Integrity

“O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.”

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”

Psalms 25:20  Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

Psalms 121:7   The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

Psalms 71:1-2   In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame!

Joel 2:26  “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you

Proverbs 20:7     The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!

Proverbs 11:3   The integrity of the upright guides them

Acts 24:16   So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.

Psalms 18:20  The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.  For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.  For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.  I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt.  So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

Psalms 7:8   The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.

Psalms 26:11  But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.

Having strong moral principles and being honest deserve some thought.  How do we judge our moral principles (integrity)?  By what standard do we use or should we use to know our moral compass has the right heading?  If the culture of our society says murder is ok would we have moral principles if we agreed with this?    One example; Worldwide 40-50 million living babies in the womb are killed every year.  Do our moral principles say this is wrong or right?  It is critical to understand what we base our principles on.  It can get very confusing.  Social media at our finger tips can easily play into defining our moral stance. Where do we find solid ground?  How do we stay grounded and not moved?  God’s word says that His laws have been written on every mind and heart.  For the most part we know wrong from right but for some reason we seem to want to define our own wrong and right – we justify it in our mind.  If we question our stance, as it may be contrary to what God is speaking to our heart, we search out others who think the same and then justify our stance on like minded people.  David said he the ways of the Lord, and God’s rules and statutes were never put away.  He kept them before himself.  Writing them on his heart and mind, meditating on them when the sun rose and set.  God’s word is truth – if you don’t start here you will never have a basis on which to stand that has eternal benefit.  Every person gets to decide if they will believe in God, believe He will judge every man, believe there is nothing hidden from God, believe He alone has salvation, believe God will lead and direct them, believe God will protect them, believe God will be their salvation on the day of judgement, believe there is both heaven and hell, believe God will hear their prayer, believe God is living and ever present, AND THEY ARE ABLE TO BASE THIS ON HIS WORD.

Trusting

“You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.”

“You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.”

Psalms 16:1
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.  I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”  As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,  guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.

Jeremiah 17:7-8
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.”

2 Corinthians 1:9
Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

2 Timothy 1:12
But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.

Psalms 31:23
Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do

What does it mean to trust in God?  For salvation it means that you have and understanding of your sin and the separation it has between you and God.  You understand that there is nothing you can do to wash away this sin on your own.  Your heart and mind have been revealed the saving grace work of Christ on the cross and God’s knocking on your heart to “Trust” in the work of His son on the cross.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son so that all who believe in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life.”  This “Trust/Belief” is the beginning – being reborn – being made a new creation where your old ways of life are passed and all things are new.  The point of salvation is the beginning but there is so much more to how we apply trust into our lives.  Trusting in God’s sovereignty and control over all things.  Trusting that God’s plan and purpose for your life is perfect.  Trusting that nothing can happen to you apart from it being in God’s plan for your life.  “All things work together for good to them who are called by His name”  Trusting in His strength – not giving up – but fully trusting/resting in God’s hands.  Trusting in being able to hear that quiet small voice directing you.  Trusting He will guide you.  Trusting He will protect you.  Trusting He will put people in your life for the purpose of them to encourage you and you them.  Trusting is something we can all continue to grow in, and this growth comes from spending time in His word with a desire to know and serve Him more and more each day.

Crying out

 “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”

 

Psalms 11:1 In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.

2 Chronicles 14:11
And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.”

Psalms 56:11
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalms 25:2
O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.

Isaiah 26:3-4
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Psalms 16:1
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

1 Samuel 22:3
And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.”

Psalms 55:6-7
And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;  yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness;

There are so many heart cries in these scriptures today.  Cries for preservation, refuge, knowledge in God’s plan, peace, protection, fear, and shame.  It is important to note these are cries from men to God and they are cries from a host of different problems they are facing.  Where do you turn to?  Have you ever neglected crying out for these?  Why do we neglect crying out to God?  What are we missing in our daily walk that keeps us ever searching for solutions apart from God?  I fear it is neglect of His word and because of this it is lacking application in our lives.  His word says precept upon precept, line upon line, and here a little and there a little.  The question we need to ask ourselves is what is the time between precepts, and lines and here a little there a little?  Keeping close to God is a heart and mind desire.  Staying in His word is feeding this desire for more.  Keep His word in your life everyday.