Godly character is the likeness of Christ formed in who you really are, and it makes you a person God can trust with what is His. You become that person by being faithful in small things, taking responsibility for your own life and keeping His Word. The growth takes a lifetime, and you can begin today.
What does it mean for God to trust a person?
It means He can place something of His in your hands and know it will be cared for. That trust is about stewardship. It is never the price of His love, which comes to you as a gift. Jesus put the principle in one sentence:
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. — Luke 16:10 (King James Version)
In Jesus Is Coming Soon, Apostle Guillermo Maldonado writes that the parable of the talents teaches “we do not own anything for ourselves.” Everything belongs to Jesus, the Owner, and we are His servants, called to administer His goods. A talent can be a spiritual endowment or a natural ability, faith, resources or people, entrusted to us to be developed.
In the parable, a servant faithful over a few things is called good and faithful, and his lord will make him ruler over many things (Matthew 25:21). It is Scripture's pattern for growth, not a promise of any position.
Why does God look at the heart first?
The heart is where a person's real character lives, and appearances can hide it. When Samuel went to anoint a king from among Jesse's sons, the LORD told him not to look on a son's countenance or the height of his stature. Man looks on the outward appearance, “but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
In his message Character and Maturity, Apostle Maldonado defines character as the mental and spiritual qualities that distinguish a person: the moral seat of who someone really is inside. Character is who you are when you are alone and no one is watching. When the character of Christ is formed in a heart, doing what is right becomes easy.
That is why character cannot be performed for an audience. The choices you make in private, with no one to impress, show what God is forming in you.
Why does maturity begin with taking responsibility?
Maturity shows when you carry what is truly yours to carry, without waiting for someone else to carry it for you. Paul puts it in one line:
For every man shall bear his own burden. — Galatians 6:5 (KJV)
In Maturity Begins With Responsibility, Apostle Maldonado teaches that God entrusts nothing to a person until that person becomes responsible. Responsibility is a state of being committed, answerable and accountable to something or someone. The first responsibility is to govern yourself: your own life, relationships and education. That is the sign to God that He can trust you with more. For each burden He designs, His grace comes the moment you step out to carry it.
Responsibility here means owning your own choices before God. It never means carrying the blame for what someone else did to you.
Why does godly character take a lifetime to form?
Character is formed, not handed over in a moment. A person can be born again in a day, but being shaped into the likeness of Christ goes on for life. Paul wrote to believers he already called his little children:
My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you. — Galatians 4:19 (KJV)
Paul was in travail over those believers until Christ would be formed in them. You need that kind of help too. Believers in a local church can pray for you, guide you and walk with you while that work goes on. In time, you can do the same for someone newer in the faith.
How does God's Word shape a heart He can trust?
The Word shapes the heart when it is heard, held on to and lived. Jesus ended His explanation of the parable of the sower with the good ground:
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. — Luke 8:15 (KJV)
In How to Be a Disciple of Jesus, Apostle Maldonado describes the good ground as people who take hold of the word and cling to it. A message on prayer or faith becomes something they stand on and believe. Fruit comes from hearing the word and obeying it. The cares of life, riches and pleasures crowd it out, and even good things such as family, work and business do so when God is not first.
The fruit of a heart that keeps the word shows in ordinary life. Someone who used to curse now blesses people. An angry person becomes a peaceful one. Someone who once lied in business now deals honestly.
How can you begin building godly character today?
Be faithful in the small tasks in front of you, and keep your word when it costs you something. Take responsibility for your own walk with God rather than waiting for someone else to carry it. Stay in the Word, and put one thing you read into practice. When you fall short, bring it to God honestly and begin again.
If you would like someone to pray with you, we would love to. Our Help and Prayer Support page gives our phone number and a way to send a message.
Go deeper: If you want to keep growing from disciple to leader, read the manual The Process of Becoming a Leader - Growing In.
Frequently asked questions
What are godly characteristics?
Scripture names them as the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23). Longsuffering is patience, and temperance is self-control. Choose one of them, ask the Holy Spirit to grow it in you, and practice it in one relationship this week.
Do I have to earn God's love by becoming trustworthy?
No. Salvation is by grace through faith, “the gift of God: not of works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). His love comes first, and faithfulness grows as your response to it. Receive that love as a gift, then serve Him with what He has already placed in your hands.
What if I have broken God's trust before?
You can begin again. Failing does not cancel God's love; it shows where growth is still needed. A new start is not a promise of any particular role. Bring the failure honestly to God, make right what you can, and take up the next small responsibility in front of you.
Related teaching from the store
- Spiritual Maturity, by Apostle Maldonado, for believers who want to mature in their walk with Christ.
- Journey: Leadership & Discipleship brings together manuals for the road from disciple to leader.
- Leadership collection gathers books and manuals for growing as a disciple and a leader.
Published by King Jesus International Ministry. This article draws on Scripture and on Apostle Guillermo Maldonado's book Jesus Is Coming Soon and his messages “Maturity Begins With Responsibility” (The Supernatural Now, 2018), “Character and Maturity” (Supernatural Ministry School #15, 2017) and “How to Be a Disciple of Jesus” (Sunday sermon, 2024). It is offered for study and encouragement. It is not medical, psychological, or financial advice.