· Character is how you program your soul.
· The quality of your character determines the health of your soul.
· To be happy, have a character like Jesus.
· Being a Christian means you follow Jesus.
· 1 John 2:3 - 3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.
· John 15:17 - 17 This is my command: Love each other.
· Does your character enable you to love people like Jesus?
· 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.
· Are you lying to yourself about your character?
· Father, am I lying to myself about how good my character is?
· 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them.
· As obedience increases, love increases.
· This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
· How do we grow our character to be like Jesus?
· Your soul needs healing.
· Give your life to Jesus.
· Romans 8: 38-39 - 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
· Give your hurts to Jesus.
· Name the hurt.
· Pray about your hurt.
· Share your hurt.
· GROW Character Group launches Aug. 16th.
· Listen to God’s direction.
· Train our characters to be like Jesus.
· A spiritual discipline is a repeated practice that forms a new soul habit.
· Galatians 5:22-23a - 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness
and self-control.
· Prayer.
· Bible Study
· Behavioral
· Would your life be better or worse if you had the character of Jesus?
· Today, will you be like Jesus or not?
Life Group Resources
Starter Question: Describe a person that has a character you admire. What stands out about them?
Going Deeper:
1. Read 1 John 2:3-6
2. There is a connection in these verses between obedience and knowing Jesus. Have you ever known anyone who claimed to be a follower of Jesus but did not obey Jesus? How did you feel about
that person?
3. Verse 5 speaks about being complete or perfected in God. How can you tell if a person is building his or her character? What would stand out?
4. Describe a typical day in your life and how Jesus would live it. Does this exercise help you see places where your character needs to grow?
5. To grow our character, we need to have the wounds of our souls healed and we need to train our character. Which of these do you think is the starting point for most people? Why? Which is your starting point?
