Rick Warren - A Faith Known for Integrity

Hi, everybody. I'm Pastor Rick, and today we're going to continue in

our study through the Book of James called the Faith that Works when Life doesn't,

and we're looking at principles for living through a pandemic. We didn't think

the series was going to go this long, but the pandemic keeps going,

so we do too. Specifically, we're going to look today at what James

says about how to have a faith known for integrity, how to have a

faith known for integrity? And we're in James chapter five, and I want

us to consider the implications of just one verse. We're just going to look

at one verse out of the Book of James today, James five, verse

twelve. But before we look at that verse, I want to explain something

that gives a little bit of context to this theme of having a faith known

for integrity. You know, for right or wrong reasons, you may have

certain stereotypes or images in your mind about different religions. Okay. For instance,

you might think of one kind of religion or one kind of faith as

rigid and legalistic, and you might think of another faith as being passive and

otherworldly. Maybe another faith that you think of might think make you think of

terrorism and other faiths might bring to mind hypocrisy or selfishness, or being out

of touch with today's world. When I know that that's true of all of

us, that makes me wonder what do people think who know me? What

do they think about Christianity? What are they people who know you think about

Christianity? If you're the only Bible they ever read? What do they think

about our faith? What is our faith known for most today? If you

ask the typical person, what do you think of when I say the word

Christian these days? Is what we're known for? Accurate? Is what we're

known for in society today? Negative? Does it match what Jesus wants us

to be known for? Or have we gotten off course? You know,

if I were to ask the non believers who know you, what do they

think of the Christian faith? Knowing you, what do you think they would

say? Knowing you? You know, you don't have to read very much

of the Bible to figure out pretty quickly that God cares deeply about his reputation,

and all throughout scripture the phrase for my glory is used over and over

and over. But God doesn't just care about his reputation. He also cares

deeply about your reputation. Did you know that because you are his child,

He's your heavenly father, and you're in the family of God. The Church

is the family of God. You're a part of his family. And like

all good fathers, your heavenly Father wants his family to be respected. He

wants his church, his family to be respected. He didn't want any of

his children, that's you and that's me, given his family a bad name

because the way we speak or act. He doesn't want our lives to bring

him dishonor Now, this theme that I'm talking about this weekend, protecting God's

glory and reputation and also protecting his family's reputation. The church's reputation is literally

taught all through the Bible. God wants you to realize that you represent him.

If you call yourself Christian, you're a little Christ. You represent Him

here on earth. And He wants us to realize that any of us,

me I can do this. We can bring shame to his name when we

don't act in christ Like ways to the people and to the events around us.

Now, I've said many times, if you've been at Saddleback, you

know that I've said this many times that there are two big reasons that unbelievers

reject Jesus Christ. The first one is they've never become a friend of a

Christian, so I don't really know any Christians. And the second reason that

they have is that they have met a Christian and they were turned off by

our attitudes or by our actions, or by our hypocrisy or whatever. We

have to realize that the way we respond to all that's happening around us,

the pandemic, the politics, the fires, the floods, the unease in

society, all of the way we respond to what's happening around us racial inequality.

That has eternal implications because people's eternal destinies are in the balance. You

see, we're either a good witness and a good testimony for the loving grace

of God. We're a bad one. We can be a stepping stone to

Jesus Christ and salvation, or we can be a stumbling block and we can

actually be a barrier to people. You don't want to be that. I

don't want to be that. You don't want people to reject Jesus Christ.

You don't want people to reject God's offer of salvation because they don't want to

be like you. No, So let me show you just a couple of

scriptures where God talks about this theme that we're looking at this weekend. You

know that NJB Translation as an interesting translation of Proverbs twenty seven to twenty one.

It says this a person's worth a person is worth, what is reputation

is worth? Whoa a person is worth? What is reputation is worth?

That's in the Bible. Now this verse isn't talking about your worth to God.

Now you're priceless to God. That's why Christ died for you on the

cross. What is talking about is what other people think of you. That

a person's worth is what is reputation is what your reputation is talking about what

other people think of you. And it's saying that your self worth is far

more important than your net worth. Now your value and your valuables are not

the same. Here's another verse. Ecclesiastes seven, verse one says a good

reputation is more valuable than the most expensive perfume. You know, just for

fun this week, I decided to find out what's the most expensive perfume in

the world. So I looked it up. You know what it is.

It's made in to buy, and it costs one point eight million dollars a

bottle. Hello, can you imagine any perfume costing one point eight million dollars

a bottle? So now you know what to get your you know friend who

has everything this Christmas? All right? Now again, God says this Proverbs

twenty two, verse one, choose a good reputation over great riches. So

if you have to choose a lot money and a good reputation to choose,

the reputation being held in high esteem is far better, far better than having

a pile of silver of gold. Now you may be thinking, Rick,

Okay, should I be concerned at all about my reputation? I mean,

I'm a Christian, I'm saved by grace. Should I be concerned about my

reputation as a Christian? The answer is definitely yes, you should be tewod.

Corinthians chapter eight tells us eight verse twenty one the message paraphrase. Paul

says this, You know, we are being as careful in our reputation with

the public. We're being as careful with our reputation with the public as we

are in our reputation with God. Wow. You know this matters, he

said. In fact, God says that one of the qualifications that you must

have to be a lead in the church, either as an elder or as

a deacon, is that you must have quote a good reputation not just with

believers, listen, but with unbelievers too. You're not supposed to be an

elder or a deacon in a church unless you have a good reputation, not

just with the church, but with unbelievers. Let me show you a couple

verses one Timothy chapter three, verses two and seven says this, an elder

must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. Whoa an elder must

be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must be faithful to

his wife. He must exhibit self control, he must live wisely. He

must have a good reputation. That's talking about with believers. Then down in

the next verse he says, also he must have a good reputation with people

outside the church who speak well of his so that he can't be disgraced and

trapped by Satan. Then Paul says, if you want to be a deacon,

you have to be have the same requirement. By the way, what's

a deacon anyway, because we don't use that term so much at Saddleback.

Deacon is just the Greek word for minister. It's the Greek word for servant.

Diakonos means servant or minister. To be a deacon is to be a

servant. To be a deacon is to be a minister. If you serve

in any capacity in ministry at Saddleback Church, you're involved in any ministry.

Guess what. You may not realize that you're a deacon. Okay, you're

a deacon. You're a minister. You're a servant of Christ. Maybe you

didn't know that, but here's what the Bible says about you serving in ministry

one Timothy three, Verse Satan ten, New Living Translation. In the same

way, deacons must be people who are respected and have integrity. Have integrity.

First, they must be evaluated. Then if they have a good reputation,

there's that phrase again, then they can become a deacon. You have

to have a good reputation, and God wants you to work on your reputation,

particularly with unbelievers. They say, okay, what does God want me

to do? What does he want me to be known for? Well,

did you Notice the little word in that last verse that I just read.

God wants you to have integrity. Integrity. God wants us to have a

faith that is known for integrity. Integrity sums up all the christs like qualities

that God wants you to exhibit in your life. He wants all of the

qualities love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness,

meetness, self control, all the fruit of spirit. He wants all these

qualities to be integrated into a hole in your life that's called integrity. He

wants the inside of your character to be exactly the same as the outside of

your conduct. Now, let me be clear. Having integrity doesn't mean you're

perfect, because nobody's perfect. Okay, nobody's perfect. Having integrity doesn't mean

you never mess up or you never make a mistake. If that were true,

no one would ever have integrity. No, No, it doesn't mean

you're perfect. Doesn't mean you don't make mistakes. Integrity means more than anything

else. You want your life to be truthful, not deceitful, not wishy

washy. But you treat everybody the exact same way. That's integrity. You

don't treat the Queen of England one way and the bum on the street another

way, and your grandkids another way. No, no, he says,

what you see is what you get. Now, friends, to live with

integrity in this day and in this age and in this culture, well it

just requires a whole lot of special effort, because right now in our culture

are witnessing the death of truth in society. It's everywhere, the death of

truth. There are many people who don't even believe objective truth exists anymore.

What is truth? I don't even believe it exists. The only thing that

matters is what you feel, is what we're told today, and if I

feel it, it's true. And truth is relative for many people. They

say, well, maybe true for you, but it's not true for me,

Or maybe true for me, but it's not true for you, as

if truth is an opinion. We're living in an age where political leaders call

obvious lies that everybody knows is a lie, they call them alternative facts.

Well, the Bible doesn't call them alternative facts. The Bible just calls them

lies. And what matters is to them is not the truth, but it's

whatever I want to believe, even if it's false. So there is a

shortage. There is a crisis of integrity today in our society. There's a

shortage of leaders with integrity in the world today, which makes it even more

and more important that you and I, as followers of Jesus, really are

different. That we have a faith known for integrity. God wants us to

live with such integrity, not perfection, but with such integrity that the world

can say about us. You know, I may not agree with those guys,

those Christians, but they're honest and they're not deceptive, and they're not

deceitful, and their word is good and they keep the promises and they do

what they say they'll do. That's what we need to be in today's world,

a faith that is known for integrity. So you say, okay,

I want that. I want my life to represent Jesus truthfully. So how

do I grow in that area? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let

me show you four ways to work on integrity in your life from scripture.

All right. You might write these down. You can always download the message

notes outline either saddleback dot com or at Daily Hope pastorick dot com. But

let's look at four ways to become known for integrity. All right. Here

they are number one, to be known for integrity, to have the reputation

that's a woman of integrity, that's a man of integrity. Number one.

I must speak the truth plainly. I must speak the truth plainly, not

you know, flowing in all kinds of embellishments and things like that. This

is where we start with the text today from the Book of James. James

is encouraging us to live with integrity when he wrote this in James chapter five,

verse twelve. Let me read it to you, just one verse.

We're looking at James five twelve. He says this. He says, above

all my brothers and sisters, don't swear by heaven or by earth, or

by anything else. Okay, don't swear by heaven or earth or anything else.

Just let your yes be yes, and let you know be no.

Just say what you mean. Do this so you can't be judged and condemned.

Now, let me explain. When James tells us not to swear,

he's not talking about cussing. He's not talking about profanity. He's not talking

about potty mouth or vulgar talk, you know, our obscenities. That's not

the kind of swearing. He's talking about he's talking about making an oath by

referring to something else, as if you don't have enough integrity in yourself to

keep your own word, you have to promise on a stack of Bibles or

whatever. He staying, don't say things like I swear to God. It's

the truth. You should never say I swear to God. The Bible says,

don't do that. It's taking God's name in vain. I swear to

God on a stack of Bibles, or I swear on my mother's grave.

James says, don't do that. He says, you cheapen your own integrity

when you have to appeal to something besides your own character. I swear based

on you know, something else out there. No, no, don't do

that. Don't say I cross my heart, hope that ies stick a needle

in my eye. Don't use any kind of oath. You don't need it.

You're a follower of Jesus, so your word should stand on his own.

He says. Just let your yes be yes, and let you know

be no. Say speak the truth plainly, all right, don't embellish it,

don't shade it, don't twist it. Just speak the truth plainly.

If you mean yes, you say yes. If you mean no, you

say no. You know. Sadly, it just seems today that there are

very few people in the media or in politics who know how to do something

this simple. Did they say yes or no? They always have to shade

it. You get asked the question, you ask no question, and they

answer it with something else. Now, when James brings this up as the

foundation of all integrity, speaking the truth plainly, he's not the first person

to say this. He had a half brother named Jesus Christ, Remember,

and Jesus said it in the Sermon on the Mount, and Paul said it

too. Now listen, anytime God says something three times in scripture, you

better know it's important to God. And so this thing is said three different

times. Here's what Paul said. Second Corinthians, Chapter one, verses seventeen

nineteen. Paul says, am I like the people of the world. Listen,

What are the people of the world like? Am I like the people

of the world who say yes when they really mean no? As surely as

God is true, I am not that sort of person. My yes means

yes because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, never wavers between yes and

no. That's powerful scripture. Jesus never wavers. Paul says, I want

to be counter culture in my integrity. When nobody else has got it,

I want to have it. I don't want to be like unbelievers who never

quite say what they mean, and when they say yes, they really mean

no, and vice versa. He says. And my motivation for my integrity

is because I want to be like Jesus, who never wavers between the yes

and no. So James says, let your yes bs, your no be

no. Paul says, let your yes bs and your no be no.

And now, as I said, Jesus taught this exact same truth in the

Sermon on the Mount, and his brother half brother James just repeats it in

his book in the Sermon on the Mount Matthew five, verse thirty four thirty

seven. Here's what Jesus said, I tell you, here's Jesus. I

tell you to never swear by Heaven, which is God's throne, or by

the earth, which is God's footstool, or by Jerusalem, his great city,

or even by the hair on your head, because you can't turn one

white hair, turn one hair white or black. Well, you can today,

but in those days they didn't have hair color. But he says,

you can't change your hair just by wishing it. Just say, this is

Jesus talking. Just say a simple yes if you mean yes, or no

when you mean no. Your word should be enough. Anything more than that

is from the evil one. That's Jesus Christ talking. So now we've had

James say it, We've had Paul say it, We've had Jesus say same

thing. Said. If you're gonna be my disciple, the disciple of Jesus

Christ, you got to have integrity. And it starts with having a faith

known for integrity. And he says, to have a faith known for integrity,

the first step is it just have to speak the truth plainly. Here's

number two. How to have a faith. How to get a reputation for

integrity? Share the truth completely. I speak it plainly, but I share

it completely. What do you mean by that, Rick? Well? By

definition, lying is an intention to mislead by either falsifying or by concealing.

You know, you can by lie falsify or you can lie by concealing,

And that means you deliberately hold back part of the truth you know, you

share half the truth you know half a truth can be a whole lie.

But God says, if you want to have integrity, you don't play games

like that. You be straightforward. You share the truth completely. You speak

it plainly, and you share it. You share it completely. Proverbs ten,

verse ten says this someone who holds back the truth causes trouble. Anybody

want to give a testimony on that when you've held back the truth and it

caused trouble. Now, you know, there are a lot of ways that

we can hold back the truth. Okay, think about this. We can

hold back the truth by not saying what we mean. We can hold back

the truth by by you know, well being silent okay, not saying anything.

We can do it by not meaning what we say. God says,

holding back the truth always causes trouble. What kind of trouble? Resentment?

Mistrust, superficial relationship. Now I want to take this second principle sharing the

truth completely, and I want to apply it in three different ways. First,

let me speak to those of you who are business owners for just a

minute, because one of the areas that we often hesitate to share the full

truth is when somebody is being let go or laid off or being fired,

and you think you're being kind by not telling them the real reason they're being

fired, and you're holding back the truth. Do you know what I've learned

after forty years of leadership? That always backfires? It just doesn't work.

Job thirteen, verse seven says this, why are you lying? Do you

think your lies will benefit God? Do you think your lives will benefit God?

Do you think you're being more loving by lying to them? What I've

found out is this The truth often hurts, but dishonesty leaves lasting scars.

Truth doesn't leave a lasting scar. The truth often hurts, but dishonesty leaves

a lasting scar. And when you don't tell the complete truth, you don't

go that last ten percent. You don't tell somebody why they're really being laid

off, you're creating mistrust and all resentment and all those other things. Proverbs

twenty eight, verse twenty three says this, in the end, people appreciate

frankness more than flattery. It's true, it hurts, but it doesn't leave

scars like dishonesty does. Now, I once you notice the phrase it says

in that verse. Proverbs twenty eight says, in the end, people appreciate

frankness, did you notice that phrase? In the end, speaking the truth

completely can be unpleasant at first, but in the end it's better. See

what am I saying. What I'm saying is that in theory, everybody agrees

honesty is the best policy, but in reality, when faced with potential conflict,

we're just not so sure honesty is the best policy. In other words,

everybody believes in the principle of truth, but we don't always believe in

the practice of it, and that makes us a bad witness to the world.

So one of the areas, as I said, is if you're a

businessman, tell the truth completely. Number two. Second area that you can

apply this idea of sharing the truth completely is in your marriage, because if

you're hiding your true feelings, you are all ready the undermining your marriage.

You need to share the truth complete. You need to go that last ten

percent and deal with what the problem is. Painful, yes, helpful,

yes, healing eventually. Third area I just want to mention is in every

election, and we're getting ready to go into one of those seasons right now.

In every election season, your home will be flooded with advertisements and with

flyers that are filled with half truths. They don't tell the complete thing.

They're only telling you the part of that law or the part of that candidate

they want you to hear. They're not giving you the full story. They

may not be lying, but what they're doing is they're given. They're covering

up all of the facts. And if you listen, as your pastor who

loves you, if you only listen to advertisements for propositions and new laws,

you're going to be confused because you're going to hear ads that say the exact

opposite thing, one rite after the other. What each of them sharing half

of the story. They're not sharing the whole story. You can't rely on

advertising to make your vote count. You have to read the explanations in the

sample ballot, that impartial stuff, and you have to decide based on the

facts. Never base your votes on anything based on advertising. That's not very

smart. So let's go back now. To develop a reputation for integrity,

you got to speak the truth plainly, and then you've got to share the

truth completely, not half truth, but the whole truth. Third, this

is really important. You must use the truth tactfully. Use the truth tactfully.

In other words, in love, there is no place in scripture.

There's no place in this book where God wants you to use the truth as

a club to beat people on the head. He didn't want you to beat

people up theologically. He didn't want you to beat people up politically. He

doesn't want you to beat people up personally. He never wants you to use

truth as a club. In fact, Ephesians four point fifteen says, speak

the truth in a spirit of love. Now, that's a big one.

Speak the truth in a spirit of love. I want you to think of

somebody right now, okay, wherever you're seated or listening to this, maybe

even in your car. I want you to think of somebody that you would

really like to help make a change. You know, they really need to

make a change, and I bet I could help them. Okay. Now,

I want you to realize that people change faster and people change easier when

the truth is wrapped in love. You got to wrap it in love.

Truth without love is always seen as an attack. If you don't love somebody

and you're telling them the truth, don't even tell because the Bible says without

love, I'm nothing, I'm a sounding brass. And Tinkling said, well,

it doesn't work. Any truth shared without love is seen as an attack.

It is resisted. And if you say something offensively, guess what it's

going to be received defensively. That's why God tells us to always speak the

truth in love. Let me say, well, Rick, how do I

know when I'm speaking the truth in love? Well, it's really quite simple.

Who are you trying to benefit with what you're saying? For? Whose

benefit are you saying this. If you're saying it for your benefit, it's

not in love. If you're speaking the truth for their benefit, well then

it's a different issue. Ephesians four twenty nine. Speak only listen to this.

Only speak only. This is the only thing you should speak. Speak

only what is helpful. Okay, is it helpful? It's not helpful.

Don't speak it. Speak only what is helpful for building others up. Now

yourself up, others up. Speak only what is helpful for building others up,

according to their needs, not according to my need. According to their

need. That it may benefit those who listen, not my benefit. But

then, if you want to just get something off your chest, don't call

it speaking the truth in love. If you want to put somebody down and

club somebody with the truth. Don't call it speaking the truth and love.

You speak only what is helpful for building them up according to their needs that

it benefits them. Those are the four qualifications of speaking the truth and love.

Now, just because you're ready to share the truth doesn't mean they're ready

to hear it either. You need to ask yourself, are they ready to

receive this truth? That's part of love too, Okay, that's part is

that you use the proper timing. You need to remember this next verse Proverbs

twelve fourteen. They're on your outline. Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as

any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal. So you want a wound,

you want to heal. You want to help, You want to hurt.

The solution if you're in a conflict right now with somebody, the solution,

because you're having a conflict, The solution is not deception, but tacked

tact. You might want to write that down. The solution to my conflict

is not deception, it's tact. You have a choice to either hurt or

heal. You have a choice to either make a point or make an enemy.

A lot of people when they go out witnessing they're more interested in proving

a point than winning somebody to Christ, do you want to make a point

or do you want to make it and make an enemy? Or do you

want to make a friend and a convert? What are you more interested in?

Now? What I want to recommend is that if you've got a conflict

going in with somebody, here's what integrity. Does. You plan your presentation,

okay, especially your introduction. Okay, you know there's something between you

and somebody else, you plan out what you're going to say, and then

you choose the right time that's best for them, Not when they're tired,

not when they're pressured, not when they're hurried. Proverbs sixteen twenty three says,

intelligent people think before they speak. That's another verse our leaders need to

learn. Intelligence people think before they speak. You don't just run off at

the mouth. Now, this verse you've seen many times for Ecclesiastes eight nine,

there's the right time and the right way to do everything. So Love

says, I'm going to do it at the right time and the right way.

Now, let's review to develop a reputation for integrity. You speak the

truth plainly. You'll let your yes b yes and your no be no,

and you don't go swearing on a stack of Bibles and having to call other

people, and you just let your own character be the witness. You speak

the truth plainly, you share the truth completely, you use the truth tactfully

and lovingly. And here's number four. Live the truth consistently. Oh my

goodness, that's the one we all need to work on. Live in the

truth consistently. How different would people think of Christianity if we all live the

truth consistently? See being honest eighty percent of the time, that's not integrity.

It's like faithfulness ninety percent of the time. Isn't faithfulness? So honey,

I'll be faithful you all, but one day a month that's partial.

Faithfulness is unfaithfulness. Partial honesty is dishonesty. Being honest is all the time

integrity. Phesians four fifteen says this, let our lives lovingly express the truth.

Okay, this is living the truth. Let our lives lovingly express the

truth in all things, speaking truly, feeling truly, living truly. If

we would do that as Christians, if people like what they saw, they

would listen to what we say. You see when you live without integrity,

you're only hurting yourself. Proverbs eleven three says this. People who can't be

trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty. People who can't be trusted are destroyed

by their own dishonesty. Now, I mentioned earlier that integrity is a requirement

for leadership. In other words, in scripture, in order to be a

leader, you are required to have integrity. Why because all leadership is based

on trust. People don't trust you, you can't lead them. If you

don't trust me, I can't lead you. People must have trust in the

leader in order to be led, and all trust is built on truth.

If you don't tell people the truth, I'm gonna trust Now. The Bible

says this about one of the greatest leaders in history in Psalm seventy seventy eight.

It was about David the King. Psalm seventy eight. This is one

of my life Verses seventy eight seventy two says this, David shepherded the people

with integrity of heart, and with skillful hands he led them. He shepherded

the people with integrity of heart, and with skillful hands he led them.

This verse tells us the two reasons David was an effective leader. Character and

competence. Character and combinists. He shepherded them, okay, with a pure

heart, integrity of heart, and with skillful hands. He led them.

Character and combetists. Both are absolutely essential to leadership. One without the other

disasters be a good person still be an incompetent leader. On the other hand,

you can have really great gifts and skills and not have good character,

and you suck. David had both. David had both. He shepherded them.

That means he cared for them. That word shepherd's word pastor he pastored

them with integrity of heart. That's character, and he led them with skillful

hands. That's competence. So let me just say this, since we're getting

close to election. Anytime you vote for a leader, these are the two

things you need to look keep in mind. Who's got the best character and

who's the most competent Who's got the best character and competence combination. By the

way, personally, I'd like to ask you to pray for me that these

two qualities will be true in my life as I seek to lead you through

this pandemic or in anything else. I want to lead you with integrity of

heart, and I want to sheperd for you with integrity of heart and lead

you with skillful hands. Why was David so effective in competence and character because

of his commitment to personal integrity. In fact, he wrote down his commitment.

He wrote it down and put it in a psalm. It's called Psalm

one oh one. And I want to encourage you to make Psalm one oh

one your personal covenant to live a faith that is known for integrity. I'm

gonna read it to you, Psalm one oh one, Verses one to seven.

This is David's personal commitment to integrity, and I would encourage you to

make Psalm one O one one to seven your personal inory covenant. Here's what

he says, Psalm one oh one. This is my song of commitment to

your love and justice. Oh Lord. First you start with commitment to love

in the world and justice in the world. Will you commit to those two

things. I want to see love in the world and I want to see

justice in the world. Okay, he says, this is my song of

commitment to your love and justice. O Lord. And here's what he says.

And I listen to all these things, I will lead a life of

integrity in my own home. Well, that's where it starts, and that's

where it's hardest. I'll lead a life of integrity in my own home.

I will refuse number two. I will refuse to look at anything degrading or

demeaning. Now you probably thinking, oh, that's pornography. Yeah, it

includes pornography. But let me tell you what else. It is a lot

of social media that are degrading and demeaning of other people, and other racists

and other religions. I will refuse to look at anything degrading or demeaning.

That's a lot. Are you getting your vision from God or you getting your

vision from television? If you're spending more time on television than in God's vision,

I know where you're getting your worldview. I will refuse to support anything

shameful or corrupt. Wow. I will not be dishonest, and I will

have nothing to do with anything evil. This is Psalm one on one.

I will silence anyone who spreads gossip and slander about others. This is David

talking Psalm one on one. This is his covenant of integrity. I will

silence anyone who spreads gossip and slander about others. And I will not tolerate

anyone who looks down on others. Instead, he says, I'll keep my

eyes on the godly of the land, and they will be my heroes.

Only those with integrity shall minister to me. David is the King, He's

don't nobody's going to serve in my court who doesn't have integrity. Only those

with integrity shall minister to me. No one who cheats or lies will ever

have a position in my royal court. That was written easily twenty five hundred

years ago, but it is relevant today as a newspaper. In fact,

it's more relevant. I want to challenge you to get this outline, get

that verse on one on one, and make it your covenant of integrity.

All right, that's a power for prayer. Father. I want to thank

you for your word that it's piercing of our hearts, and it discerns all

of our motives and our mixed motivations. And Lord, we don't want to

be a bad reputation for your family. We don't want our name to bring

shame to your name. We don't want people to reject you because they reject

us. Help us to live with integrity. Now, you pray, say

God, help me, help me Lord, to speak the truth plainly,

to let my yes be yes and my no be no. To not say

I swear on a stack of Bibles, or I swear to God or anything

else, but to just let my own character be enough to say yep or

no. May we be known for that kind of integrity. And then say,

Lord, help me to share the truth completely, Do not do the

half truths, to have the courage the fortitude to go the last ten percent,

realizing that it may be painful, but what's more painful of the scars

of deception and deceit. Help me to speak the truth in love. Help

me to share not only completely, but to use the truth tactfully. Give

me for the times I've clubbed people with the truth and that I have not

been loving. Help me to be tactful, to look at when they need

to hear it, to only speak, only speak those words that build up,

that benefit those who listen, that meet their needs, not what I

need, but what they need. And then Lord, help me to live

with integrity, that I speak and I live, and I think and I

act, and I realize that no matter what I say or do, whether

it's on social media, or whether it's in a business deal or in anything

else that I represent. You, May you raise up leaders in our church

in a world that's filled with leaders without integrity. I pray you raise up

a new generation of leaders that are committed to speaking, living the truth in

love. If you've never opened your life to Jesus Christ, he will give

you the power to do this. And you can say, right now,

Jesus Christ, I don't understand it all, but I want to become a

person of integrity and I can't do it on my own without you. You

to say, Jesus, come into my life. Oh, I open myself

to you. I don't want to be a deceitful person. I want to

be a woman of integrity, a man of integrity. I want to stand

with the truth, but I want to share it in love. So accept

me into your family and teach me what I need to do. I humbly

ast this in your name, Amen,