Pump Primer

1
Pump Primer

• Define what the term character means to you?
• Is someones character an important trait to you?
  Why or why not?

2
College Career

• Character

3
Leaving Your Past Behind!

• Just when youve mastered the high-school thing,
  you are ripped out of your comfort zone.
• Leaving behind many of the friends youve made,
  and all your teachers (some you will miss more
  than others).

(Bruce, 16)
4
Leaving Your Past Behind!

• The college/university or career you choose will
  impact, influence, mold , direct, discourage,
  energize, prepare, poop out, enlighten,
  frustrate, and change youall in the space of a
  few years. (Bruce, 31)
• For eighteen years you have been defined mostly
  by what your family does and says and believes.
  (Bruce, 67)
• As you go out into the world to make your mark on
  society you will no longer have your family or
  friends around to define you. (Bruce, 67)

5
Character

• You are still the same person inside, this
  might be hard to remember when everything starts
  changing so suddenly and drastically. (Bruce,
  67)
• The most difficult issues youll face in life
  are going to be decided by your character.
  (Bruce, 68)

6
What is Character?

• Character is the inward conviction of your
  beliefs that affects your outward behavior.
• Character is revealed by
• How you treat people who can do nothing for you
• Your ability to accept personal criticism without
  feeling malice toward the person who gives it
• Your response when you suddenly lose a lot of
  moneyand when you suddenly acquire a lot of
  money
• The kinds of things that make you angry
• The kinds of things that make you laugh
• How you respond to temptation
• What you stand for and what you wont stand for
• What you fall for and what you lie for
• What you do with what you have
• What you do when you have nothing to do
• What you do when you know nobody will ever find
  out

(Bruce, 68-69)
7
Essential Ingredients

• Testing of your character and the pressure to
  compromise will increase
• Develop and strengthen what you believe now
  ability to withstand temptations
• Character is not something acquired genetically
  nor is there a one-size-fits-all formula for
  character development.

(Bruce, 69)
8
Working on Your Character

• Start with
• Integrity Doing what is right.
• Honesty Being truthful.
• Responsibility Being trustworthy.
• Morality Being pure in thought and deed.

(Bruce, 69)
9
Your Faith Makes It All Work!

• Faith gives you the ability to stand firm in your
  convictions.
• Faith enables you to not worry about compromising
• Faith gives you the knowledge to know that God is
  in control
• What you believe affects the way you think.
• The way you think affects the way you live.

(Bruce, 71)
10
Living in Truth

• Living in truth means living your life with a
  Christlike character.
• Even Paul struggled with character
• For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,)
  dwelleth no good thing for to will is present
  with me but how to perform that which is good
  I find not. For the good that I would I do not
  but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now
  if I do that I would not, it is no more I that
  do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
• Romans 718-20

11
Living In Truth

• Daniels uncompromising lifestyle stands in
  sharp contrast to the way many believers live out
  their convictions. Many Christians tend to waver
  and give ambiguous explanations regarding the
  reasons for abstaining from certain secular
  activities. But that was not how Daniel
  approached an opportunity to state his
  convictions.
• Scripture is full of examples of how trust in
  God leads to unashamed boldness.
• David said, I have proclaimed glad tidings of
  righteousness in the great congregation behold,
  I will not restrain my lips, O Lord, Thou
  knowest. I have not hidden Thy righteousness
  within my heart I have spoken of Thy
  faithfulness and Thy salvation I have not
  concealed Thy loving kindness and Thy truth from
  the great congregation (Ps. 40910)

(MacArthur)
12
Integrity

•      Name a contemporary person who has been a
  great inspiration to you regarding integrity.
  Explain briefly why you picked him or her. (The
  person may be someone you know personally or
  someone the rest of the group would also
  recognize.)
•     Todays culture seems to make it more and
  more difficult for us to know where to draw the
  line regarding certain beliefs and practices.
  Write about one such consideration that presents
  a special challenge for you.

(MacArthur)
13

• If we hope to succeed in the pursuit of
  excellence and become people of integrity, we
  definitely must exercise mind over mood. The
  following are someclassic passages from the
  apostle Paul that further encourage us to be
  thinking Christians.
• Do not be conformed to this world, but be
  transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
  you may prove what the will of God is, that which
  is good and acceptable and perfect.
• Rom. 122
• Walk as children of light trying to learn what
  is pleasing to the Lord.
• Eph. 5810
• Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but
  as wise, making the most of your time, because
  the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but
  understand what the will of the Lord is.
• Eph. 51517
• Whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
  whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
  lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is
  any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
  let your mind dwell on these things.
• Phil. 48
• Examine everything carefully hold fast to that
  which is good.
• 1 Thess. 521

(MacArthur)
14
Mission Statement

• You will be bombarded with new experiences,
  influences, and opinions.
• In order to maintain balance in your life
  emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual. You
  will need to develop a mission statementa
  concise declaration of purpose.

(Bruce, 74)
15
Mission Statement

• Writing your own personal mission statement
  (like a personal constitution) is a good way to
  keep your character in focus.
• Some examples
• My mission is to demonstrate Jesus love and
  compassion through my life to my family, friends,
  and peers. To prepare myself, I must focus on
  Jesus daily through prayer and devotion. I will
  attempt to do this by serving others with
  humility.
• I seek to lead a passionate, balanced life n
  which I accomplish excellence in the eyes of
  God.
• With integrity and love I will emulate the will
  of God, walk in the footsteps of Christ, adhere
  to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and further the
  Kingdom of God with passion and reckless
  abandonment every day of my life.
• I will seek to honor and glorify God by living a
  life which reflects truth (from studying his
  Word), integrity (by living His Word), and
  passion (in communicating His Word).

16
Homework

• Write your mission statement.

17
Works Cited

• Bickel, Bruce Stan Jantz. Real Life Begins
  After High School. Regal Books Venture
  California. 2000.
• Holy Bible, The King James Version. 1995 .
  Logos Research Systems, Inc. Oak Harbor, WA
• MacArthur, J. 1997. The power of integrity
  Building a life without compromise. Includes
  indexes. Crossway Books Wheaton, Ill.