Posted by “If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” Zig Ziglar
Proverbs 11:3
“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”
I’ve commented from this passage in the past, the illustration of integrity as a moral compass is spot on. Those who are wise will choose the way of integrity every time, because it guides them in choices that benefits them and all who associate with them.
Duplicity blinds those with ulterior motives, rendering them incapable of choosing wisely. Habit patters are developed in both cases, each decision leads to another of its kind, the consequences reveal what was in the heart of each person.
Here we’re told that the upright are guided by integrity in their daily affairs. Integrity is to be a way of life for people, especially believers, who desire to walk with God.
The dictionary defines integrity as 1. “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. 2. “the state of being whole and undivided.”
Having integrity is like wearing armor, it will protect you from many pitfalls throughout your lifetime. Those who are wise will develop integrity at all cost. Integrity will enable you to choose correctly when you are faced with tough choices.
There are only two paths available to everyone, one leads to prosperity and life, and the other to ruin. The original reads; “the crookedness of the treacherous will devastate them.” The word “crookedness” means to twist; here it carries the idea of “twistedness,” or moral distortion. Integrity enables you to live by high moral standards, and will keep you on the right road.
Honesty is the Best Policy
People who lack integrity exhibit an inability to make wise choices with any degree of consistency. Without integrity you will be more inclined to make choices on the basis of personal preference rather than for the greater good.
Without integrity you will be more likely to compromise your convictions in times of testing. Steven Covey once said “exercise integrity in the moment of choice.” That is sound advice especially in times of testing.
People with integrity exhibit an ability to choose wisely even under pressure, because they are guided by self-respect and love for others. Integrity is joined to honesty as well as love. This chapter of Proverbs begins with a call to be honest in all your business dealings, it includes weights and measures in addition to sound judgment when making decisions.
Living Unafraid
It takes integrity to walk consistently in the light of God’s Word. Having integrity will cause you to be consistent in your dealings with people because you are being guided by truth with no ulterior motives. When you’re honest about who you are and what you do, you tend to be transparent with others. This is something that often makes many people uncomfortable.
You have nothing to be afraid of when you’re life is built on a foundation of truth. Integrity will make you solid and help you develop a trustworthy character. Integrity will also cause you to grow in influence with others. You will come to be viewed as someone others can count on.
Sons and Daughters of Light
Follow in the way of integrity and walk in the light of God’s Word. Put off all falsehood and pretense. Put on love and be imitators of God as Paul has stated in Ephesians 5:1. Be at peace with yourself, with God, and with others by walking in the way of integrity.
Impart integrity to others by giving sound advice. Be an example of consistency and stability. Develop integrity, be guided by it, grow to be a person of influence, and you’ll Be Encouraged. -JSP