. The condition of your thought life will determine your ability to hear God’s voice and make choices that are in line with His word and His character.
You will know that good character is being developed when financial problems and issues that test your integrity arise. You will feel the pressure of changes taking place in your character when you are tempted to smoke or drink, or when a beautiful woman wants to “give you some” with no strings attached. When that type of pressure comes fight back and say “good, I needed a workout anyway!” The Bible says “I’m not sending you something that’s uncommon to man” so if we couldn’t handle it, we wouldn’t be faced with it.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4
Traits of Good Character
As we stated earlier, character is simply doing what’s right. It’s a really simple concept. Good character says:
• When the cashier gives me back too much change, I will return it.
• When adversity comes, I won’t crack under pressure and punk out in times of hardships and challenges.
• I WILL NOT commit adultery.
• I WILL take care of my responsibilities.
• I WILL NOT live with her if we are not married.
• I WILL NOT play emotional games with women.
• I WILL work a full days work for a full days pay.
• I WILL tell the truth at all times, regardless of circumstances.
• I WILL NOT compromise my values.
Brothers, remember that your whole life is a seed that will in time produce a harvest. So, consider your ways in everything that you do. In every area of life (family, work, church, relationships, etc.) we must identify the lack of character and begin to develop it.
Written By Kendall Ficklin
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