Monday, July 28, 2008

Step 6 - Walking With Integrity

We are going to continue with our Steps toward purpose today.  Step 6 is Walking with Integrity.  Our integrity determines whether we halfheartedly or fully participate in God's best purposes for our lives.  

Integrity can be defined as oneness between our mind and our actions.  A person of integrity keeps their promises.  Their motives are pure and they are honest, upright and genuine.  They are real in their relationships. 

God hates it when our secret motive is to manipulate a situation, control an opinion, seek revenge, stir up trouble, embarress someone,  or show off.  Those things are destructive to our relationship with Him and others.  Living without integrity will lead to cheating, envy, gossip, scheming and malice. 

So how do we become people of integrity?  We must inspect closely the motives for our actions.  We test our motives by regularly asking ourselves one question. "Why am I doing this?"   
Examples of this is.....Did I use flattery to get my way today.  Was gossip the underlying reason for the prayer request I made for my neighbor.  By asking the probing questions we learn to be honest with ourselves.  As we learn to thoroughly inspect our hearts, we become people of deeper character. 

As a person of integrity, you are a role model to your children, friends, neighbors, and others who desperately need examples of authenticity and honesty.  

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Proverbs 11:3

2 comments:

Pocahontas hiker said...

Thanks for reminding me of the basic commands of Christ.

CoachK said...

pocahontas: thanks for stopping by. I believe these are principles we all have to be reminded of often. It's so easy to get off track.