We are walking in today: Weekend Meditation--Integrity! The Key To Character and The Cure for Inconsistency, Character Check Part 4
Witness integrity throughout the Bible: H8537 tom integrity spelled tav, mem---integrity, completeness, fulness, innocence, simplicity, integrity
from H8552; completeness; figuratively, prosperity; usually (morally) innocence:—full, integrity, perfection, simplicity, uprigh
tness, at a venture.Psalm 15:2 He that walks in integrity and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.
from H8552; completeness; figuratively, prosperity; usually (morally) innocence:—full, integrity, perfection, simplicity, uprigh
tness, at a venture.Psalm 15:2 He that walks in integrity and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.
Torah: Genesis 20:5-6
Prophets: 2 Samuel 15:11
Writings: 1 Kings 9:4, 22:34; Job 4:6; Psalm 7:8, 25:21, 26:1, 26:11, 41:12, 78:72, 101:2; Proverbs 2:7, 10:29, 13:6, 19:1, 20:7, 28:6
Prophets: 2 Samuel 15:11
Writings: 1 Kings 9:4, 22:34; Job 4:6; Psalm 7:8, 25:21, 26:1, 26:11, 41:12, 78:72, 101:2; Proverbs 2:7, 10:29, 13:6, 19:1, 20:7, 28:6
Proverbs 10:91 He that walks in integrity walks securely, but he that perverts his ways shall be broken.
Psalm 78:72 With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with skillful hands.
Why does it seem that the collective fabric of our society is becoming unraveled amid the revelations of lust, greed, and immorality in high and low places? What is happening and where are we headed? Has there ever been a more critical time in history when we needed people of integrity? Just as honesty is essential for trust and trust is essential for any healthy relationship and for the ability to lead, so integrity is essential to becoming trustworthy. It has been said that if you can’t trust someone in all areas, you can’t trust them in any. We compromise our integrity whenever we betray a trust. Integrity is a prerequisite to credibility. Among other definitions, Webster describes integrity as “soundness of moral character.” Integrity from a biblical viewpoint has to do with being morally sound. What does it mean to be morally sound? A person with integrity knows what is important to God and consistently lives in light of what is important to Him. It involves more than living our values; it involves subscribing to God’s values and with His help learning to conform our conduct to those values. Integrity is not determined by circumstances, based on credentials and is not to be confused with reputation. A person with the integrity of heart is a morally and spiritually healthy individual. A person’s reputation is only the shadow of his character. Integrity has to do with a sense of consistency between a person’s inner values and attitudes and his outward words and actions. Your Conduct should match your character.
Psalm 78:72 With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with skillful hands.
Why does it seem that the collective fabric of our society is becoming unraveled amid the revelations of lust, greed, and immorality in high and low places? What is happening and where are we headed? Has there ever been a more critical time in history when we needed people of integrity? Just as honesty is essential for trust and trust is essential for any healthy relationship and for the ability to lead, so integrity is essential to becoming trustworthy. It has been said that if you can’t trust someone in all areas, you can’t trust them in any. We compromise our integrity whenever we betray a trust. Integrity is a prerequisite to credibility. Among other definitions, Webster describes integrity as “soundness of moral character.” Integrity from a biblical viewpoint has to do with being morally sound. What does it mean to be morally sound? A person with integrity knows what is important to God and consistently lives in light of what is important to Him. It involves more than living our values; it involves subscribing to God’s values and with His help learning to conform our conduct to those values. Integrity is not determined by circumstances, based on credentials and is not to be confused with reputation. A person with the integrity of heart is a morally and spiritually healthy individual. A person’s reputation is only the shadow of his character. Integrity has to do with a sense of consistency between a person’s inner values and attitudes and his outward words and actions. Your Conduct should match your character.
People will trust those who have proved themselves to be trustworthy. A lack of integrity may take one of four different forms.
1. Consistency between a person’s words and actions (saying one thing and doing another). Verbal inconsistency expresses itself as a lack of honesty (Acts 5:1- 10). Honesty is without question an absolutely essential quality of leadership.
2. Inconsistency between one’s actions on one side and against one ‘sin words and values on the other. This inconsistency comes across as a lack of courage to act according to His values (Mk.14:29-32, 66-72).
3. Inconsistency between one’s values on one side and one’s words/actions on the other. This political syndrome results from saying/doing what we think others want to hear in order to please them.
4. Inconsistency in every area – no consistency/integrity among a person’s values, words, and actions. Such a person is out of touch with himself and reality; he is not functioning in the real world. The common denominator in all these different forms of a lack of integrity is simply: inconsistency.
How can we develop and maintain integrity?
Integrity is developed as we learn and practice certain skills:
1. The first skill is learning to develop a deep personal honesty through radical self-confrontation. A person of integrity does not make excuses or blame others for his shortcomings.
2. If we would become persons of integrity we must first develop the proper moral stands. Since God is the source of morality, the proper moral standards are based on His character as revealed in His Word and reinforced in our consciences by the Holy Spirit.
3. If we would become persons of integrity, God’s standards must become our standards; His values must become our values; we must learn to love what He loves and hate what He hates.
4. In order to do this, we must learn “the fear of the Lord” – we must develop a healthy respect for God. “The fear of the Lord” teaches us to love what is good and hate what is evil (Rom. 12:13). God’s Word must be effectively assimilated in our heart, mind, and conscience so that it will influence our thoughts, words, actions and attitudes.
Can we measure our integrity? Consider the following questions:
1. What are you like when no one else is around?
2. How do you treat others who can’t benefit you?
3. How sincere, humble and transparent are you?
4. Are you the same person when you are with different people?
What are some practical ways we can develop integrity in our everyday lives?
1. Seek out godly mentors who can model consistent character.
2. Employ clear, direct, encouraging and edifying communication.
3. Place a high value on humility, sincerity, and transparency.
If we want to become persons of integrity what else do we have to do?
1. Commit yourself to cultivate honesty, reliability, and confidentiality.
2. Decide ahead of time that you will do the right thing no matter what.
What are the negative alternatives to becoming a person of integrity?
• A person who has no integrity is a slave to impulses, circumstances, and/or others.
• The alternative is to become a morally and spiritually unhealthy individual and to experience the corresponding distrust and disapproval of others.
• We will not enjoy a happy, harmonious or healthy relationship with others.
• If you don’t earn people’s trust, you won’t enjoy the confidence of others.
• We will not have credibility or enjoy the esteem and respect of others.
• We will lose valuable opportunities to positively impact the lives of others.
• We will not be able to lead effectively without providing a godly example.
• A person with a lack of integrity will not “feel good” about himself.
• Such people lack meaning and fulfillment for failing to pursue God’s purposes.
Character reveals motives and if proven tried and true motives will reveal the intent of the heart. For value will be embraced by partakers of this divine nature that must be adapted, When you earn people’s trust you gain their confidence and are in a position to become a positive influence. The more influence you have the more you can powerfully and positively impact others for Christ. The best way to guard your integrity is to decide in advance that you will never sell or surrender your integrity. Do you want to develop more integrity so you can have more influence with others?
If so, where do we begin? The place to begin is to make a strong commitment to developing an effective strategy to develop Christ-like character and conduct. We need to learn to take full responsibility for our character flaws and short-comings.
What decision does God want us to make with respect to becoming a person of integrity?
• I want to make a lifelong commitment to increasingly becoming a person of integrity.
• I commit myself to being truthful, reliable, trustworthy, honest and consistently kind to others.
• I will keep the confidences of others and I will seek to provide a godly example to others.
• I will seek to understand, embrace and live out God’s moral standards revealed in the Bible.
• I will not seek to please God in my own strength but I will daily submit to His Spirit’s control.
• I will do everything not for selfish reasons but to help others for the greater glory of God.
Many succeed momentarily by what they know. (Understanding)
Some succeed temporarily by what they do. (Action)
Few succeed permanently by what they are. (Character)
• I want to make a lifelong commitment to increasingly becoming a person of integrity.
• I commit myself to being truthful, reliable, trustworthy, honest and consistently kind to others.
• I will keep the confidences of others and I will seek to provide a godly example to others.
The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Most High. Even in you lack understanding. The Most High winks and Lovingly teach us to first look in our character and find ourselves in Him. Does your Character match your conduct? The very word you read as given to you by the most High not man’s understanding. But your image and likeness Character in Yeshiah. As we walk with The Most High He promises to abide in us. The cure to inconsistency is to abide. Consume and be consume by the depth of The Most High’s word. Find out who you are and what you were created to do and not what someone wanted you to be on assignment. Shema Selah let us pause and consider this teaching on integrity!
1. Consistency between a person’s words and actions (saying one thing and doing another). Verbal inconsistency expresses itself as a lack of honesty (Acts 5:1- 10). Honesty is without question an absolutely essential quality of leadership.
2. Inconsistency between one’s actions on one side and against one ‘sin words and values on the other. This inconsistency comes across as a lack of courage to act according to His values (Mk.14:29-32, 66-72).
3. Inconsistency between one’s values on one side and one’s words/actions on the other. This political syndrome results from saying/doing what we think others want to hear in order to please them.
4. Inconsistency in every area – no consistency/integrity among a person’s values, words, and actions. Such a person is out of touch with himself and reality; he is not functioning in the real world. The common denominator in all these different forms of a lack of integrity is simply: inconsistency.
How can we develop and maintain integrity?
Integrity is developed as we learn and practice certain skills:
1. The first skill is learning to develop a deep personal honesty through radical self-confrontation. A person of integrity does not make excuses or blame others for his shortcomings.
2. If we would become persons of integrity we must first develop the proper moral stands. Since God is the source of morality, the proper moral standards are based on His character as revealed in His Word and reinforced in our consciences by the Holy Spirit.
3. If we would become persons of integrity, God’s standards must become our standards; His values must become our values; we must learn to love what He loves and hate what He hates.
4. In order to do this, we must learn “the fear of the Lord” – we must develop a healthy respect for God. “The fear of the Lord” teaches us to love what is good and hate what is evil (Rom. 12:13). God’s Word must be effectively assimilated in our heart, mind, and conscience so that it will influence our thoughts, words, actions and attitudes.
Can we measure our integrity? Consider the following questions:
1. What are you like when no one else is around?
2. How do you treat others who can’t benefit you?
3. How sincere, humble and transparent are you?
4. Are you the same person when you are with different people?
What are some practical ways we can develop integrity in our everyday lives?
1. Seek out godly mentors who can model consistent character.
2. Employ clear, direct, encouraging and edifying communication.
3. Place a high value on humility, sincerity, and transparency.
If we want to become persons of integrity what else do we have to do?
1. Commit yourself to cultivate honesty, reliability, and confidentiality.
2. Decide ahead of time that you will do the right thing no matter what.
What are the negative alternatives to becoming a person of integrity?
• A person who has no integrity is a slave to impulses, circumstances, and/or others.
• The alternative is to become a morally and spiritually unhealthy individual and to experience the corresponding distrust and disapproval of others.
• We will not enjoy a happy, harmonious or healthy relationship with others.
• If you don’t earn people’s trust, you won’t enjoy the confidence of others.
• We will not have credibility or enjoy the esteem and respect of others.
• We will lose valuable opportunities to positively impact the lives of others.
• We will not be able to lead effectively without providing a godly example.
• A person with a lack of integrity will not “feel good” about himself.
• Such people lack meaning and fulfillment for failing to pursue God’s purposes.
Character reveals motives and if proven tried and true motives will reveal the intent of the heart. For value will be embraced by partakers of this divine nature that must be adapted, When you earn people’s trust you gain their confidence and are in a position to become a positive influence. The more influence you have the more you can powerfully and positively impact others for Christ. The best way to guard your integrity is to decide in advance that you will never sell or surrender your integrity. Do you want to develop more integrity so you can have more influence with others?
If so, where do we begin? The place to begin is to make a strong commitment to developing an effective strategy to develop Christ-like character and conduct. We need to learn to take full responsibility for our character flaws and short-comings.
What decision does God want us to make with respect to becoming a person of integrity?
• I want to make a lifelong commitment to increasingly becoming a person of integrity.
• I commit myself to being truthful, reliable, trustworthy, honest and consistently kind to others.
• I will keep the confidences of others and I will seek to provide a godly example to others.
• I will seek to understand, embrace and live out God’s moral standards revealed in the Bible.
• I will not seek to please God in my own strength but I will daily submit to His Spirit’s control.
• I will do everything not for selfish reasons but to help others for the greater glory of God.
Many succeed momentarily by what they know. (Understanding)
Some succeed temporarily by what they do. (Action)
Few succeed permanently by what they are. (Character)
• I want to make a lifelong commitment to increasingly becoming a person of integrity.
• I commit myself to being truthful, reliable, trustworthy, honest and consistently kind to others.
• I will keep the confidences of others and I will seek to provide a godly example to others.
The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Most High. Even in you lack understanding. The Most High winks and Lovingly teach us to first look in our character and find ourselves in Him. Does your Character match your conduct? The very word you read as given to you by the most High not man’s understanding. But your image and likeness Character in Yeshiah. As we walk with The Most High He promises to abide in us. The cure to inconsistency is to abide. Consume and be consume by the depth of The Most High’s word. Find out who you are and what you were created to do and not what someone wanted you to be on assignment. Shema Selah let us pause and consider this teaching on integrity!
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