Sustainable Character For Relevance by Pastor Anwinli Ojeikere: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

You Are Created to Be Relevant

Matthew 5:16 — Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

This is not restricted to an auditorium or to a Sunday morning in front of your pastor. It is before men — meaning when you go out of church, you are still relevant. You go out and you are still shining. It goes beyond the church building. Let people know who you are in Christ.

Changing your status does not change who you really are. If you are someone who is given to just being there, you will still be there in marriage. It takes character to be relevant.

Character of Growth

The first character for relevance is the character of growth. If you are only beautiful and you are not growing, you become irrelevant. Growth is very attractive.

Self-confidence comes from accepting yourself. If you have a big nose, tell yourself: I love my big nose. When you have a crisis with your identity, you lose your confidence — and without confidence you cannot feel relevant and you cannot bring relevance.

Acceptance was key even for David. Psalm 139:13 Message Bible — David wrote: "Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God — you are breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made!" David was confident. He knew he was well created.

Nobody can boost your confidence other than you. Nobody can tell you that you are relevant if you do not first believe it about yourself.

The three things that build self-confidence are:

• Acceptance — receive who you are, including what you wish you could change
• Self-improvement — read widely, not only the Bible. Know what is happening in the world. Be aware. Upgrade your level of wisdom and sense. Don't be outdated. You can't use an outdated platform and expect to be current.
• Charisma — build your courage as a person. The way people attend to you when you are truly shining requires growth. Even in marriage, if you stop growing, even the attraction can fade. It is one thing to be attractive — it is another to sustain that attraction. Growth sustains it.

Character for Relevance — A Framework

1. Character of Growth — grow in knowledge, in spirit, in emotional capacity, in practical skills. Relevance requires that you are adding something.
2. Sustainable Character — what you do must be able to outlast your mood, your season, and your circumstances. That is sustainability. Many people are relevant only when things are good. Kingdom relevance must hold even under pressure.

Shining Beyond Your Walls

You are needed, not needy. There is a difference. A woman who knows her value does not need someone else to declare it before she believes it. When you are confident before marriage, a compliment from a husband becomes an extra — not an emergency. Single ladies especially need to understand this: confidence is what will protect you from being picked up cheaply and discarded without ceremony.

The question to ask consistently is: am I bringing relevance? Am I adding to this space, this home, this conversation, this kingdom? Not: am I being affirmed?

Let your light shine — not for applause, but because light is what you are.