{"id":18822,"date":"2026-04-15T19:35:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T18:35:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.42ndgenerationfoundation.com\/achieversfaithdigest\/?p=18822"},"modified":"2026-04-28T19:35:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T18:35:42","slug":"you-cannot-get-by-prayer-what-you-should-get-by-character-and-obedience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.42ndgenerationfoundation.com\/achieversfaithdigest\/you-cannot-get-by-prayer-what-you-should-get-by-character-and-obedience\/","title":{"rendered":"“YOU CANNOT GET BY PRAYER WHAT YOU SHOULD GET BY CHARACTER AND OBEDIENCE”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

AUTHOR UNKNOWN: But A Great Piece Worth More Than Anything – Read\u00a0And\u00a0Be BLESSED!\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u00a0don’t\u00a0know who authored this fantastic piece;\u00a0it’s\u00a0powerful, full of knowledge, wisdom and educative. Please take time to read it\u00a0over and over again\u00a0. . . And\u00a0it’s\u00a0entitled:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“YOU CANNOT GET BY PRAYER WHAT YOU SHOULD GET BY CHARACTER AND OBEDIENCE”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A man\u2019s character is his fate. Heraclitus Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States (US), said: \u201cNothing can stop the man with the RIGHT MENTAL ATTITUDE from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the WRONG MENTAL ATTITUDE.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a clergyman, I have watched pitiably how people self-sabotage themselves by seeking spiritual solutions to character-deficit issues. They look around at everybody as suspects for their predicaments when their greatest demons\u00a0lurk\u00a0within them – their character.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What we often call our destiny is truly our character, and since that character can change, then destiny can be altered. CHARACTER IS DESTINY.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is prayer\u00a0actually EVERYTHING? Many would begin to argue back and forth on this intriguing question, but my main purpose of writing this piece is not to get involved in arguments. Arguments\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0improve the validity of a truth; they only\u00a0determine\u00a0how long it would take before you\u00a0realise\u00a0it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most people believe that we can\u00a0pray ourselves\u00a0to success and get away with\u00a0virtually anything\u00a0if we become a stickler to some prayer routines. There is no amount of spiritual penance that can substitute for character. Sometimes, you need character, not prayer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dutch Sheets said: \u201cPrayer is not a check request asking for things from God; it is a deposit slip- a way of depositing God\u2019s character into our bankrupt souls.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

British writer and politician, Thomas Macaulay (1800-1859), said: \u201cThe measure of a man\u2019s character is what he would do if he knew he never would be found out.\u201d I have often said that what would\u00a0ultimately destroy\u00a0a man going to high places in life is not really the enemies that are waiting for him there, but the character that followed him there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I want to emphatically underline the fact that this write-up is not meant to\u00a0trivialise\u00a0prayers in any way. I have\u00a0observed\u00a0that many people take character for granted, while overzealously\u00a0tuning on\u00a0into their spiritual mode.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We have become so spiritually in tune through prayers that we neglect the place of character and our relationship with people.\u00a0Many are actually HEAVENLY bound, but with no EARTHLY relevance.\u00a0You can speak with spiritual eloquence, pray in public and\u00a0maintain\u00a0a holy appearance, but it is your BEHAVIOUR and CHARACTER that will\u00a0actually trigger\u00a0the manifestation of all that God has for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You must learn to treat\u00a0people with\u00a0courtesy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Shunammite woman must have been praying for a child all through her life. By being hospitable to a man of God, she eventually got her much-awaited miracle. It\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0prayer that opened the door for her; it was her character. Assuming she\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0hospitable, she would have missed a critical miracle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many times, we pray,\u00a0fast\u00a0and bind demons that\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0exist when our real demons are just our\u00a0greatly flawed\u00a0character. Many have insulted people that were divinely placed and orchestrated to help them fulfil their destiny. Some people are keeping malice with their destiny helpers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Treat people with respect.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Treat strangers with courtesy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Never look down on anybody. God can use anyone to change your story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Abigail Van Buren said: \u201cThe best index to a person\u2019s character is how he treats people who can\u2019t do him any good, and how he treats people who can\u2019t fight back.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him. The way we treat people we think\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0help or hurt us, like housekeepers, waiters, and secretaries,\u00a0tells\u00a0more about our character than how we treat people we think are important. ‘How do you treat people?’\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the most impressive architectural feats and the greatest military\u00a0defence\u00a0project in history is the Great Wall of China. In 1987, UNESCO\u00a0designated\u00a0the Great Wall a World Heritage site, and a popular controversial claim that\u00a0emerged\u00a0in the 20th century holds that it is the only\u00a0man-made\u00a0structure that is visible from space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Originally conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (c. 259-210 B.C.) in the 3rd Century B.C. as a means of preventing incursions from Mongolians and barbarian nomads into the Chinese Empire, the wall is one of the most extensive construction projects ever completed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

History has it that when the ancient Chinese decided to live in peace, they made the Great Wall of China; they thought no one could climb it due to its height. During the first 100 years of its existence, the Chinese were invaded thrice and every time, the hordes of enemy infantry had no need of penetrating or climbing over the wall, because each time, they bribed the guards and came through the doors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chinese built the\u00a0wall, but\u00a0forgot the character – building of the wall-guards. Though the Great Wall has over the years become a powerful symbol of the country\u2019s enduring strength and spirit, but it has\u00a0actually been\u00a0a good reminder to the Chinese of the superiority of human character.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chinese\u00a0realised\u00a0much later that the best\u00a0defence\u00a0against the enemy is not a fortified wall, but a fortified character. Thus, the building of human character comes before\u00a0building of\u00a0anything else.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Prayer is not EVERYTHING! Build relationships, and\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0ever forget that God will always use man. Be mindful of your words and how you speak to people. Work seriously on your character and attitude towards life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I want to say emphatically that character is not optional; it is sacrosanct to the future that God has planned for you. No matter where you place prayers, character matters. The greatest fraud in life is religion without character. A man without character is recklessly alive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

William Shakespeare captured it succinctly when he said: \u201cThe fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Peter Schutz, the former chief executive officer of Porsche said: \u201cHIRE CHARACTER; TRAIN SKILLS.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, back in the days when Germany was divided, a huge wall separated East and West Berlin.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One day, some people in East Berlin took a truck load of garbage and dumped it on the West Berlin side.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The people of West Berlin could have done the same thing, but they\u00a0didn’t.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead,\u00a0they took a truck load of canned goods, bread,\u00a0milk\u00a0and other provisions, and neatly stacked it on the East Berlin side.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On top of this\u00a0stack,\u00a0they placed the sign:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How\u00a0very true! You can only give what you have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you have inside of you? Is it:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hate or love?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Violence or peace?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Death or life?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Capacity to build or capacity to destroy?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What have you\u00a0acquired\u00a0over the years?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Team spirit or\u00a0pull-down\u00a0architecture?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“EACH GIVES WHAT HE HAS”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Think about it!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please give out the\u00a0good in\u00a0you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

JESUS LOVES YOU\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SUMMARY:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The piece\u00a0emphasises\u00a0that character is more important than prayer or spiritual activities. It highlights how people’s character, not just their prayers,\u00a0determines\u00a0their destiny and success. The author shares examples, like the Shunammite woman who got a miracle through hospitality, and the Great Wall of China, where character-building was neglected, leading to breaches.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Key points:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n