“Charisma vanishes really quickly when you’re under threat.”

We place a high value on someone’s personality and gifting – but God cares more about their heart. If we don’t have the character to back up the gifting, we’ll fold when things get hard.

Sheila Walsh points to King Saul and Goliath to illustrate how gifting can go badly. King Saul was known to be head and shoulders taller than most of his men, but when Goliath came taunting the Israelites, and their God, Saul ran in fear.

“Saul might have had the height of a king but he didn’t have the heart of a king.”

We too often put those with big personalities or solid musical talent on pedestals for the kingdom, but we can’t overlook their shortcomings. God delights in promoting the humble, obscure, unassuming person with a strong character. King David started as a shepherd boy, but God called him to the highest honor in Israel. It was done because of his character.

Sheila explains what was happening to cause David to outshine Saul in the battle against the Philistines.

“When [Saul] saw this danger coming against them, he immediately retreated. He should have been the one out there going face to face with Goliath. It took a little boy…when [David] hears somebody coming against the army of the Lord, he’s enraged.”

David steps out in faith and defeats Goliath in front of the entire army. This is a good example for us to follow. Our ministry can’t be one that is centered on any personality but the Lord’s. A sinful person will not hold up a ministry for long before his shortcomings start to show.

“As long as you’re on the platform and the light is shining on you, it can look great. But the minute life gets difficult, or threatening, or you might have to actually place your life on the line, charisma dissipates faster than the morning mist and natural character kicks in.”

Don’t believe that God has forgotten you. If you’re living in relative obscurity but know that God is leading you to do something very visible, take time to wait, pray, and listen to God. His delay is a way of training you and cultivating your character. In due time, He will lead you to the next place of ministry. Consider the shepherd boy, whom Sheila writes about in her book .

“Who watched David when he was out there on the fields alone at night, singing his psalms to God, fighting a bear, fighting a lion, rescuing his little sheep, writing out his praise songs to the Lord? It was in that tucked-away place where nobody but the Lord saw him that David was preparing to become a king.”


Sheila Walsh is an author, speaker and Bible teacher who has sold over 4 million books. Her heart is to show what happens when your real life meets the Word of God. She is the author of the #1 best-selling line of Christian books for little girls, Gigi, God’s Little Princess.

Key Scriptures: John 15:15-16; 1 Samuel 16:6-13

Featured Songs: Wonderful by Christy Nockels; More Than Amazing by Lincoln Brewster; Thank You by Bethel Music

The longing in me