You Are the Prophet of Your Own Life: Fixing Your Personality

Sermon outline

You are responsible for the harvest of your own decisions, and your personality can be your greatest asset or your greatest liability, so make a quality decision to become friendly, respectful, trustworthy, courteous, light-hearted and free of prejudice.

1. You are the prophet of your own life

   Born-again, Spirit-filled people make costly mistakes and then say God allowed it, but life is a series of decisions and bad decisions bring a bad harvest. Stop running after travelling prophets: you have the more sure word of the Word of God. Make quality decisions about church attendance, the tithe, daily prayer and refusing anxiety, sickness and lack, and come next week for financial management.

   Illustration: You do not know a visiting prophet 'from a bar of soap', yet you want him to prophesy over you.

   “Every Christian is a prophet of his own life.”

   • 2 Peter 1:19
   • Philippians 4:6
   • Psalm 23:1
   • Ephesians 6:17
   • 3 John 2

2. Your personality is your greatest asset or your greatest liability

   However qualified you are, without the right personality you will not do well, while someone with fewer qualifications who loves people will. He recaps the first two traits from last week: be friendly, because if you want friends you must show yourself friendly, and have a positive attitude, meditating on what is true, lovely and of good report.

   Illustration: Some people think that if they smile they will lose some gold. They won't.

   “God can only work with you if you are willing to work with Him.”

   • Ephesians 4:32
   • Proverbs 18:24
   • Philippians 4:8
   • 1 John 4:4
   • 1 Samuel 30:6

3. 3. Have respect for others

   Respect other people's opinions, feelings and individuality, even the unsaved, because they are potential members of God's kingdom. Be slow to act in anger. A Christian manager must still discipline, but can do it kindly. Help people succeed even if some turn on you, because God is the accountant and will refresh the one who refreshes others.

   Illustration: Thinking back to a few unbelievers he had treated impatiently, he heard the Lord tell him, 'You are the only Jesus they saw', and felt ashamed that he had written them off.

   “The only Jesus they will ever see is you.”

   • Proverbs 11:25

4. 4. Integrity

   Integrity means good character, dependability and honour, and with wisdom it is one of the two pillars of true success. It takes years to build, so keep your feelings under control and show up whether you feel like it or not. Choose a spouse for character, not looks or spending habits; watch your thoughts, because they become words, actions, habits, character and destiny; and leave the 'chickens' behind.

   Illustration: He admits there are days he does not feel like preaching or praying, but he gets there anyway; and he tells of a driver who shook his fist at him on the road and then, at the robot, recognised him: 'Hello, Pastor.'

   “There's no McDonald's in the church.”

   • Proverbs 28:20
   • Proverbs 19:1
   • Luke 16:10
   • Joel 3:10

5. 5. Be courteous and generous

   A soft answer turns away wrath. Communicate kindly and do not 'put your Christianity down' to lose your temper, because anger can lead to assault charges or worse.

   “A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.”

   • Proverbs 15:1

6. 6. Have a good sense of humour

   God laughs, and many people are stressed because they never do. Do not take your job home, learn to laugh at yourself, and do not worry, because worry is putting faith in the devil. There is a time to be serious and a time to laugh.

   Illustration: On Sunday he said 'flies don't sit on hot stoves' when he meant the opposite, and after the second service he went down to the lounge and laughed at himself. He also confesses a fondness for the Flintstones.

   “Learn to laugh at yourself.”

   • Psalm 2:4
   • Philippians 4:6
   • Proverbs 15:13
   • Ecclesiastes 3:4

7. Be comfortable in your own skin and free of racial thinking

   God once told him to be comfortable in his own skin, and he stopped worrying about people's opinions. In Christ you are not first white, coloured, Indian or black but a child of God, and the church was started for every race. Racism is an evil spirit; renew your mind, because you can go to heaven poor, sick and narrow-minded like Lazarus, but you don't have to. God may hold back a promotion until your heart is free to be fair to everyone.

   Illustration: If he prayed for a sick woman while thinking about her race, he would nullify his own faith; he has to see her simply as a child of God who needs help.

   “Be comfortable in your own skin.”

   • Romans 12:2
   • Colossians 3:11
   • Luke 16:19-31
   • Proverbs 13:22