What do you think of when someone says, “She’s a godly woman?” Some would say she acts a certain way; others say she looks a certain way, thinks a certain way, or treats others a certain way. To be godly is to take on the character traits that are like God. Therefore, it would include all of these. God is a person, in that he thinks, feels, acts, and as God the Son, He looks a certain way. God possesses so many attributes in His character that we need to look at them individually and see how we can exhibit those in our own lives. As with everything, there must be a beginning. The beginning of becoming a godly woman starts with repentance.
Repentance of our sins against a holy God is the first step to living a godly life, but we must also repent when we do wrong after we are saved. I believe that many people have said a prayer and asked for forgiveness but never surrendered to Jesus as the Lord of their lives. True repentance, even after we are saved, must be done with a feeling of godly sorrow.
II Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”
Godly sorrow is a sorrow that leads the soul to him. This is a very important expression in regard to true repentance. It is not a “sorry I got caught,” but a feeling of sorrow because we have sinned against a holy God, a God who loves us infinitely more than anyone else ever could. God approves of this kind of sorrow; it is conformable to his will, and His desires. And it is in accordance with what God demands in coming to Him and returning to him. It is a sorrow that arises from viewing sin as God views it. There is a sorrow that the world has when they suffer the consequences of their wrong, but that sorrow leads to death. This is speaking of eternal death in Hell. This sorrow does not lead them to change because of their fear of death in Hell, or because it is against God.
Godly sorrow produces true repentance, which will produce a change, a change in attitude and actions. The word repent is derived from a military term that means an about-face. You are going in one direction, and you turn to go in the opposite direction. We can’t have godly character if we allow sin to reside in our lives. We must turn from sin and turn to God.
In Psalm 66:18, we are taught that if I regard iniquity in my heart, my prayers will not be heard by God. If I have cherished it in my soul; if I have gloated over past sins; if I am purposing to commit sin again; if I am not willing to abandon all sin, and to be holy, God will not hear me. This is a serious thing for a Christian. How many times have I had to pray for someone because the need was great at that moment? This is the reason we need to keep a clean slate with God. When we sin, we need to be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit that we repent immediately. I want my prayers to be heard when I pray!
Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
David was referred to by God in I Samuel 13:14, as a man after God’s own heart. Saul was living a life contrary to God, and God removed Him from being king of Israel. Yet, David committed sins that broke the first five commandments. He coveted Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, in 2 Sam. 11:2-3, in II Samuel 11:4, he committed adultery with her, he stole her from Uriah in II Samuel 12:9, he lied to Uriah in II Samuel 11:12–13, and eventually had Uriah murdered in II Sam. 12:9. What was the difference between Saul and David? We find this answer in Psalm 51:2. He repented of his sins.
Psalm 51:2 “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”
When we have sinned, we must recognize it and repent. God’s forgiveness doesn’t save us from the consequences of our conduct, but if we’ve abandoned the behavior and are willing to accept the consequences, God will still use us. However, if we want to be pleasing to God and useful in His kingdom, we need godly character traits that will steer us away from Satan’s pitfalls.
The only way to have a godly character is to know the God of that character! We can’t know Him until we repent of our sins and accept Him as the Lord of our lives. The word Lord means Master. We must yield to His control. Our thinking needs to be governed by the truths we learn from His word, the Bible.
Have you given Him control of your life? Are you daily seeking to please Him; meeting with Him in prayer and study of His words to you? If not, seek Him today, and you will be on the road to becoming a woman of godly character.
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