BECOMING A PERSON OF INTEGRITY

Everyone is in search for a person of integrity. Whether in relationship, business, family, fellowship or church, integrity is the priceless quality desired by all. People are looking for individuals they can trust with their finances, secrets, emotion, but it is quite unfortunate that many lack this invaluable quality.

My aim in this article is to give some godly suggestions that could help anyone become a person of integrity and not, necessarily, to develop a whole teaching on the subject of integrity.

Integrity is all about character and trust. It speaks of who you are. It also deals with your inner life and people's estimation of you. The Almighty God is a God of integrity. His nature and character is described throughout the Bible.

"For I am the Lord, I CHANGE NOT……" (Mal. 3:6)
"That by two immutable things; in which it was impossible for God to LIE …" (Heb 6: 18)
"Then Peter Opened his mouth, and said, of a truth, I perceive that God is no RESPECTER OF PERSONS" (Acts 10:34)

God said l am who l say l am. I am the same always. I am one with my Word. I will do what l promise and l will not fail. God is integrity personified. God is highly predictable because he does nothing apart from His and nothing beyond His word. His word is the benchmark for His operation. You see, integrity is to be the same always under the same circumstances. It is to be trusted. This is God's nature and we have become partaker of it (2Pet.1:4)

Therefore, every child of God that has received eternal life (Zoe) has divine ability to be like him even in integrity. So, the seed of integrity is in the divine nature that we have received, we only need to develop it to be able to function like our Father (1John3:9, Eph.5:1). So, let me establish that the ability to become a man or woman of integrity is already in you. You only need to develop the potential.

Integrity is also further defined as strength and firmness of character, honesty and trustworthiness. It is also a state of being whole, undivided and completeness.

One of the definitions above says to have integrity is to be COMPLETE which in biblical terms means perfection or maturity. One may wonder if it is possible for anyone to attain this level. However, completeness is a possibility even though maturity is not attained in a day. It takes a process of time for you to be matured. May I say that a person of integrity is not a someone that is without fault but someone who is ready to accept and reveal his fault and change for the better. King David was a good example of this. Though he made some terrible mistakes but God testified that he was still a man of strength and firmness of character.

"And if thou will walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness …." (1kg 9:4).

Developing and maintaining integrity requires constant attention. It is a life well structured, devoid of evil, based on solid truth and this truth can only come from the word of God. It is a life dominated by the principles of the word of God and not human theories that changes with time.

The manifestation of integrity revolves around personality development which reflects a man's belief system, ideas, choices values, mannerism etc. Therefore, it is about character development. Habits leads to character, so practicing good and godly habits consistently should be your goal. To develop the nature of integrity in you, which was born of the Word of God, is to develop then the habit of practicing the Word until you become one with the Word, that is, the Word become flesh in you (John1:14a). For example, the Word says 'Judge not' or 'Love keeps no record of wrongs' and you continuously practice the habit of love and non- judgmental lifestyle till you become a living example of that scripture. This is how you develop godly habit and establish character in your life. So, being a doer of the Word builds godly character in you. Practicing the habit to bless and not to curse help you to develop the character of a person without perverse mouth.

On a practical note, let me ask you some questions to help you measure your integrity:

1. Are you transparent with others?
2. How well do you treat people from whom you can gain nothing?
3. Do you have unchanging standard for moral decisions or do circumstances determine your choices?
4. Do you make difficult decisions even when they have a personal cost attached to them?
5. Do you quickly admit wrong doing without being pressed to do so?
6. Are you the same person when you're in the spot light as you are when you're alone
7. When you have something to say about people, do you talk to them or about them?
8. Do you complete assignment on time without procrastination?
9. Do you keep in confidence things discussed with you which are meant to be confidential?
10. Do you fulfill a commitment whether it's promised or implied?
11. Do you do what you have to do or what you want to do?

The list to the questions is endless, but this is just to mention a few. Don't be too quick to respond to the questions. If character development is a serious area of need in your life, your tendency may be to skim through the questions, giving answers that describe how you wish you were rather than who you actually are. I will advise you to take some time to reflect on each question, honestly considering it before answering. Then work on the areas of your life where you're having the most troubles.

In becoming a person of integrity, some qualities must be developed. Let me mention some of them: