When the Psalmist said, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me," (Psalm 51:10, NIV) he saw hope in the midst of his need, but also realized the "process" required to accomplish it. He knew that the process began with an honest plea to God. He knew that his character could only be changed by God Himself.
What does God use to change our character? The Greek definition for "character" is "a specimen of tried worth." Making it personal in the spiritual sense, it refers to someone who has been tested by God and has passed the tests. That doesn't mean we haven't had failure, but it means that we have learned from our failures. In fact, God's greatest "giants" of the faith have included many of the biggest "failures" known to the world, before God brought about a great character change.
God's Word also reveals that our "character" has a lot to do with God hearing and answering our prayer. We must be careful and not confuse character and lack of failure in life. Remember, some of God's greatest warriors of the faith are those who have failed miserably in their lives. The Godly character that eventually developed was a result of the individual giving themselves to God, allowing His Spirit to do His miraculous work. And some who seemingly have exemplary lives have weak character, unable to understand the deeper things of God.
The character we need to be prayer warriors, and powerful workers for God is a result of His work in us. That means we are all eligible for such a relationship with Him. And He is eager to perform His work in us. Then we can understand and experience more of the deeper things of God's Word.
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