Psalms 25:21
“May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.”
INSIGHT
-Integrity is written as Raman in Hebrew and it means to have honesty, sincerity of heart and intention, truthfulness, and uprightness. There are various classifications of integrity as we will review this week by the grace of God. The above Bible verse speaks of spiritual integrity which acts as a shield to guard and protect from adverse effects caused by perverseness of heart. Those who are pure in heart see God in all areas of their lives. They learn and unlearn the path of integrity through faith in Jesus Christ. Psalms 78:72 reveals that David the king shepherded the people with integrity of heart and with skillful hands he led them. During this time of election when we wait on the Lord for leadership, we are called to elect leaders who walk in integrity which will ensure preservation of our nation and economic status. The leaders who are corrupt in their ways are destroyed by the duplicity, but those who have integrity and upright in heart are guided by the Lord.
PRAYER
Abba Father we thank You for enabling us to see this new month. We thank You for Your mercies which are new every morning. We thank You dear Jesus for You never sinned, and no one could pay the price of our sins better than You. You are the ultimate example of integrity. There is no way dear Jesus that we can measure up to Your standards. We humbly ask for Your mercy and grace that teaches us to live lives filled with integrity. Thank You for dying on the cross for us. Thank You for Your salvation power. Thank You for loving us and caring for us. We love You Lord and praise Your name. May You arouse in us the grace of spiritual integrity that we may exercise virtues of honesty, love, patience, diligence and truth. May You help us to choose leaders who have integrity and purity of heart. May You give us leaders who will perform Your will Lord in this beautiful nation of Kenya. May Your peace dear Jesus remain in our hearts, homes and entire nation now and forever. Amen.
Further reading: Proverbs 11:3
Proverbs 11:3
“The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.”
INSIGHT
-Integrity acts a guide to those who uphold it. Although those who pervert justice and cover up the truth will end up in ruin. An honest persons principles guide his/her way of life and interaction. They keep their promises and remain faithful to God and to fellow men. Financial integrity is one of the key classifications of integrity. It links both the personal and social, spiritual and administrative/ political aspects of influence. Psalms 37:21, reveals that the wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. Romans 13:6-7 reminds us to pay our taxes to the authorities who are God’s servants. Malachi 3:10 encourages us to bring our whole tithes into the storehouse of the Lord and He will provide for us more that enough to store.
PRAYER
We praise Your name great and mighty God. We exult Your name holy and blameless God. You remain faithful even when we have become faithless. You are the same yesterday, today and forever. You never change Abba Father. May You teach us to be faithful with our tithes and offerings. May You help us to be faithful to You and to one another Lord, that we may be good stewards of what You have provided for us. We humbly ask You to forgive us for the many times we have not submitted our tithes, offerings, taxes and have wasted our financial resources. May You forgive us for the times we may have engaged in corrupt and fraudulent activities, and wash us with Your precious blood. May You remind us to be faithful to You in little things and in much. May You give us the ability to make wealth and open our boundaries. May You bless us financially and economically, and bless the work of our hands. May You bless all parents that they may provide for their children. May You bless all the children as they close school today and protect them with Your hedge of fire; Holy Spirit. You are great Oh Lord our God, how excellent is Your name in all the earth. We praise You and glorify Your holy name now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Luke 16;10
Proverbs 10:9
“He who walks with integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will become known.”
INSIGHT
-Integrity is a principle that reflects the light of God in an individual, but anyone who walks in darkness is exposed. The results of lack of credibility are clear. For instance;- those who loose vocational credibility under-perform in their duties. It is God’s desire that we work and produce fruit. In Genesis 2:15, we see that God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to work and take care of it. In many occasions we find those who are lazy and do not work hard, struggle even with the basic needs. Even though it is through the grace of increase that one obtains wealth, the Lord is calling us to have vocational integrity. Proverbs 10:4 reminds us that, the “lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth”. Some among us waste and misuse the work and employment opportunities available. Some go to work late, dwell on social media, go for long breaks, work without enthusiasm, do not corporate with others, do not finish tasks on time, perform shoddy work, take office supplies home, engage in fraud and corruption, mistreat other employees, don’t pay salaries on time etc. Daniel had the Spirit of excellence and was distinguished among all other administrators and all officers, and he was placed over the entire empire (Daniel 5:12, 6:3). The Lord calls us work with sincerity of heart as if we are working for Him (Colossians 3:22-23).
PRAYER
Lord Jesus we appreciate You for You are good and Your mercies endures forever. You are our God and none can compare to You. Thank You for this far that You have brought us and the far that You are taking us. Thank You for the opportunity that You have provided for us, and continue to provide. Father we pray that You will enable us to work well wherever You have placed us. Father we truly repent for the many times we have been complacent and slack in our various duties and places of work. May You forgive us for all forms of disobedience and laziness. We pray for the Spirit of Excellence to be upon us, that all we do shall be distinguished as the best among all others for the glory of Your name. We pray that You will bless the works of our hands and show us great and mighty things that we did not know. May You release Your wisdom, knowledge and understanding upon us and manifest Your glory in our lives. May You open doors for all those who are unemployed and those who are in business. May You open new business opportunities for us and enlarge our boundaries. You are God and there is none like You. We glorify Your name and exult You now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Proverbs 18:9, Ephesians 6:5-6
Psalms 15:1-3
“O Lord, who may lodge [as a guest] in Your tent? Who may dwell [continually] on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity and strength of character, and works righteousness, And speaks and holds truth in his heart. He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;”
INSIGHT
-Social integrity is the other classification that speak about the tongue. The tongue may be used to edify or to slander another. A gossiper is cautioned from accusing another falsely or tarnishing their image. The one who who accepts to listen to gossip is synonymous to a gossiper. Proverbs 11:13 reveals that, a gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. 1 Timothy 5:13 idlers and busybodies wander about from house to house, gossiping and saying what they ought not to. Proverbs 16:28, a perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. We are reminded to apply wisdom in speech and in our hearing lest we fall into the trap of gossip and slander. We are also encouraged to love one another and avoiding tarnishing each other’s names, but preserve their image, which is equal to the image of God.
PRAYER
Our dear Heavenly Father we come before today with thanksgiving in our hearts. We thank You for Your goodness, Your care and Your love. We bless Your name and exult You. We thank You for the gift of life and for Your continued blessings upon our lives. You are Jehovah, we bless Your holy name. May You heal all those who are sick and suffering. May You provide for those who lack. May You remember all the street families and respond to their hearts desires. May You hear our prayers and our deepest desires and answer us. Only You are holy Lord, only You are mighty. May You forgive us from the many times we have gossiped and heal our hearts. May You protect us from shame Abba Father as You have promised. May You receive all our praise and worship. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Your name; Your Kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil; for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory; forever and ever. Amen
Further reading: Proverbs 11:9
Proverbs 13:6
“Righteousness guards the person of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.”
INSIGHT
-Righteousness preserve’s anyone with absolute integrity and godlessness brings sinners to destruction. Jesus saw Nathaniel under the fig tree, an Israelite without deceit. For a second ask yourself what Jesus would say or says about you. Are you a man or woman with or without deceit? Relational integrity is a vital virtue that ensures one’s words are synonymous to his/her actions, and they enhances the ability to keep promise. Jesus increases Nathaniel’s faith and he was able to see heaven open and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:47-51). Faith in God enhances relational integrity and our relationship with Him, as we believe that whatever we cannot do, God can perform it.
SUMMARY
The word integrity can be broken into two parts, Inter means one or a relationship between parties, and grity derived for the word grit; which means to have passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Integrity is a Biblical principle that ensures preservation of the one exercising it. Integrity protects one’s moral conduct, and character. It is built over time through truthfulness, honesty, reliability, sincerity, and uprightness. It ensures diligence without compromise. When one has integrity, his/her words, promises and actions are in synchrony with God’s word. This is spiritual integrity. King David was a man after God’s hearts and was considered as a man of integrity. According to Psalms78:72, David shepherded the people with integrity of heart and with skillful hands he led them. Social integrity is the second category and it is vital in our day to day interactions. Proverbs 16:28 tells us that, a perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. Vocational integrity is the third classification that relates to our commitment at work. Proverbs 10:4 reminds us that, the lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. God calls us to work as is we are working for Him. Forth, we have financial integrity which relates entirely to how we handle money. We know that everything belongs to God and we are stewards. To ensure financial integrity, we are reminded to our money wisely, and gain it meaningfully, pay our tithes (Malachi 3:10), debts (Psalms 37:21) and taxes (Romans 13:6-7). The last category is relational integrity. Relations can be classified into two general classes that is; man to God and vice vercer, and man to man. Studies reveal that relationships that are harnessed through integrity and love last longer than those which, experience perversions. Jesus classified the law of love into two, love for God and love for one another. All classes of integrity must be governed by the law of love. Also, to sustain integrity; one has to have faith in God, who helps us and guides our every step. Through faith, we are able to see the impossible, hear the unuttered, speak the unbelievable, believe the incredible and enjoy God’s blessings.
PRAYER
Dear Jesus Christ, we thank You for loving us. We thank You for Your mercies which are new every morning. We thank You for loving us to the point of dying on the cross for our sins. We thank You for paying the heavy price on our behalf. May You forgive us all our trespasses and wash us with Your precious blood. May You remove every accusation against us our Righteous Judge. May You fill our hearts with integrity so that we may keep our faith and know You better. May You help us to keep our promises, and to spend what we have well. To pay our tithes, debts and taxes. To desist from gossip and listened to it. To excel in our work, to maintain good moral conduct and to emulate Your character dear Jesus. We are nothing without You and we cannot achieve integrity without You loving Master. May You help us and guide us merciful Savior. May You give us leaders who have integrity next week as we go for the general elections. May You choose for us the best for the glory and honor of Your name. May You bless us and keep us Lord. May You make Your face shine upon us and be gracious to us. May You lift up Your countenance upon us and give us peace. Amen
Further reading: Romans 5:1-4