Whenever we compromise our integrity, we lose the trust, respect and confidence of both our ministry partners and the very people we seek to reach.
When our integrity is damaged, it takes years to regain it.
When integrity is destroyed, effectiveness in ministry is impossible.
When integrity is bargained away, our standing before God is in jeopardy.
Integrity in both personal life and ministry operations is foundational for the Book of Hope. Lack of integrity could quickly undermine the global impact of our ministry. It doesn’t take much to derail ministry.
Integrity is not a negative; it’s a positive. It may be tough, but it has its rewards. It has great benefits. It blesses our families. It assures God’s blessing on our ministries. It expands our spiritual influence. It gives us a clean conscience.
Personal and corporate integrity is a core value for the Book of Hope ministry that is not debatable.
We pray regularly that God would not allow any event, any indiscretion or any deceitful action to mar what God is doing through our ministry. And praise the Lord, we are thankful that God has answered that prayer. God has given us a wonderful team of dedicated servants whose lives are marked by integrity. We celebrate the moral strength of our staff.
But as the team grows around the world, we must always be vigilant. We must never let down our guard and in a moment, either for personal pleasure or financial gain, destroy what has taken several years to establish.
How to build and maintain integrity? Here are three steps.
1. Establish spiritual disciplines
Early in our marriage I observed that my wife had a method for keeping the house clean and tidy. She didn’t leave all the housework for one day a week; she did a little bit every day. Housework didn’t pile up.
And that’s the way to maintain integrity. We work at it every day. The daily disciplines of personal prayer, Bible study and meditation and journaling build spiritual sensitivity and an alert conscience that creates a desire to do what is right and not do what is wrong.
2. Exercise determination
Gaining integrity starts with a conscious choice to live with integrity. Here’s my personal determination: “I won’t lose my integrity until I die. I want to die an honest man.” Integrity takes will power to overcome the constant temptations to compromise.
3. Embrace the fear of the Lord
The fear of the Lord, not the fear of man, is what maintains integrity. It’s not the fear of being caught by a friend or associate, but the awareness that the holy God is watching our every move, that provides an incentive to live with integrity. The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (Proverbs 15:33).
Live all your life in front of Jesus and integrity won’t be a problem for you.
You can receive this material regularly by email – just fill in your email address at the bottom right side of this page under subscription options and you will receive a copy of each new article as it is posted. You can also subscribe to the newsfeed at the bottom left of the home page. Just fill in your email address. To forward the material to someone else, press the “share this” button and fill in an email address.