Integrity

[Karl Peters]

Integrity - the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness

I suppose today I should mention the above was copied from the internet - because apparently this is big problem today. I say that because this morning the Lord brought this up to me and how it is the basic problem behind that fall of our nation. BTW - Those words "fall of our nation" were His words to me.

Then He started telling me a teaching about how integrity really only comes through Him. He explained that is because we people are selfish, therefore we lie to get what we want, compromise our moral principles, and our righteousness too. Now He explained that the Bible, perhaps integrity is not explained well enough?

Gen 20:6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.

Abimelech had integrity in his heart so God keep him from doing wrong. So did not Abraham had his own integrity of his heart and even believed in God, but that did not keep him from lying!!

The point is that we can know God and still our own integrity, but that is not good enough if we will not actually listen to the Lord. He might protect us, but the point is that we still need to keep listening to Him!! Abraham, the father of faith so to speak, was reckon by God to be righteous and protected by God, but still his own integrity (moral principles; moral uprightness) did not lead to doing everything right!

We believer's, even us who think with have great integrity, need to be seeking the Lord more!

We have to want that. Yet what has happened, even to this country. Did we not elect leaders who slept around and raised kids to sleep around?

According to what I personally heard this morning, and so I am testifying to that: This lack of integrity in us Christians, even the spiritual off-spring of Abraham and grafted into the Jewish root, is causing the fall of this nation!!

Maybe I should have put this in the current affairs part of this forum, but I put is here because it is so basic to our total spiritual well being!

I mean, we seem to think it ok for our politicians (leaders) to lie and lie around, that we have created a situation where we need God's help to even correct our situation, just like Abraham. - have we not?

 

[amadeus]

@Karl Peters

Job 2:3

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 2:9	Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
Job 2:10	But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Job 27:5

God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

 

[Karl Peters]

@Karl Peters

Job 2:3
[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.

This is a great response!!

Job was indeed a man with great integrity!! And God loved him!!

However we also find out that Job did have a problem, which is why the Lord let him go through what He did - and what was that problem???

Job was doing everything right according to his own understanding, but Job did not seek the Lord and listen to Him!!! At least not until the last part of the book of Job when Job finally says: " I will ask You, and You instruct me."

That is not said by Job untill Job 42:4 - before that Job is just leaning on his own best understanding - that is to say 'his own best understanding.

So Job and most of his friends were in trouble with the Lord, but not Elihu!! So what was Elihu saying that was different from theirs?

Elihu spoke in these verses:

Job 37:2 “Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.

Job 36: 3, 4 “I will fetch my knowledge from afar,
And I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
“For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

Job 36: 10 - 12 “He opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they return from evil.
“If they hear and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity And their years in pleasures.
“But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword And they will die without knowledge.

The difference between Elihu and Job and his other friends, was that Elihu was actually seek the voice of the Lord, where as Job and other friends were leaning on their own integrity!!

Therefore amadeus has it right. We must seek first the Kingdom of God, which means we seek the voice of the King, Jesus Christ, and consider what His messengers, the angels who serve Him and He sends to minister and watch over you! Check the spirits (1Jn 4:1-3) but seek the King, Jesus Christ, who has His Kingdom, and do it first!!

 

[amadeus]

This is a great response!!

Job was indeed a man with great integrity!! And God loved him!!

However we also find out that Job did have a problem, which is why the Lord let him go through what He did - and what was that problem???

Job was doing everything right according to his own understanding, but Job did not seek the Lord and listen to Him!!! At least not until the last part of the book of Job when Job finally says: " I will ask You, and You instruct me."

That is not said by Job untill Job 42:4 - before that Job is just leaning on his own best understanding - that is to say 'his own best understanding.

So Job and most of his friends were in trouble with the Lord, but not Elihu!! So what was Elihu saying that was different from theirs?

Elihu spoke in these verses:

Job 37:2 “Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.

Job 36: 3, 4 “I will fetch my knowledge from afar,
And I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
“For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

Job 36: 10 - 12 “He opens their ear to instruction, And commands that they return from evil.
“If they hear and serve Him, They will end their days in prosperity And their years in pleasures.
“But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword And they will die without knowledge.

The difference between Elihu and Job and his other friends, was that Elihu was actually seek the voice of the Lord, where as Job and other friends were leaning on their own integrity!!

Therefore amadeus has it right. We must seek first the Kingdom of God, which means we seek the voice of the King, Jesus Christ, and consider what His messengers, the angels who serve Him and He sends to minister and watch over you! Check the spirits (1Jn 4:1-3) but seek the King, Jesus Christ, who has His Kingdom, and do it first!!

I also had my Elihu a few years ago when I announced publicly that I was quitting this forum. On a PM to me a young, believing member laid it on the line to me why it was not God's will for me to quit this forum. I was already old [physically] and tired but God was not finished with me yet. I was led by the words of my "Elihu".

While my reading and my responding to posts to posts on this forum has indeed decreased significantly since then, but I am still here. I will remain until God tells me to stop and to go elsewhere.

I am 80 years old. Moses was 80 years old when he led the children of Israel out of Egypt. He led them until he was 120 years old. I am not planning on 120, but I hope to be ready for whatever God still has for me.

 

[Karl Peters]

In Hebrews we are told to encourage one another "today".

And specifically, this is concerning hearing Him "Today".

That was what Elihu was trying to do - get others to listen to the Lord so they might know Him and his Kingdom. Which is also expressed in "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness"

 

[amadeus]

In Hebrews we are told to encourage one another "today".

And specifically, this is concerning hearing Him "Today".

That was what Elihu was trying to do - get others to listen to the Lord so they might know Him and his Kingdom. Which is also expressed in "seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness"

Amen!