He Has You

No matter where you are now or where you have been, there stands before you a choice of where you are going. You can choose to live a life of integrity, or not. Nobody can steal your integrity but you can willingly forfeit it over to them every day.

Your legacy when people look back is built upon what you do today. “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him” (Proverbs 20:7).

If you’re not honest in small things, then you’re not honest. “Lips that lie are disgusting to Yahweh, but honest people are his delight” (Proverbs 12:22 NOG).

We don’t have to live in regret for our past but only confess it. We don’t have to be defined by our past but only leave it behind us. We don’t have to worry about what we might lose from being honest but in what we might gain through our deception.

It’s easy for me to teach on failing because of how many times I have failed. “The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the Lord, and He delights in his way [and blesses his path]. When he falls, he will not be hurled down, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him” (Psalm 37:23-24 AMP).

It is better to be real in your shortcomings than fake in your achievements. “…’Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another” (Ephesians 4:25).

Integrity matters in the small things because it is in the small things where we establish who we are. What you do in secret is who you are behind any façade you may have. The trajectory of your integrity is determined by what you do when nobody is watching.

He will test in the little to see if He can trust you in the much. Jesus taught, “Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with large things. Whoever is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in large things too.” (Luke 16:10 ICB).

Double-minded is when you say one thing, but do another. “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8). The Lord can do more with an honest sinner than a lying saint.

Live your life such that if the hidden things were revealed you would not be ashamed. If you walk in integrity then you will not fall from your lies. Let God be your witness and let man say what he will. You will never be able to justify the darkness of deceit in the light that shines from heaven.

It is better to fall by the truth than to be raised by deception. “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Proverbs 12:22).

Don’t enter an argument that you are not living out. “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching” (Titus 2:7 NLT).

We all despise liars until we look at them in the mirror. We all justify our wrongs as if the ends justify the means. The means are the measure from God’s perspective. Consider that if you have to try and justify your actions that you are most likely not justified.

It is hard to convince someone of the truth who is determined to hold onto their lie. “…They trust in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity” (Isaiah 59:4).

Exaggeration is worse than a lie because it masquerades as the truth. “Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds” (Colossians 3:9).

The more you start to live a life of integrity, the more you will find the riches that can be gained. You may not actually gain more things but what you hold will have far more value in your hands. Whatever you gather in your integrity will be a blessing in your life.

Better to fail among the righteous than to win among the wicked. “A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous” (Psalm 37:16-17).

To live better, think better. “In conclusion, brothers, focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8 CJB).

Don’t focus on the faults of others but the imperfections found in yourself. If you want to teach good living then live good. Your example impacts people more than you realize. Wherever you fail just confess it and start again from where you are.

The most righteous person is not the one who has sinned the least but the one who has been forgiven the most. Jesus told the story, “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men’… And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man [the sinner] went down to his house justified rather than the other…” (Luke 18:11,13-15).

Blessings to you,

Paul Balius

Unless otherwise denoted, all Bible translations are NKJV.