Do you value integrity as a Christian believer?

Merriam-Webster defines deceit as follows,

“the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid : the act or practice of deceiving.

or,

“Achieving one’s goals through a web of deceit

or

The quality of being dishonest or misleading : the quality of being deceitful”

However, God says,

“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

Malachi 3:6

And,

“And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

Job 2:3

And finally,

“Happy is the man who doesn’t give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love him. And remember, when someone wants to do wrong it is never God who is tempting him, for God never wants to do wrong and never tempts anyone else to do it. Temptation is the pull of man’s own evil thoughts and wishes. These evil thoughts lead to evil actions and afterwards to the death penalty from God. So don’t be misled, dear brothers.”

James 1:12-16 Living Bible

Christians who deceive

I remember, God directed my to build an orphanage at a certain place in Luo Land just outside of Kisumu, Kenya. One day, I was called to a pastor’s home where a man sat and said, “I would like to sell this pastor the piece of land next to his home for 20,000 shillings. The pastor, knowing this was a good price, said, “If you buy this piece of property for me, I will give you the piece of property on the opposite side of my home that you desire to build the orphanage on.” Since I felt that it was God’s will that I build the orphanage at that location, I proceeded to empty my pockets of all the money I had, even the change. As I counted out my funds, at German friend, Jay, who was sitting with me, was so overcome the Holy Spirit, started taking out his money, too, and he added enough to complete the transaction.

According to the leading of the Lord, I proceeded to build the orphanage. It cost a lot and was hard work, but many people from the surrounding community helped with the labor. Being that the man who promised me the land was a Christian, a pastor, I trusted that he would follow through on his pledge. I finally finished the orphanage, started helping local children, but still the pastor did not transfer the land into my name, so technically, he owned the orphanage.

Christianity is not simply a means to gain advantage over someone who also believes.

Through the years, more and more excuses came, until I figured out that he never intended to give the property to me. In his mind, he now owned two pieces of property. He deceived me, not by robbing me of the ministry all at once, but by slowly deceiving me into believing that he would honor his commitment. To him, in his way of thinking, if I was stupid enough to trust him, being a “rich white guy,” I deserved to be taken advantage of.

The problem for me is that I believed that because he said he was a Christian and a pastor, I assumed he had integrity. So, he traded on the name of Christ to gain my trust, then used my trust to steal from me over time. I found out that he was not a straight man, but simply used my trust in Christ and his followers to rob me.

Many cultures do not value honesty. Deceit for them, is an accepted way of life.

In many lands dishonesty is a cultural norm, because they do not believe that they must honor their commitments. They can promise you the moon, feigning sincerity, only to betray your faith when it suits them. If a foreign person trusts them, they laugh, thinking they do not posses “good survival skills.” One has to wonder if such people actually do have any commitment to Jesus at all, or is Christ simply a tool they use to promote themselves.

What if Christ goes back on his word to save us from the fires of hell? How would you feel if at the Great White Throne Judgment Seat of Christ, he doesn’t cover your sin with his blood? What if he laughed at your gullibility as you were dragged into hell for eternity? We are all absolutely counting on Christ having integrity. As his children, shouldn’t we strive to be like our Savior?

When you give your word to someone, you pledge your word before God, too. Whether or not you could take advantage of them, should you not fear God and treat them with honesty and integrity? I always remember the fact that I will stand before God and want mercy, so I treat others well. Are you a Christian in name only, or do your deeds accurately reflect your speech? If they do not, you disrespect the One who bought you with the price of His blood on the cross.

Integrity Song

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