Integrity

The news in the USA in recent days has been focused on Newt Gingrich and his past marital problems. He was accused by one of his wives of asking for an open marriage so he could get out of his marriage vows of fidelity to her. He denied this charge but it does bring up the issue of a value that is critical in everyone’s life and that is integrity.

The word integrity means:

1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility

2: an unimpaired condition : soundness

3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided :completeness

God has provided examples for us in the scriptures of people who had this quality. Joseph the son of Jacob had many admirable qualities one of which was integrity. He grew up in home where his father did not model this core value and in fact Jacob’s name meant “supplanter, someone who supercedes another by force or treachery”. Perhaps he learned of how he took advantage of his brother’s weakness to steal his birth rite or the deception that he used to steal the blessing from him.

In spite of a bad example, Joseph demonstrated his integrity on several occasions and because he lived out this core value was brought into positions of responsibility and honor. Joseph had moral values that he would not compromise. He was a participant in the first Reality program called “Desperate Housewives”. Potiphar’s wife had no moral scruples and was constantly trying to seduce Joseph. Each time he refused her and this only caused her to continue her pursuit. We don’t know what she looked like but I assume she was an attractive woman based on her husband’s position and the beauty treatments known to be a part of the culture. She thought she could take advantage of Joseph’s situation being a young, single man who was away from home and seemingly very available. As much as she pleaded and tried to seduce him, he held firm to his moral integrity and would not give in to her.

Joseph was a man ruled by moral principles and not by carnal passions. He had a core value that is lacking in most of the world today where immorality is on the rise and the moral values that were once foundational in our cultures are being rewritten to accommodate sinful choices. A recent study of teenage pregnancy rates found that the USA has the highest rate of any developed country.

If ever there was a day when the value of integrity needed to be demonstrated it is today. Just as God told Cain,

Gen 4:7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."

It is the same message that we need to hear today. We are all exposed to temptations and situations that will test the integrity of our heart. Joseph’s integrity placed God’s values and his relationship with God above the temptations of Potiphar’s wife. His reply to her attempt to seduce him was,

Gen 39:9 He [Potiphar] is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"

Joseph recognized her desire for a relationship with him as great wickedness. It was not viewed by him as a small thing that would be between consenting adults with no one finding out. Joseph did not downplay it but saw it as it was as an affront to God’s nature and character. God’s standard of holiness and righteousness would be compromised and Joseph was unwilling to commit this act of sin. His first concern was for God and his relationship with Him. His second concern was for his relationship with Potiphar and the trust that had been built between them. He was unwilling to do something that he knew would break the bond of trust between them. The ramifications for this act would be great and Joseph had the foresight to see this.

The integrity of Joseph’s heart was stronger than the temptations presented to him on a daily basis. This is one of the tactics of the enemy to try to wear us down by the constant presentation of temptations in our lives. If we are not resisting we will eventually cave in to the demand. We have to learn to master sinful desires by living lives of integrity based on the Word of God. When we have the knowledge of the righteousness and holiness of God and we have the mindset to resist every temptation because we know what we should do and we see the consequences of destruction it will be easier for us to overcome sin.

We have to be on the alert because Satan will try to catch us at an opportune time. He is crouching at the door and when we open it he is there to present the temptation. We have to guard ourselves from opening doors we are not meant to open because we know they lead to temptation and destruction. Satan does not open the door, we do.

Job’s integrity was tested when he went through the trial of physical affliction of sores breaking out all over his body. He must have been a horrible sight such that his wife thought it would be better to die than go through the suffering. Her comment to him was:

Job 2:9 Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die."

Job was unwilling to compromise his integrity to be relieved of physical pain. He could not entertain the thought of cursing God for the situation he was in even though he did not understand why this was happening to him.

When things go wrong in our lives we can be tempted to blame God and turn away from Him. God gets accused of many things that happen in life that are not his fault. In these trying times our character is revealed and we are tested to see how we will respond. Will we give in or will we stand upon our integrity.

In the story of Louis Zamperini in the book, “Unbroken” he was put to a test that revealed his integrity. Louis was severely beaten everyday by one of the head guards in the Prisoner of War camp in Japan during WWII. This guy was without mercy and how Louis survived these sadistic beatings is a miracle. Not only was he beaten daily but all of the prisoners were fed very sparingly. The food that was sent to them by the Red Cross was stolen by the soldiers who worked at the P.O.W. camp. Malnutrition and dysentery were a constant problem among the captives. One day Louis was brought to another city where the Japanese produced radio propaganda programs to provide misinformation to anyone listening. However, with Louis they allowed him to announce that he was alive and was doing well. Prior to this, he was declared missing in action and mostly likely dead so the opportunity to make this announcement that he was alive would be the first time anyone in the USA would find out his status. Later Louis was called in to make another announcement that was written on a piece of paper. After reading it he realized that the Japanese where trying to use him to state lies about what was happening and he refused to do it. The officials told him if he would cooperate he would not have to return to the camp but could live at this site and have a very comfortable living. He would have his own bed with a mattress, three good meals every day, a bathroom and shower among other amenities. When you consider what life was like in the P.O.W. camp for most people it would have been easy to give in and take up the offer. Certainly people would understand and be forgiving when they found out the conditions he faced daily. But Louis held firm in his integrity that he would not betray his country and cooperate in spreading lies to deceive people. The officials again presented their offer and he again refused. When they opened the door of one of the rooms, he saw several soldiers from different countries sitting in comfortable chairs. These men had all given in to the Japanese and were cooperating with them by making the announcements. Louis said that when the men saw him they immediately cast their eyes to the ground and would not look at him. They felt guilty for what they were doing and were not living according to the integrity of their heart.

For Louis the integrity of his heart could not even consider this option and it was inconceivable to him that these men could make this decision to cooperate with the enemy. The same thing must apply in our lives. When we give in to sin we are cooperating with the devil and fulfilling his plans of destruction. Like Joseph we have to be able to say, “how could I do this?”

Last night we were out on the streets talking with the homeless and providing a little food for them. I talked with a couple of the men who stated they were Christians and had accepted Christ as their Savior. Yet their lives were bound up in addictions because of choices they make each day. I encouraged one of the men to resist the temptation to take drugs on a moment by moment basis. It is easy to give in especially when your body is craving for a drug but as we take a stand and cry out to God when can overcome with the strength God provides. I talked to this man about how when we give in to temptation we are not living a life that is pleasing to God and we are siding with Satan’s plan to destroy us. Some of these men will need to be placed in treatment to get them to the point where the drug is not driving their behavior and they will have the freedom of their will to resist. Others who are not addicted have to make the decision to resist on a moment by moment basis and live according to the integrity of their heart and not the demands of the flesh for gratification.

When you read about King David in the Psalms he often refers to living according to the integrity of his heart. Yes, David had his moral failure with the incident with Bathsheba and Uriah. He was confronted by Nathan the prophet and he made his heart right with God.

But David also lived according to the integrity of his heart.

Psa_101:2 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;

He gave thought to the way that was blameless. His heart’s desire was to do what was right in the sight of God. When we live with integrity we focus on what is going to be pleasing to God. We evaluate our plans and actions in advance to make sure they line up with God’s righteousness and holiness.

David understood the value of walking in integrity.

Psa_25:21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

He would wait for God to preserve him and not act rashly and do something against the moral values he had.

These values were inculcated in David’s life to the degree that he asked God to judge him according to the integrity of his heart.

Psa_7:8 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.

David knew that if he were to be judged by his integrity he would be found not guilty because he was living a righteous life. Few of us can probably make that same claim or desire to be judged by our own integrity. We all too often do not live up to what we know to be God’s standards. I do not think David was being boastful but rather he was a man after God’s heart seeking to live according to God’s standards of righteousness.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived saw the benefits of walking in integrity.

1. Wisdom and protection

Pro_2:7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

We can expect God to provide wisdom to us when we are walking in integrity. The communication link with God will not be hindered by sin and we can walk in the assurance that God will give us the wisdom we need. God shields us from making wrong decisions because we are walking in the integrity of our heart. The protection is in knowing what we should do or how we should respond.

2. Security

Pro_2:21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it,

Pro_10:9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

One of the issues that illegal immigrants face is whether they will be able to stay in the land or be deported. They cannot walk securely because they are constantly looking over their shoulder to see who is following them. The stress of living like this will take its toil. Another thing that happens to them is they are exploited by people who know the fears they have and the problems they encounter. My friend is a detective and he has many stories of illegal immigrants being robbed and exploited but because they are illegal. When they are victimized, they do not want to report it for fear of deportation. Once we start walking outside of what we know is right, we open ourselves to a host of other problems that will complicate our lives.

Chuck Swindoll in his book “Growing Deep in the Christian Life p. 159-160 gives this example of a man who walked in integrity and dishonesty at the same time.

Several years ago, in Long Beach, California, a fellow went into a fried chicken place and bought a couple of chicken dinners for himself and his date late one afternoon. The young woman at the counter inadvertently gave him the proceeds from the day-a whole bag of money (much of it cash) instead of fried chicken. After driving to their picnic site, the two of them sat down to open the meal and enjoy some chicken together. They discovered a whole lot more than chicken--over $800! But he was unusual. He quickly put the money back in the bag. They got back into the car and drove all the way back. Mr. Clean got out, walked in, and became an instant hero. By then the manager was frantic. The guy with the bag of money looked the manager in the eye and said, "I want you to know I came by to get a couple of chicken dinners and wound up with all this money. Here." Well, the manager was thrilled to death. He said, "Oh, great, let me call the newspaper. I'm gonna have your picture put in the local newspaper. You're the most honest man I've heard of." To which they guy quickly responded, "Oh no, no, don't do that!" Then he leaned closer and whispered, "You see, the woman I'm with is not my wife...she's uh, somebody else's wife."

3. Internal guidance system

Pro_11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

Integrity is the moral compass within us. God has given us a conscience that if it is trained properly will guide us in making right decisions. He has also given us his Word and the Holy Spirit to show us what to do. In times of temptation we can rely on our integrity to guide us in making the right decision. It is the filter through which we can judge things.

In his book Integrity, Ted Engstrom told his story: "For Coach Cleveland Stroud and the Bulldogs of Rockdale County High School (Conyers, Georgia), it was their championship season: 21 wins and 5 losses on the way to the Georgia boys' basketball tournament last March, then a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the state finals. "But now the new glass trophy case outside the high school gymnasium is bare. Earlier this month the Georgia High School Association deprived Rockdale County of the championship after school officials said that a player who was scholastically ineligible had played 45 seconds in the first of the school's five postseason games. 'We didn't know he was ineligible at the time; we didn't know it until a few weeks ago,' Mr. Stroud said. 'Some people have said we should have just kept quiet about it, that it was just 45 seconds and the player wasn't an impact player. But you've got to do what's honest and right and what the rules say. I told my team that people forget the scores of basketball games; they don't ever forget what you're made of.'

4. Blessings passed down to his children.

Pro_20:7 The righteous who walks in his integrity-- blessed are his children after him!

One of the greatest blessing we can give our children is the example of someone who lived a life of integrity. Family histories reveal the power of lives of integrity as well as the lives that have been lived in sin. We have a tremendous amount of influence in the lives of our children and this can never be taken lightly. Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest evangelists in America and his wife were godly people who left a legacy of the power of walking in integrity.

“The legacy left by the Edwards family demonstrates the effect of a gospel-centered home. Over four hundred descendants of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards have been traced. Of these, fourteen became college presidents, roughly one hundred became professors, another one hundred ministers, and about the same number became lawyers or judges. Nearly sixty became doctors, and others were authors or editors.”

(Alvin Reid: http://alvinreid.com/archives/199)

5. Deliverance

Pro_28:18 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

When we walk in integrity, God will be with us and deliver us. He defends those whose hearts are right with him and even in times when we are perhaps ignorant or lack knowledge of certain dangers, he will come to our rescue.

One of the saddest and scariest stories I've ever heard was about a young evangelist. He was just barely 21, on fire for God, effective in his preaching and soul-winning, and in great demand from local churches. He had preached several large crusades and was soon invited to an area-wide effort at which he would be the main speaker. Though he was not yet even out of college, he was a protégé of international evangelist, Sammy Tippit, and was admired and considered wise. Though he didn't have a steady girlfriend, he dated regularly at Bible college. Spiritually he was alert and mature. He was, however, naive. The first night of the crusade he headed up the counseling ministry in a large room near the pastor's study. A beautiful teen-ager asked if she could speak with him personally. He tried to assign her to someone else, but when she persisted, he agreed for her to wait until he was finished with the others. More than an hour after the meeting had ended, the rest of the counselors and counselees had left, and he was alone with the young girl. A few minutes later she burst from the room, screaming, "He made a pass at me! He wanted to make love to me!" That very night the pastor of the host church and a small group of the crusade planners confronted the young preacher and demanded an explanation. He denied the girl's charge but had no witnesses. The girl had seemed an upstanding young woman in the church, and there was no reason to disbelieve her story.

"What did happen in that room?" the pastor demanded. "To tell you that would to be to make an accusation behind someone's back," he said. "Which is what happened to me. I ask only that I be allowed to face my accuser." The pastor and the others canceled the rest of the crusade and agreed that the young woman should be asked to face the preacher in their presence. Two nights later she showed up with her parents at a private board meeting. The pastor asked if she would care to speak about her charges against the preacher. "She has already said all she has to say, "her father said sternly, her mother nodding and glaring at the accused. "Would you, son care to share your version of what happened in that room the other night?" "No, sir," the evangelist said. "I see no future in that. Only she and I know the truth, and I cannot defend myself. I'd just like to say this to her. Cindy, you know what happened and what didn't happen in that room. If you don't tell the truth, I will be branded and may never preach again. This will damage my reputation and that of this church, and even that of God. If I did what you say I did, I deserve no better, but we both know that is not the truth. I'm begging you in the name of Christ to set the record straight." The silence hung heavy as the board and her parents watched her face contort into a grimace before the tears began to flow. "I lied," she said quietly. "I'm sorry. I lied. He didn't make a pass at me; I made a pass at him. When he turned me down I was so embarrassed and ashamed and angry that I made up that story. I'm so sorry!" (Jerry Jenkins, Hedges, 1989, Wolgemuth & Hyatt, pp 76-78.)

Living with a clean conscience is invaluable. We may deceive others but we will not deceive God or ourselves.

We are all tempted daily and no one is perfect. We fall and fail to live lives of integrity but we have a Savior who extends forgiveness if we are willing to confess our faults and take responsibility for our sin.

As missionaries we are held to a higher standard and that is only right. We represent Christ and our lives must be lived in a way that there is not a disconnect between what we teach and what we do. If there was one group of people that Jesus came down hard on it was the Scribes and Pharisees who claimed to be living righteous lives but in reality were not practicing what they preached. In Jesus’ terms they were “hypocrites, blind guides, blind fools, blind men, whitewashed tombs, snakes, vipers.” Certainly not terms of endearment for people who thought they had everything right.

We live in a culture that has a great deal of dishonesty and disrespect for laws and Biblical morality. We are not here to point the finger but show by example and through instruction in the Word of God, what it means to walk in the integrity of our heart. We are all aware of situations where people who claim to be Christians are not living with integrity. My friend Pastor Antonio has a church in San Pablo La Laguna. One family that formerly attended his church has a father who has and continues to sexually abuse his daughter who is now in her early 20s. He has violated her since she was young and has had 2 children born through her. The father has recently bought a larger bed so his wife can sleep on one side of him and his daughter on the other. When Antonio began to teach the people about marriage and fidelity to your wife, the dad stopped coming to church. It is a sick situation and I pray that this father will start living according to the moral principles of God’s Word.

We have a great challenge but also a great opportunity to be a force of righteousness through living lives of integrity. Our lives should demonstrate the benefits and blessings of walking in integrity. If you are struggling to walk in the integrity of your heart do yourself and every other missionary a favor to seek help and if need be leave the mission field to get your life in order. If you know someone who is struggling and not receiving help, reach out to them and provide guidance for them to help restore them. The enemy is crouching and we are his target. We have to guard each other and admonish each other to live in integrity so our ministries will be effective and not be discredited.