IOU (INTEGRITY)

INTEGRITY




Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. (OALD)
Integrity is the basing of one's actions on an internally consistent framework of principles.

Integrity is a personal choice. However, as humans and as Christians, our integrity has to be based on God’s laws.
In simple terms, I will define integrity as

“Godly principles that we choose to live by individually and consistently”

Integrity makes people respect you.
One of the reasons (amongst many) that people are bullied either as adults or young adults is because they are too simple.
People will carry you the way you carry yourself.
If you present yourself as unserious, disrespectful and abusive, people will react to you just like that.
In short, without integrity, people will walk over you.

How can we obtain integrity?

Draw a Line, then draw a second line – Be conscious of your limits. The first line will tell you the things you would like to do or not do in other to become a man or woman of integrity. The second line on the inside will serve as a safety margin to help you stick to your principles .

Become aware of choices – Head or tail do not work, make conscious effort to choose right in accordance to the principles you want to live by.

Accountability – You can’t do it all alone. Find someone you can be reporting to, to help in the times of trouble. It will help you stay on track.

Indicators of Integrity

The golden rule: “Do unto others as you would like them to do to you” (Luke 6 vs. 31). Integrity requires you to understand the need for consistency in warfare (daily living). As written by an author, knowledge and imagination are required to work this rule. Firstly, you must know the effects of your actions, and secondly you must be able to put yourself in the position of the recipient and ask yourself “can I take what I have just given”

Size does not matter: Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. (Luke 16 vs. 10). Are your actions in small matters or small environments the same as those in bigger ones? When you are alone and no one is watching do you still do the things you proclaim as good? Or you are like a chameleon that changes to the colour of the environment.

YES = YES: Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5 vs. 37). A confused soldier is on his/her way to defeat. Likewise, if you, as a soldier are giving false information or confusing the people around, then you are just whiskers away from defeat because very soon no one will believe whatever you have to say.

Living a life of integrity is a must for us believers, albeit it may be hard, but the battle is always on and more importantly, God’s grace is sufficient.