Psalm 15:1-4
You may not be living in sin but are you living in spirit and in truth?
The above question is one that I find myself visiting quite often. As I began making drastic changes in my life I realized that self evaluations and reflections shouldn't happen every "New Year" but rather every day.
I can honestly say I've changed and put aside several old habits and ungodly ways and although I'm not living in sin, I had to question if I'm still outside of Gods will. Or in other words, just because I'm not living wrong doesn't mean I'm living right. As a Christian I found that just going through life not participating in the ways of the world isn't enough to say I'm obeying Gods will. I have to be actively living for Him and investing in my spirit. If I don't replace those old tendencies with righteousness, I can easily fall back into my old ways because I'm not guarded.
I inserted the definition of integrity because that's a high quality characteristic that sadly many Christians couldn't confidently say they have, myself included. Definition #2 which says: The state of being WHOLE and UNDIVIDED, was one that really stuck out. Reason being, if we are ONLY choosing not to live in sin but not also choosing to live righteously as a result, we are divided.
To be whole, we have to remove the bad and replace it with the good. Imagine a puzzle; if you take out the pieces that don't belong and never put the pieces that do in their place, the picture is incomplete. That's how we should envision ourselves.
Integrity requires honesty... Not just in conversation when asked a question but in everything. In the key scripture(Holman Christian Standard Bible-HCSB Version), God states 3 important ways to practice integrity:
- Live honestly
- Practice righteousness
- Acknowledge truth in your heart
1. If you aren't doing those things then you aren't using integrity. Here's some examples:
2. If God has given you instruction or an assignment but you chose not to do it, you aren't living honestly. To correct that you would obey God's instruction.
3. If you aren't confessing to God when you've made a mistake and repenting, you aren't practicing righteousness. To correct that you confess your sins. Make things right with those you've done wrong to. Ask for forgiveness.
4. If you are spreading rumors or gossiping, speaking ill of your brother/sister or simply lying about anything, you aren't acknowledging truth. To correct that, worry about yourself. Speak words of life towards everyone. TELL THE TRUTH.
We are set up to fail because we live in a world of sin. The beauty in that, is that God has given us the opportunity to have Him dwelling inside of us. He has also equipped us with the Power to command our flesh to surrender to our spirit. Living a life of integrity or being Whole can only be done with God. We cannot accomplish this on our own. God is the missing piece of the puzzle we need to be whole and undivided. But if we choose not to allow Him to complete us, we can never master the life of integrity that is required of us.
Living in spirit and in truth won't be easy. The enemy doesn't want you to succeed. However, the scripture tells us not to keep our word no matter the cost (paraphrasing HCSB version). Honesty isn't always comforting and we will face some obstacles that are tough but God is a healer, a mender of brokenness & is able to do more than we often give Him credit for. So I encourage you, take on the life of integrity with boldness and confidence, not in yourself but in the God that dwells within you. Know that with Him ALL things are possible. Strive to be a man/woman of integrity. There's someone whose life is depending on it.
- Estonia Mosby