The Call To Integrity 

 

Psalm 26:1 "Vindicate me, O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip. 2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. 3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes,And I have walked in Your truth."

 

The word "integrity" is defined as "the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness, the state of being whole and undivided, the condition of being unified, unimpaired, or sound in construction."

 

Today, integrity is becoming a rare value. Whether it be politicians, policeman, preachers, or people in any profession, it seems as though ethics, character, and integrity have been redefined, minimized, undervalued, and have lost importance. I believe this is the reason for the collapse of our society. Soon and very soon, we will run out of ways to keep our society afloat. As a follower of Jesus I have made integrity my aim. Integrity in the biblical sense, is righteousness, or in other words Christ-likeness. It is the goal. In a generation where giftedness is celebrated and so long as dollars are generated, standards can be freely violated, it is no wonder that we are losing our way. I believe that revival in the church, must be seen as more than a means to attract new attendees or even converts, but a restoration of integrity as a priority. Integrity is synonymous with the character of God, or another way of seeing it is as the "fruit of the Holy Spirit". Integrity is what gives our words authority and credibility. You see, we need both, authority and credibility. Authority refers to the realm of the spirit which is the dimension which is unseen, where spiritual warfare is fought, through the Holy Spirit we must have authority. This comes from being born again by the will of God after placing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. However I'm finding that many people who are "born again" lack credibility. "Credibility" refers to our witness or influence in the natural realm, the dimension that we see. In other words, there is a great deal of hypocrisy in our lives. I speak as one who has been repentant and even now as I type, know that the Lord calls for deeper devotion from myself. The world must find us credible, even if they hate us and persecute us. Credibility means that our lives line up with our words. Jesus was rejected, scorned, and despised, but nobody could deny his credibility. Jesus was not just a man of words, but a man who was the living word. The Apostle Paul, another giant of the faith was one who had credibility. He practiced what he preached. I believe that a pre-requisite for a genuine outpouring of God's spirit is for the restoration of integrity in the church. That is to say that we live the same way behind closed doors as we do on stages. Integrity is what causes one to depart from evil. Integrity is in essence, the fear of the Lord active in one's life. I am asking God to make me a man of integrity in all things, large and small, seen and unseen. I believe we must make our interior life a priority in these days when so much substance has been lost to style. We must contend for righteousness on the inward parts.

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