“So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!”
Genesis 39:6 (NLT) The greatest compliment a boss can pay you is, “I’m not worried,” because it says that you are reliable, trustworthy, and steady. They can count on you. Genesis 39:6 says, “So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!” (NLT). How would you like to have the kind of job where all you had to worry about was what to eat? Potiphar trusted Joseph and gave the former slave complete decision-making power because he knew he could rely on him. That’s why Joseph kept getting promoted—because all of his bosses could say, “I trust this guy with my life.” When he was in prison, Joseph had favor with the warden, who put the entire prison under Joseph’s care. That’s how much the warden trusted Joseph. Joseph was reliable—so the warden didn’t have to worry about anything with Joseph in charge. Reliability is earning the trust of others by always keeping your promises and fulfilling your responsibilities, even if it requires sacrifice. Joseph knew how to be reliable. He got promoted because he fulfilled his responsibilities. He kept his word even if it meant personal hurt, loss, and sacrifice. Can the same be said of you?
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“Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest.”
Ephesians 6:14 (HCSB) We don’t have to do anything wrong for Satan to attack us. It’s what he does. It’s who he is. The Bible calls him “the accuser of our brothers and sisters” (Revelation 12:10 NLT). And he wants nothing more than to attack those who love Jesus. Yet often, our own impure lifestyles make us vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. He knows that if he can slip his foot into the door of our hearts through impurity, we’re goners. He’ll trip us up with all sorts of temptations, from pornography to movies to books to advertising—whatever it takes to make us ineffective as representatives of God’s kingdom. That’s why Paul’s breastplate of righteousness is so important as we battle against whatever Satan throws at us. In Ephesians 6:14, Paul urges believers to stand, “with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest” (HCSB). A Roman soldier going to war would always put on a breastplate to protect his heart. No soldier would dare go to battle without this piece of armor. Neither should we. Paul tells us that righteousness, or purity of motives, is our breastplate. When we ask God to give us a pure heart and pure motives, we’re putting on that breastplate of righteousness. Satan fears the person with a pure heart—not the perfect person, but the person who wants to do the right thing and keeps their motives pure. People who pursue purity don’t have to be afraid of him. Satan is afraid of them! Purity doesn’t mean perfection, though. None of us fit that description. God expects purity of motives, not perfection of action. It means when you do something wrong, you want to make it right. You can’t have God’s blessing on your family, your business, or any other area of your life unless you seriously pursue that kind of purity. For example, open up your heart to greed, and Satan can get you to cheat on your taxes or make a shady business deal. Leave the door to your heart ajar through pride, and you’ll chase the applause and praise of others rather than the approval of God. That leads nowhere. Without a pure heart, you’re a pushover for Satan. You don’t have to be strong to stand against Satan’s attacks, but you do need to protect yourself with God’s armor of righteousness. “Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones.”
Luke 16:10 (GNT) God uses little things to test your integrity. It’s not just the big things that count—even though that’s what the world wants you to focus on. But the Bible tells us that God is looking at the smallest details of our lives to see if we are faithful to him. This is true in every area of life, including leadership. We often think it’s the big things in life that create a leader. No! The big crises in life reveal leadership, but leadership is not built in the big things of life. It’s built in the details of life. That’s where integrity shows up—in the stuff that nobody sees, in the stuff behind the scenes, in the small, unseen, unspectacular choices of life where you do the right thing, even though nobody’s ever going to see it. Faithfulness requires integrity, and God tests your integrity in the little things. Jesus said, “Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones” (Luke 16:10 GNT). He’s saying your public blessing is determined by your private integrity. Every time a politician has a scandal, you can always count on that person’s defenders to come out and say, “It really shouldn’t matter what their private life is like.” Have you ever heard that one? “It really shouldn’t matter what a person does in their private life. It doesn’t have anything to do with them as leaders.” It has everything to do with them as leaders! Why? Because if a man lies to his wife, he’ll lie to his constituents. If a woman lies to her best friend, to whom she said, “Till death do us part,” she will cheat on you, voter! Count on it! My public blessing as a leader comes because of private integrity that nobody ever sees. Your public blessing as a person comes from your private integrity that nobody will ever see. God uses little things to test our integrity. And faithfulness in the small things will lead to blessings in ways only God can provide. “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”
Psalm 119:9 (NIV) Cultures around the world are absolutely obsessed with appearance and image. They’re scooting by, they’re skimming, and they’re cheating. They’re not keeping their promises. They’re pretending to be someone they’re not. They don’t have integrity. In other words, they’re hypocrites. In ancient Greek culture, actors were referred to as hupokrites because they pretended to be someone else. It’s where we get the word “hypocrite.” When you act one way with one group of people and another way with another group of people, you’re being a modern-day hupokrites. You’re showing a lack of authenticity—a lack of integrity. But God wants you to be exactly who he made you to be, no matter who is watching. So how do you—as a follower of Jesus—keep it real when so many people are faking it? There’s only one way. You’ve got to care more about God’s approval than the approval of other people. That’s the only way you’ll ever become a person of integrity. If you care about what God thinks, you’re going to do the right thing. But if you care more about what other people think, you’re often going to do the wrong thing. Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (NIV). The only way to know what God approves of and what he thinks of you is by reading the Bible. You must stay in God’s Word! If you don’t, you will not have the strength and the stamina to live with integrity. Having a daily quiet time and staying connected to God's Word gives you spiritual power, and strength to live with integrity. Living with integrity takes spiritual power because what is right is often unpopular. On your own, you’ll get tired trying to do the right thing, trying to be real, and trying to keep the right motives—so you need to be equipped and refreshed. Do you want to live as a person of integrity—someone who is the same no matter where you are or who you’re with? Then commit to spending daily time reading and studying the Bible, God’s Word. It’s the only place you’ll find the spiritual power you need. “A righteous person lives on the basis of his integrity. Blessed are his children after he is gone.”
Proverbs 20:7 (GW) The Bible says that God blesses those who have integrity—those who have pure hearts. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8 NIV). So what blessings can you expect when you live your life with authenticity and a pure heart? You’ll have the blessing of personal confidence. When you have integrity, you become the kind of person that other people like to be around because you know who you are and where you’re going. Proverbs 10:9 says, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed” (NLT). When you don’t have integrity, it’s like walking on an icy path after a snowstorm. You’re putting every bit of your energy into trying not to fall. But when you have integrity, you’re standing on solid ground. You’ll have the blessing of a lasting legacy. Your greatest legacy is your integrity because it will last from generation to generation. Everything else you do gets lost. When you’re gone, your money will be divided and spent among your family. Your work will be given to somebody else. All the trophies you’ve earned will be thrown in the trash and taken to the dump. But your character is going to influence the lives of the people around you and even the lives of the next generation. It is a lasting legacy. The Bible says in Proverbs 20:7, “A righteous person lives on the basis of his integrity. Blessed are his children after he is gone” (GW). You’ll have the blessing of rewards in eternity. Matthew 25:21 says, “You are a good and loyal servant. Because you were loyal with small things, I will let you care for much greater things” (NCV). We tend to think that rewards come from the big moments of life, when everybody is watching. But it’s the small moments that reveal real integrity. Every small word of encouragement you give this week will be rewarded in eternity. Every small act of kindness will be rewarded in eternity. Every time you reject a temptation, you will be rewarded in eternity. Integrity is powerful. It makes a difference not just now but for eternity! “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
John 8:12 (NIV) When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world”, he was defining himself. He was saying, “I know who I am.” At least 18 times in the Bible, Jesus said, “I am”--and then gave a description. He described himself as the door, the bread of life, the way, the truth, the resurrection, and the life. Over and over, he defined himself. Jesus knew who he was (and still is) and, as a result, he was not under pressure. Jesus understood his identity—and it’s crucial that you understand yours too. When you’re unsure about your identity, you’ll be pressured to fit into other people’s molds. They will try to make you what they think you should be, rather than who God made you to be. Stress comes from trying to be somebody you’re not—when you fear you’ll accidentally drop your façade and people will discover who you really are. The way to counterbalance external pressures is to have an internal sense of satisfaction about who God made you to be. You discover who you are by knowing whose you are. The Bible says you were created by God. You are deeply loved by him. You are accepted as you are. He has a plan for your life. When you understand this, you’ll find yourself free to serve other people. Jesus constantly did things that surprised everyone else—because he was free; he felt no pressure to meet people’s expectations. He chose to serve others, regardless of how it might be perceived. He washed his disciples’ feet—something they were too insecure to do for each other. Jesus always served from a position of strength. He knew who and whose he was. Do you want to live in the same freedom Jesus did? Find security in knowing that you are a dearly loved and accepted child of God. There’s no need to pretend to be anyone else. “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
Luke 9:26 (NIV) One day you’ll give an account of your life before God. This fact is the best antidote to people pleasing that I know. When you have that kind of long-term thinking—when you keep in mind that you’ll one day stand before God—it changes you. It changes what you say, what you do, and who you try to impress. It’s the people pleaser antidote. When you take that long look, and realize you’re going to give an account for every word and action from each day, you’ll ask yourself, “Which is more important—God’s approval or the approval of people around me?” We likely face that question often. Do changes in culture or society's norms pressure us to try and distance ourselves from what the bible has to say? Our human nature wants to be liked. Your human nature might want to compromise, divert, punt, and leave out the truth. It’s tempting to say things like, “I just leave that up to God” or “Everybody has to make up their own mind.” But those are people pleasing cop-outs. In those moments—when you could say something that wouldn’t offend but would be a lie—there are three things you can do. First, remember what Jesus Christ did for you on the cross. He didn’t deny you. He didn’t back away from you. He died for your sins. Your life belongs to him. He created you. He saved you. He forgave you. He’s taking you to heaven. Why would you deny him? Second, remember that one day you’re going to give an account to God. God will ask you, “What did you say in that conversation at work? What did you say to your friend at school? What did you say during a family dinner?” Integrity is more important than popularity. And you don’t want to give up your integrity. Finally, tell the truth, no matter the consequences. As you walk in faith with Jesus, practice doing these three things. They’re the guides you need to live with integrity—not for popularity. “The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is.”
Jeremiah 17:9 (GW) One fundamental question in life stands above all others. What will have the final authority in your life? Will it be your parents? Or your peers? Maybe your friends or your career? Perhaps the books you read? The people you follow on social media? What about the movies or shows you watch, or the songs you listen to? All of these sources will shape your values if you let them—and your values ultimately determine what has final authority in your life. So, what will it be for you? God allows you to decide. He’s given you free will. Most of your authority options fall into these three categories: Your opinions: You can depend on your gut to tell you what to do. But there’s a problem with that. Studies show your perceptions are more likely to be wrong than right. In fact, sometimes you even lie to yourself. The Bible says, “The human mind is the most deceitful of all things. It is incurable. No one can understand how deceitful it is” (Jeremiah 17:9 GW). The world: You can depend on what other people think to determine your values. However, people often value the wrong things. For instance, the world emphasizes beauty over character, tells you to pursue whatever feels good, and declares that whoever has the most possessions wins. You’re bombarded with these worldly values through all sorts of media—so much so that it’s easy to start thinking God put you on this planet to look good, feel good, and get stuff. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! God’s Word: God’s Word is objective and truthful—unlike your own perceptions or the world’s opinions. God’s Word says, “If you continue in My word . . . you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NASB). The choice is clear. There’s only one authority that’s always reliable and will never lead you astray. Decide today to allow God’s Word to shape your values. Give it the final authority in your life. “We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:2 (NLT) Nothing is more discouraging than trying to be something you’re not. If you maintain a façade because you’re afraid other people might find out who you are or God might not love you, then you’re going to miss out on God’s best for your life. God does not bless fakes or phonies. If you want God’s blessing on your life, stop living for the approval of other people and start being who God made you to be. God didn’t create you to be somebody else. When you get to heaven, he isn’t going to ask, “Why weren’t you more like your sister or the popular kid or your successful friend?” He’s going to hold you accountable for how you fulfilled his purposes for your life. The world doesn’t need two of you or anybody else. But the world does need you to do the work God has for you on earth. He shaped you and gifted you in a unique way, and we’re all missing out if you’re determined to be anyone but yourself. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:2, “We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God” (NLT). In other words, we’re not putting on a disguise or a phony mask. We’re not pretending we’re something we’re not. And we don’t twist the Word of God. Instead, we teach the truth plainly, showing everyone who we really are. Nothing is more discouraging than trying to please everybody. Some people will like us, some won't. That’s just life! Even God can’t please everyone. When somebody’s praying for a snow day, someone else is praying for blue skies. If you’re always trying to be something you’re not, you’re always going to be under stress and fear being exposed, and you’re going to be prone to discouragement. To defeat discouragement, just be who God made you to be. You don’t have to be perfect for God to bless you—just be authentic. “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” Proverbs 10:9 (NIV)
When it comes to making decisions—big or small—the Bible offers plenty of wisdom. One principle it offers over and over again is what might be called the Integrity Test. When you’re making a decision, ask yourself, “Would I want everyone to know about this decision?” If the thought of other people finding out about your decision worries you, then you’re probably making the wrong decision. Bad decisions lead to secrecy, and that kind of secret always leads to pain in your life. The Bible says: “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out” (Proverbs 10:9 NIV). Notice it doesn’t say “might be found out” or even “probably will be found out.” You will be found out! You’ve seen how this happens. You’re about to make a bad choice. You know it’s wrong, but you think, “I’ll go ahead and do it because no one will ever know.” Then, as soon as the decision is made, you think, “Somebody’s going to find out!” And you feel the fear that comes from that. That’s when you’ve violated the Integrity Test. When you have integrity, your public life and your private life match. What’s in your heart is the same as what other people see on the outside. What you say and what you do are in harmony. The truth is, when it comes to integrity, you may fool everyone else, but you can’t fool yourself. And if you violate your own conscience, you have to pay for that. James 4:17 says, “Knowing what is right to do and then not doing it is sin” (TLB). When making a decision, ask yourself: Can I do this with a clear conscience? Violating your conscience is a big mistake. God will forgive you for the wrong you do. But forgiveness doesn’t free you from the consequences of bad decisions. You can be forgiven and still have regrets. You can be forgiven and still face pain. You can be forgiven and still have broken relationships. Many decisions you make are clear-cut. But what about those where it’s harder to know right from wrong? The Bible speaks to that, too: “If someone believes it is wrong, then he shouldn’t do it because for him it is wrong” (Romans 14:14 TLB). It’s simple: When in doubt, don’t. Whatever is not from faith in your life is sin. The next time you’re faced with a decision, follow the Integrity Test. Ask: Am I okay with other people finding out about this decision? Can I make this choice with a clear conscience? Do I believe this is wrong? God’s given you the wisdom of the Bible and of your conscience because he loves you. The Integrity Test will help keep you on the path that God knows is for your good. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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