There are certain things that we must practice in front of God before we can ever walk in them in the natural world. Unfortunately, many times we get this out of order and then we wonder why something just feels "off" in our life. Being a man who walked through life with things completely out of order at one time, I get this all to well. I once was a man who was very involved in ministry, but had a home that was not being ran right and living a life that could have fallen apart at any given minute. And the stress that I was causing myself due to not having my life in order was something I hope to never forget as a reminder of a place I never want to go back to.
There are things that as a Christ follower should be very important to you, and not just in the eyes of others, but in the eyes of God first. Character and Integrity are two things that the enemy would love to come after and destroy once you choose to follow Christ. Why does he care about these two things? Because if he can destroy your character and/or integrity in the eyes of others then he knows he will also destroy your ability to witness or do ministry work for God. But there is also another way that the enemy will come after these two things, and that is by getting you to start sinning in secret. When you come to know Jesus you may already have a damaged character or be lacking integrity due to the way you were living your life. However, both of these things are things that God can restore as He rebuilds your life and renews many things inside of you. If God is the one that is rebuilding these things inside of you then people will take notice on the outside without you having to prove a thing. However, if the transformation that is taking place is more out of your own doing, and what appears to be happening on the outside is not a true representation of the things God is doing on the inside of you, then that will show too. And the enemy will wreak havoc on your life in secret. Tormenting you with the things that you have going on in your life that the people around you know nothing about. In 1 Samuel 16:7 the Lord says to Samuel "...The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart". I believe this verse is important because it can be used as a friendly reminder and as a warning. No matter what you do in your life, God see's the heart. He sees the good in a man's heart and He sees the bad. What ever the motive that the people around you can't see, God sees. So if you really want to be a person of good character and integrity then the one you need to "look good" in front of first is God, no man.
Your character and integrity are two things you shouldn't really find yourself having to defend. When you live right before God these two things will speak for themselves. And if you find yourself in a situation where your character and integrity are under attack, then go to God first and ask Him to reveal any truths in the attack. If there are some, then allow Him to humble you and correct it. If God shows you that the attack is false and you know you have been walking in His will then your character and integrity will speak for themselves. Your walk with Jesus, your life choices, your obedience to The Lord will prove your character and integrity. And if you have already been doing this correctly before God when nobody is looking, then the false accusations will prove themselves as just that....false. But please take the warning given to us seriously in Psalm 10:9 where it says "Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out". I know this verse is true because I once walked a crooked path, and through great surrender and humility I took myself before God and asked Him to make my path straight. It doesn't mean mistakes won't be made. But it does mean that God will have full access to your heart to correct those wrongs and you will no longer run in pride, guilt or shame. I will always let Him be the one who builds my character and my integrity now because I know He cares the most about it being done right!
God, Thank You that You see our flaws and love us enough to want to correct them, not turn us away because of them. Please help us to examine ourselves today and give You full access to our hearts so they can be corrected. Remove all pride, guilt and shame that stands in the way and strip us down to the person You need us to be so You can produce a change in us that will point others to You. Help us to bring honor and glory to Your name in ALL that we do. In Jesus name, Amen
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