Honesty is the Best Policy

“So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.”-Acts 24:16

True integrity is inward, the quality of your character on the inside: your moral code. Integrity, at least to achieve true integrity, requires a submission to the development of a blameless character, only done by God. Have your actions and words be drenched in kindness and innocence, as if you were saying them to a young child. Wash your hands and keep them clean, knowing that you don’t have ulterior motives in any of your words or actions. We are all sons and daughters, we all have daily struggles, so we must strive to give and be able to receive wise counsel each day. Always respond with humility instead of sarcasm or pride; to be humble is always the best option, but it is especially true if you want to have excellent integrity and to be regarded as someone who is honest and truthful.

You should have a desire to live honorably on a daily basis, not just when it benefits you. Live in accordance with God’s word, even on the days it becomes hard to, when people get on your nerves, when life doesn’t seem to be in your favor; follow His commandments, His written instructions, and you will be less likely to go astray. Take your thoughts captive and apply them through Gods’ lens; do so in each and every situation that crosses your path because it will help you to live as He did, to become a reflection of Christ. Have a healthy fear of God, know that He has ultimate power and that he could present His wrath upon you at any moment, but He chooses not to because He is good, He is kind-hearted; BUT, remember that He is also just, and he will do what he needs to do in order to treat everyone the same. Do not get haughty, thinking that you’re a better Christ follower than someone else. God knows how each and every one of us are on the inside, we only see the outside of people; trust that He is in control, and this His plan will be done regardless of what we try to do to change it/have our own way.

“Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.”-Hebrews 13:18

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”-Hebrews 12:1-3

Remember, you are not entirely blameless; we deserved the cross, the shame that entailed a crucifixion, yet because He loves us so greatly, He took it upon himself so that we didn’t have to. Rebuke any negative thoughts about God, for he does not deserve them; don’t alienate those people though, for they are the ones who need Him and will not hear about God unless you tell them. If they will not listen, brush the dust off your hands, kindly leave them and pray for them, hoping that they will find God through some other way. If God sends you back, listen; there’s a good chance that you are meant to keep sharing with them until they come to believe. All we can do as His followers is plant the seeds, share the good news with them, pray for them, and trust that God will cultivate those seeds into a belief and personal relationship with Him soon enough. He wants everyone to at least have a chance to hear, and though we want everyone to come to Him, it only will happen when they are ready; choosing God is an entirely personal decision, one that we cannot force, one that not even God will force because He is a gentleman and He gave us free will.

If you have a secret sin, you must confess it to yourself (offering forgiveness to yourself), to God (asking for His forgiveness and to let Him help you out of said sin) and to one other person you trust (because you need someone to help you pray and keep you accountable so you don’t fall back into the sin). You have to make an intentional decision to not let secrets hold a place inside your heart, inside your mind; yes, God can see the secret regardless of where it is, but he won’t break down that guarded wall until you allow Him in because he is a gentleman who will never force anything upon you. We should strive to ignore the forming of secrets regardless, willingly choosing to follow along with His wants, listening to ALL of his laws instead of just the ones we want to follow. It’s hard to do, but man is it worth it! Why would you want to hold onto secrets any-ways? They are cold, dark, isolating and they make you feel broken-hearted and sad rather than joyful and whole. I would much rather feel warm, light-hearted, a part of something and joyful; you get those feelings by abiding in God and listening to Him with everything you have. So, renounce those feelings of shame, those feelings of self-isolation, those feelings of thinking way too much inside your own head; take up your cross daily so that you can freely, joyously abide in Him and all the goodness and beauty He has for you!

“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”-2 Corinthians 4:2

My team from right to left in the picture above: Camden, Madie, Gina, April, Jordan and myself. Photo creds to Hannah Green.