In The Story of Redemption, Ellen White wrote of a conversation Satan had with Jesus after being cast out of heaven. In that conversation, Satan claimed he "repented of his sins and wished to be readmitted into heaven, into the presence of God." Jesus wept at Satan’s woe but told him—as the mind of God—that he could never be readmitted because the "seeds of rebellion" were still in him. I have often been puzzled by that phrase: "the seeds of rebellion." It suggests that God allowed the devil and his angels to live so that their true characters could be revealed to all. In heaven, Satan had been so deceptive that even the holy angels could not fully understand his nature; therefore, time was required for his character to mature and be seen for what it was.
The issue of character development is fascinating. What is a "seed" of character? How do we acquire these seeds, how is character developed, and how is it revealed? Character is who you are. It is the makeup of your whole being—your emotions, thoughts, and actions. It is your true identity. Character development began when God created intelligent beings. He gave holy beings righteous seeds to develop righteous characters, but Satan introduced evil thoughts into his own mind—the first evil seeds in the universe. These evil emotions and thoughts allowed for the development of an evil character.
The fall of Adam and Eve introduced these evil seeds into the human race. Now, every person faces an individual struggle: will they cultivate the righteous seeds from God or the evil seeds from the devil? We inherit many of our character "seeds" at birth. We take on many traits from our parents, including a sinful nature and perhaps tendencies toward anger or other weaknesses. As we grow, we acquire more seeds by watching our parents, absorbing what society teaches, and fostering certain thoughts in our minds. As we age, we may not even realize it, but we are making daily decisions that settle our character.
The Process of Character Development:
Thoughts and feelings lead to actions.
Repeated actions lead to habits.
Habits lead to character.
Character leads to destiny—in this life and the life to come.
Each person is accountable before God for the character they develop;
You can try to deceive others about who you truly are, but circumstances will eventually arise to test and reveal your true nature. A man may claim to be loving, but his true character is revealed by how he reacts when wronged. A woman may claim to be patient, but her character is revealed in slow-moving traffic. A man may claim to love God, but his reaction to the "fiery trials" of temptation reveals his heart. Trials reveal what we truly value. How you treat others—especially those under your power and influence—reveals your true character.
In heaven, Lucifer began to foster seeds of jealousy, envy, self-exaltation, and hatred. Publicly, he professed to seek the good of the universe and the freedom of others, but in his heart, he wanted to rule and be worshipped. He knew he was lying against God’s government, yet he presented himself as a promoter of righteousness. Time was given to demonstrate his true nature, and over time, he was revealed to be a liar, a tyrant, and a murderer. Likewise, God gives us time to reveal our true characters.
We can profess many things to people, but sooner or later, God allows testing situations to reveal our hearts. He allows trials so we can see the evil seeds festering within us and bring them to Him for uprooting. If we bring them to Jesus, He can replace them with righteous seeds. Unfortunately, many make excuses for their evil traits and refuse to seek help. All who continue to water evil seeds and excuse evil deeds are developing their characters in partnership with the fallen angels.
As the saying goes: "True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure—the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation." If you want a glimpse into a person’s true character, pay attention to how they react under stress, how they treat others, and which promises they keep. Character cannot be transferred to another. The only thing we take with us to heaven is our character. Only those who have allowed God to develop a righteous character within them will be saved.
In conclusion, while God gave us our nature and we did not choose our sinful tendencies or our parents, our character development remains our sole responsibility. God gave Lucifer a perfect nature in a perfect place with perfect seeds, yet Lucifer chose to develop an evil character. Conversely, being in a sinful world with sinful tendencies is no excuse for failing to develop a righteous character. With God’s help, we can make right decisions in every area of life, small or great.
How to Start Righteous Character Development:
Begin your day with right thoughts by spending time in God’s Word.
Bring all emotions and thoughts to God in prayer, bringing them into captivity to Christ.
Recognize that thoughts and emotions lead to actions.
Ask for the Holy Spirit to help you make right decisions daily.
Formation: As you make right decisions, you form a character in the image of Christ.
Seal the Work: Ask God to seal you in righteousness.
Sooner or later, our characters become fixed and our fate is sealed. Ask God to fix your character in righteousness today, and your destiny will be eternal life. You will be a child of God forever.
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