There has been something gnawing at me over the past few weeks and it is about the word integrity.
But it goes deeper than that. This is not just a word that you look up in a dictionary to get a nice definition but it’s a word that is lived out in a lifestyle of consistent living. It’s about living a life “above reproach” that can be examined and scrutinized if called upon.
Integrity could be about our words whether they are true or not. It could be about our promises whether they are kept or not. It’s about keeping your word and doing what is expected of you.
Early on in ministry I began to learn the importance of this word and the affect it had on people. I might not be a “10” in all categories of talent but I must be a “10” when it comes to living a life of integrity. I cannot compromise in this whatsoever.
Becoming a person of integrity means: "Deciding to integrate my heart’s value into my daily actions" ~ John Maxwell
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. (John 10:25 NKJV)
Jesus is telling us that what I say and what I do testify as to who I am.
A person of integrity is validated by their words and their deeds. If we are pure in heart we can be pure in action. Integrity is making my daily actions line up with my heart’s values.
BENEFITS OF INTEGRITY
1. Integrity Will Preserve Me
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You. (Psalms 25:21 NKJV)
Mark Twain said: “Speaking honestly is better. It takes a lot of stress out of our lives. If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything, but if you don’t tell the truth you have to remember what you said.”
2. Integrity Brings Protection
When I have integrity I have protection. I have less fear and less stress because I do not have to look over my shoulder all of the time.
He who walks with integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will become known. (Proverbs 10:9 NKJV)
I can be confident that what I do is right and that it will prosper (though it may not prosper financially at times, it can prosper in other ways!)
If you walk with integrity you do not have to worry about having a shaky foundation for what you do, it provides a firm foundation.
3. Integrity Provides Guidance
Integrity provides me with guidance. It helps me make better decisions.
The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. (Proverbs 11:3 NKJV)
In a society without moral absolutes anything goes. When people can choose what is right and wrong without having a standard, how do you decide which way to go? Eventually you will get caught in your duplicity. It will come back to bite you. If you live in integrity then your decisions are easier to make – your integrity guides you.
4. Integrity Provides Me With Hope
Is not your reverence your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope? (Job 4:6 NKJV)
Hope for what? Hope that some day when I stand before God I will not be ashamed of how I lived and what He will say to me. Hope that I will be commended and not rebuked for my lifestyle and the testimony that I had while alive.
I must elevate myself to model integrity
SO how do we do it? How can we become people of integrity? What can I do or change in my life so that I can experience the benefits of integrity and the blessing of God?
HOW DO WE BECOME PEOPLE OF INTEGRITY?
1. Ask God To Test My Heart
Have any of you ever had an EKG? What is the purpose of it? It is to determine the health of the heart. To help find potential problems and to help diagnose future problems. It is a test of the condition of the heart.
This physical testing of the heart is what God needs to do to us in a spiritual sense. He needs to come in and find out the condition of our heart and fix it before major problems take over!
I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. (1 Chronicles 29:17 NIV)
You see, God is pleased with integrity and examines the heart to see if a person is full of integrity or full of baloney!
What you believe in your heart will determine how you act when placed in a tempting situation.
Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. (Psalms 26:2 NKJV)
So, how does God show us what is questionable and also what is characteristic of integrity. One way is through the Bible. That is why the next point is so vital.
2. Study To Know What Is True
Throughout the Bible you will find the words: honesty, purity, truth, upright and complete all translated from the same words meaning integrity – they are all synonymous.
If, therefore, we are going to live lives of integrity we must know what integrity looks like. That comes from spending time in the Bible with God.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (II Timothy 2:15 NKJV)
If we take the time to read and study the Bible and apply the truths that we read to our lives, then we can live lives of integrity. Why? Because the Bible is the only standard for living that is true and unchanging.
Living the Christian life without studying the Bible is like trying to fix a car without reading the instructions… it just doesn’t work. Period.
3. Apply God’s Word To Your Daily Activities
GOD, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list? “Walk straight, act right, tell the truth. (Psalm 15:1-2 MSG)
Walking in integrity means integrating all of what God’s Word says into our daily activities. It means that I become a doer of the word.
4. Remain Faithful In Spite Of Circumstances
Have you ever gone through one of those times in your life where it feels like your whole world is caving in? It seems like you will not be able to handle another day of calamity! “If one more thing goes wrong I’m gonna lose it!”
I have a word for you today – don’t ever give up. Don’t ever, ever, ever, give up. Do whatever you can to remain faithful.
Job was a man who went through an awful lot but remained faithful.
Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” (Job 2:3 NLT)
His character was good. The fact that he kept his character in tack in spite of the best efforts of Satan made him a man of integrity.
Think about this: He lost his home, his kids, his wealth, and his health.
But he never gave up on God. If you feel like you are about ready to give up on God, take time today to pray and ask God to renew your strength. Find a friend, a brother or sister from church, and ask them to pray with you.
Remain faithful to God… he remains faithful to you.
5. Refuse To Be Persuaded By Others
They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? (Mark 12:14 NIV)
Job had 3 friends that that were not the kind of friends you want to have. They kept trying to convince Job that he had sinned against God and needed to get right with God. Job knew better.
And, if they aren’t enough, even Job’s wife gets in on the act and tells Job:
His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job 2:9-10 NIV)
We must never let others dictate what we do. They must never come between us and what is right; what is full of integrity. To become a person of integrity I must do what is right and refuse to be persuaded by others.
Notice what David says in the Psalms about integrity:
I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; (Psalm 101:2 ESV)
If it doesn’t work at home, it doesn’t work. It means making sure that what we say and what we do – no matter what the circumstances – line up with each other. It means making our actions line up with our heart and making sure our heart is in tune with God.
May God speak to all our hearts today as we examine ourselves closely as to whether we are walking in integrity or not.
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