Integrity: The Guarantee for Success Integrity is valuable and will work to your benefit, as long as you develop it through positive character traits and implement it in your life. However, I believe the most important factor of integrity and the key to your ultimate success is God and His Word. When you factor God into the integrity equation, you not only will pay less and come out ahead, but you have a guarantee to come out on top of your situation. You have Gods Word on this. Hebrews 11:6 promises: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. God is a rewarder of those who not only believe that He is, but who also believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. God is a rewarder! And His blessings add no sorrow. I know this is true because He has rewarded me and the ministry I pastor. For example, the Lord had given me an assignment to teach on racism in the Church. This is not a popular subject and many of my colleagues and friends in the ministry turned their backs on me and even spoke against the message I had been given. People who I thought were my friends left me, and I was out there on my own to say what God had given me. I was accused by some as being everything but a child of God. At the same time, people who I did not know rose up to defend and support me. I received two highly regarded national awards and the ministry began to prosper like never before. New doors to teach were opened to me. It has been an awesome experience and I thank God for allowing me to have a part in helping to right a hideous wrong. But all of this would never have happened if I had not taken a stand for what I knew was right and done what God had assigned me to. All throughout the Bible we read about men and woman of integrity and their success stories that came after staying committed and withstanding all opposition. In the New Testament, we see what Paul endured for the sake of telling the truth of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness; 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Despite all of these trials and persecution Paul was concerned about the churches that God had called him to establish. He was concerned about fulfilling his course in life. Consequently, he did not allow any of these hardships to stop him from fulfilling his purpose in life. Although history records Paul as having been beheaded by the Roman government, Paul says he had completed his mission in life. He succeeded in life. In fact, he prefaced this by writing, I am now ready to be offered. So, Paul chose to die. This is supported by Acts 21:13, when Paul spoke to those who had come to warn him about the danger of his going to Jerusalem: Then Paul answered, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul successfully completed his purpose in life and he determined how he was going to die. This is pretty awesome when you think about it. Often people get so caught up in the way this apostle died that they overlook that it was his decision. They see it as a failure rather than the triumph that Paul said it was. Think on this: Paul wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. Next to Jesus, he has probably influenced more peoples lives than anyone else since his time all because he remained on course and lived for what he knew was right-integrity. Paul was dedicated to Gods Word.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 01:01:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015