Challenges of Integrity -- part 4

Today we will conclude our discussion of integrity by examining several of the blessings and fruits of walking with integrity in both our personal lives as believers and in our ministry endeavors in the kingdom of God.

First, our integrity releases God to divinely intervene on our behalf. We see this blessing or principle revealed in Genesis 20: 1-6 in the life of King Abimelech as he interacted with Abraham and Sarah.

1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.”  And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”  4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord will You slay a righteous nation also? 5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister?' And she, even she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”  6 And God said to him (Abimelech) in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 

In this passage we see that Abraham lies to King Abimelech of Gerar about Sarah not being his wife but rather his sister. This is certainly not a display of great integrity for Abraham! As the situation unfolds, we read that because Abimelech’s heart motive was not deceitful, God champions the king’s integrity. Mothers of Nations, God will do the same for us!

A second principle we find in the Word is this:  Our integrity produces a strong confidence in God. We find this exemplified in Psalm 26, verses 1 and 11.

1 Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity: I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.

11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity: redeem me, and be merciful to me. 

There is a confidence that comes to us by keeping a pure heart, one of integrity where there is nothing that stands between us and God. Integrity develops a strong foot hold, a solid foundation on which to base our lives. We can be assured that God will honor our integrity before Him, bringing deliverance and meeting our needs.

Let’s also look at verses 7, 8, and 12 in Psalm 26. These are verses of worship that relate to integrity.

7 That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works.

8  Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.

12 My foot stands in an even place; In the congregations I will bless the Lord.

Integrity of heart makes worship desirable and a natural action. We WANT to be in God’s presence when we walk with integrity. How can we say we worship in spirit and in truth, with our whole heart, if we do so with hearts lacking integrity? Mothers of Nations, we are seeing that this character quality of integrity affects every part of our lives.

A third blessing of walking in integrity can be found in Psalm 25: 20-21. Our integrity is a “life preserver!”

20 Keep my soul, and deliver me:  let me not be ashamed: for I put my trust in You.

21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait for You.

We see here that integrity is a sustainer in our lives. The word “preserve” means to guard, protect, maintain, keep, hold, and secure. We have all experienced overwhelming situations where all we can do is let God “float” us through those circumstances. Integrity is our “life preserver” that keeps us from drowning in times of flood, storm, misunderstanding, challenge, etc.

A fourth blessing of integrity is that our integrity leads to honor and promotion by God. And guess what? We never know when that honor and promotion will take place. That is why a LIFESTYLE of integrity is so important.

Psalm 78: 70-72 is an account of part of Israel’s history. In the Message version, it reads like this.

Then He (God) chose David, his servant, handpicked him from his work in the sheep pens. One day he (David) was caring for the ewes and their lambs, the next day God had him shepherding Jacob, His people Israel, His prize possession. His (David’s) good heart (integrity) made him a good shepherd; he guided the people wisely and well.

Where are people of integrity found? They could be shepherd boys or they could be kings. God was never ashamed of the lowly beginning of the great king David. From feeding sheep to feeding God’s people was a great promotion for the man whose heart of integrity was always after God. God’s qualifications for leadership, honor and promotion are often very different than worldly qualifications. It is so important as believers that we honor the values that our God honors.

And a final principle of integrity:  Our integrity affects the lives of others, especially our seed. We previously discussed the negative example of Gehazi’s lack of integrity and how it affected both him and his household to come. (2 Kings 5: 27)

A positive example of this principle can be found in Proverbs 20: 7. “The righteous man walks in his integrity:  his children are blessed after him.” Most certainly we don’t live our lives just unto ourselves. There are spiritual connections that affect both blessing and cursing on those we are responsible for in the eyes of the Lord. There is great reward in having our children be blessed because we have determined to develop a lifestyle of integrity.

As we close this discussion today, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to do a continued work of integrity in our lives, a continued refining and maturing of this character quality.

Maybe we need to ask forgiveness for situations where we could have made better choices. These areas where we previously have lacked integrity could include:

• Affecting the blessing of others (including our seed)
• Lessening the power of our Christian witness
• Lacking strong confidence in God
• Allowing our lusts to overpower our integrity
• Mishandling the anointing, talents, and ministry gifts given to us
• Thinking our private lack of integrity is excusable
• Placing a price on integrity – willing to sell out at the right offer
• Not permitting God to develop integrity at all levels in our life

Mothers of Nations, may we all accept the challenge of leaving a legacy of integrity for the glory of God throughout the nations.

Rev. Nola Beintema