Category: Integrity

What the Lord Says

“And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, ‘Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.’ 14 But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.’” 1 Kings 22:13-14 (ESV) Micaiah exhibited integrity, accuracy, and loyalty to God’s Word. He had to decide whether he would align with what the other prophets had prophesied or to align with what God said to him. Wisely, Micaiah consistently spoke what the Lord had said to him. He simply made known to others what the Lord had said to him. How many words do you speak each day? How many conversations do you have in a single day? God has saved you and filled you with His Holy Spirit so that you can continue His ministry on the earth. One vital component to doing God’s will on the earth is to know what God says and to make His Word known to others. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV) When you speak, choose to speak as one who speaks the Word of God. Allow God’s Word to saturate your life in such a way that when you speak His Word comes forth. Say what the Lord says and do what the Lord demonstrated during His earthly ministry. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Tags Devo

David Integrity Psalms

Heart and Hand

“With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” Psalm 78:72 (ESV) Does the tongue in your mouth line up with the tongue in your shoe? Is your talk in alignment with your walk? If so, that’s integrity! Honesty and truthfulness are garments that every child of God should feature. To be a person of integrity is to be honest about who you are and truthful in your conversation and your conduct. Perhaps you know of people who are loaded with talent, but lack integrity. In many cases, their talent took them farther than their character could sustain them. We have watched countless talented men and women fall into grave immorality due to the lack of integrity. In God’s economy, talent and skill are insufficient without integrity. God wants us to use the gifts and abilities He has blessed us with through the avenue of integrity. The level of our integrity determines the veracity of our testimony. Purity, honesty, and authenticity are vital components for the person God uses. King David was not perfect. He made some poor choices and leveraged his position to indulge his sinful appetite. Yet, in brokenness and humility, he confessed his sin and received God’s forgiveness. David shepherded the people with integrity. He led the people with skillful hands. God’s grace was more than sufficient for the race. David learned to depend upon God and to trust in His daily provision. If God can make someone like King David into a man after God’s own heart, then there’s hope for us. We can walk in integrity through our daily dependence upon God. Without His ample supply of grace, we have no chance of living a life of integrity. Let’s surrender completely to the Lord’s control and allow Him to live His life of integrity through us. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Character Integrity Numbers

Keep Your Word

“Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, “This is what the Lord has commanded. If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” Numbers 30:1-2 (ESV) How refreshing to spend time with a person of integrity! The guard comes down and pretense evaporates because you are in the presence of someone who keeps his or her word. You can count on them. You can trust them because they are trustworthy. You can rely on them because they are reliable. You can depend on them because they are dependable. Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel to affirm the value of a vow. Moses reminded them of the utter importance and vitality of keeping their word. Their conversation was to be consistently supported by their conduct. Their beliefs were to be authenticated by their behavior. Do you keep your word? Are you a person of integrity? Does your conversation line up with your conduct? Take personal inventory of your life to assess the health of your integrity. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” 1 Sam 16:7 (ESV) Invite God to search your heart and to unveil anything in your heart that does not bring Him honor. Ask God to reveal any fraction of compromise or deception resident in your life. Be a person of integrity. Keep your word! Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Integrity Job Righteousness

Maintain Integrity

“‘As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.’” Job 27:2-6 (ESV) Your life is like a tube of toothpaste, when squeezed, whatever is on the inside will come out. Adversity has a way of squeezing out fears, frustrations, resentment, and bitterness. By nature, we suppress those things that disappoint us or hurt us. We seek to dodge pain. Job experienced an intense season of testing that revealed what was on the inside of him. Job was honest about his disappointment and transparent about the resident bitterness within his soul. In spite of the avalanche of adversity, Job chose to maintain his integrity. He made a commitment to not speak falsehood, to not utter deceit, and to not put away his integrity. Job resolved to hold fast to his righteousness and not let it go. Everybody looks good from a distance. What do you see when you get close enough to see what is on the inside? How are you doing internally? Maintain integrity by staying close to the Lord and clean before the Lord. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and make sure that the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. Hold fast to the righteousness of Christ. You are positionally right before God in Christ. Apply that positional righteousness through practical righteous living. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Consistency Honesty Integrity

Keep Your Word

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” Matthew 5:37 (ESV) Decide to live a life of integrity. My favorite description of integrity is when the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. Moses demonstrated integrity by refusing to succumb to the gravitational pull of instant gratification. King David shepherded his people with integrity of heart. Jesus is the model of integrity. Living a life of integrity includes keeping your word. There’s no need to prop up your words by swearing or making a verbal promise. Simply let your “yes” be “yes,” and your “no” be “no.” Be a person of your word. When you give your word on something it should be validated by a lifestyle of credibility. You build your credibility through honesty, consistency, and transparency. “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” Heb. 11:24-25 (ESV) “With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” Ps. 78:72 (ESV) Don’t give the devil a foothold. Don’t give the devil an entry point to dilute your devotion to the Lord or to compromise your integrity. Guard your heart. Protect your mind. Seek to become more and more like Christ each day. The clarity of your integrity will be elevated through Christlikeness. When Jesus reigns in your life, you will reign with integrity in this life. Refuse to be mixed in your motives. Keep your motives pure before God. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Integrity Motives Sufficiency

Measuring Your Motives

“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.“ James 4:2-3 (ESV) Have you ever been the recipient of a gift that was given with impure motives? When motives are not right, the gift loses its impact. How you give is just as important as what you give. How you serve is just as important as the act of serving. How you do life is just as important as what you do with your life. Motives matter to God. God is all-knowing and all-seeing. In His omniscience, God detects the motives in which you operate your life. God looks beneath the surface of your good deeds to identify your true motives. Selfishness is an indicator of impure motives. Wrong motives will cause you to mistreat others in order to get what you want. “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit.” Prov. 16:2 (ESV) What if we started with a boldness to simply ask God? If there is something we need, what keeps us from asking God who is the Creator and Sustainer of life? Why do we try to take life into our own hands and allow impure motives to infiltrate our decisions? Let’s commit to go to God! He is our sufficiency! Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Heart Integrity Sincerity

Sincere Integrity

“With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” Psalm 78:72 (ESV) Does the tongue in your mouth line up with the tongue in your shoe? Is your talk in alignment with your walk? If so, that’s integrity! Honesty and truthfulness are garments that every child of God should feature. To be a person of integrity is to be honest about who you are and truthful in your conversation and your conduct. Perhaps you know of people who are loaded with talent, but lack integrity. In many cases, their talent took them farther than their character could sustain them. We have watched countless talented men and women fall into grave immorality due to the lack of integrity. In God’s economy, talent and skill are insufficient without integrity. God wants us to use the gifts and abilities He has blessed us with through the avenue of integrity. The level of our integrity determines the veracity of our testimony. Purity, honesty, and authenticity are vital components for the person God uses. Sincere integrity is crucial for being on mission with God in a corrupt world. King David was not perfect. He made some poor choices and leveraged his position to indulge his sinful appetite. Yet, in brokenness and humility, he confessed his sin and received God’s forgiveness. David shepherded the people with integrity. He led the people with skillful hands. God’s grace was more than sufficient for the race. David learned to depend upon God and to trust in His daily provision. If God can make someone like King David into a man after God’s own heart, then there’s hope for us. We can walk in integrity through our daily dependence upon God. Without His ample supply of grace, we have no chance of living a life of integrity. God does not expect us to live the Christian life in our own strength. Let’s surrender completely to the Lord’s control and allow Him to live His life of integrity through us. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Consistency Integrity Paul

Integrity

“For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.” 1 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV) Hypocrisy corrodes the connection we make with a lost and dying world. Our influence for Christ is inhibited when there is a discrepancy between our words and our actions. Being an irresistible influence for Christ mandates integrity. Paul invested in Timothy’s life and was instrumental in Timothy’s coming to faith in Christ. Timothy had shadowed Paul and had insight into both Paul’s public and private life. Paul was now sending Timothy to the church at Corinth to remind them of Paul’s way of life in Christ Jesus. Timothy was positioned to give firsthand testimony to Paul’s integrity as a fully devoted follower of Christ. Paul’s way of life in Christ agreed with what he taught everywhere in every church. His faith and his practice were in sync. Paul’s lifestyle was in alignment with his loyalty to Christ. When you examined Paul’s behavior, it was in-tune with his beliefs. Paul’s conduct was consistent with his convictions. Let me share with you one of the most engaging definitions of integrity that I have ever heard. Integrity is when the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. When your speech matches your path on the street, then integrity is exhibited. When there is misalignment between our talk and our walk, hypocrisy erupts. Does your way of life in Christ line up with your convictions and conversations? Is there any area of your life that is out of sync with your true identity in Christ? Ask the Lord to reveal inconsistencies and choose to live a life of integrity that brings glory to God. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Deception Integrity Ten Commandments

Maintain Your Integrity

“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 16:10 (NIV) Maintain your integrity. My favorite definition of integrity is: when the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. To be a person of integrity means that you are unmixed and unadulterated. With integrity, your walk and your talk are synonymous. There is no disparity and no duplicity. A person of integrity is not divided. For the person of integrity, the public life matches the private life. Be trustworthy and honest. God rewards obedience. God values trustworthiness and honesty. If God can trust you with very little, then God can trust you with much. What are you doing with all that God has entrusted to your care? What kind of lifestyle are you embracing? Are you being trustworthy? Whenever there is a gap in your integrity. Close the gap by making restitution. Make things right between you and God. Be vigilant in making things right with others. Resolve to make personal adjustments in your life to close the gap. Remove harmful habits and embrace healthy patterns to build a bridge of reconciliation to others. Zacchaeus had a life-changing experience that resulted in his willingness to make restitution. He had financed his selfish lifestyle at the expense of others. “But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’” Luke 19:8 (NIV) Investigate your integrity. How’s your private life? How does your private life line up with your public life? Is there a gap? With the Lord’s help, address your duplicity and close the gap by God’s grace. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

1 Kings Integrity Revelation

What the Lord Says

“And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, ‘Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.’ 14 But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I will speak.’” 1 Kings 22:13-14 (ESV) Micaiah exhibited integrity, accuracy, and loyalty to God’s Word. He had to decide whether he would align with what the other prophets had prophesied or to align with what God said to him. Wisely, Micaiah consistently spoke what the Lord had said to him. He simply made known to others what the Lord had said to him. How many words do you speak each day? How many conversations do you have in a single day? God has saved you and filled you with His Holy Spirit so that you can continue His ministry on the earth. One vital component to doing God’s will on the earth is to know what God says and to make His Word known to others. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV) When you speak, choose to speak as one who speaks the Word of God. Allow God’s Word to saturate your life in such a way that when you speak His Word comes forth. Say what the Lord says and do what the Lord demonstrated during His earthly ministry. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 180: 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

David Integrity Psalms

Heart and Hand

“With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” Psalm 78:72 (ESV) Does the tongue in your mouth line up with the tongue in your shoe? Is your talk in alignment with your walk? If so, that’s integrity! Honesty and truthfulness are garments that every child of God should feature. To be a person of integrity is to be honest about who you are and truthful in your conversation and your conduct. Perhaps you know of people who are loaded with talent, but lack integrity. In many cases, their talent took them farther than their character could sustain them. We have watched countless talented men and women fall into grave immorality due to the lack of integrity. In God’s economy, talent and skill are insufficient without integrity. God wants us to use the gifts and abilities He has blessed us with through the avenue of integrity. The level of our integrity determines the veracity of our testimony. Purity, honesty, and authenticity are vital components for the person God uses. King David was not perfect. He made some poor choices and leveraged his position to indulge his sinful appetite. Yet, in brokenness and humility, he confessed his sin and received God’s forgiveness. David shepherded the people with integrity. He led the people with skillful hands. God’s grace was more than sufficient for the race. David learned to depend upon God and to trust in His daily provision. If God can make someone like King David into a man after God’s own heart, then there’s hope for us. We can walk in integrity through our daily dependence upon God. Without His ample supply of grace, we have no chance of living a life of integrity. Let’s surrender completely to the Lord’s control and allow Him to live His life of integrity through us. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 116: Psalms 73, 77-78) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Character Integrity Numbers

Keep Your Word

“Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, “This is what the Lord has commanded. 2 If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.” Numbers 30:1-2 (ESV) How refreshing to spend time with a person of integrity! The guard comes down and pretense evaporates because you are in the presence of someone who keeps his or her word. You can count on them. You can trust them because they are trustworthy. You can rely on them because they are reliable. You can depend on them because they are dependable. Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel to affirm the value of a vow. Moses reminded them of the utter importance and vitality of keeping their word. Their conversation was to be consistently supported by their conduct. Their beliefs were to be authenticated by their behavior. Do you keep your word? Are you a person of integrity? Does your conversation line up with your conduct? Take personal inventory of your life to assess the health of your integrity. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” 1 Sam 16:7 (ESV) Invite God to search your heart and to unveil anything in your heart that does not bring Him honor. Ask God to reveal any fraction of compromise or deception resident in your life. Be a person of integrity. Keep your word! Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 66: Numbers 28-30) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Integrity Job Righteousness

Maintain Integrity

“‘As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, 3 as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, 4 my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. 5 Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.’” Job 27:2-6 (ESV) Your life is like a tube of toothpaste, when squeezed, whatever is on the inside will come out. Adversity has a way of squeezing out fears, frustrations, resentment, and bitterness. By nature, we suppress those things that disappoint us or hurt us. We seek to dodge pain. Job experienced an intense season of testing that revealed what was on the inside of him. Job was honest about his disappointment and transparent about the resident bitterness within his soul. In spite of the avalanche of adversity, Job chose to maintain his integrity. He made a commitment to not speak falsehood, to not utter deceit, and to not put away his integrity. Job resolved to hold fast to his righteousness and not let it go. Everybody looks good from a distance. What do you see when you get close enough to see what is on the inside? How are you doing internally? Maintain integrity by staying close to the Lord and clean before the Lord. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and make sure that the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. Hold fast to the righteousness of Christ. You are positionally right before God in Christ. Apply that positional righteousness through practical righteous living. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 10: Job 24-28) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Consistency Integrity Paul

Integrity

“For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.” 1 Cor 4:17 (NIV) Hypocrisy corrodes the connection we make with a lost and dying world. Our influence for Christ is inhibited when there is a discrepancy between our words and our actions. Being an irresistible influence for Christ mandates integrity. Paul invested in Timothy’s life and was instrumental in Timothy’s coming to faith in Christ. Timothy had shadowed Paul and had insight into both Paul’s public and private life. Paul was now sending Timothy to the church at Corinth to remind them of Paul’s way of life in Christ Jesus. Timothy was positioned to give firsthand testimony to Paul’s integrity as a fully devoted follower of Christ. Paul’s way of life in Christ agreed with what he taught everywhere in every church. His faith and his practice were in sync. Paul’s lifestyle was in alignment with his loyalty to Christ. When you examined Paul’s behavior, it was in-tune with his beliefs. Paul’s conduct was consistent with his convictions. Let me share with you one of the most engaging definitions of integrity that I have ever heard. Integrity is when the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. When your speech matches your path on the street, then integrity is exhibited. When there is misalignment between our talk and our walk, hypocrisy erupts. Does your way of life in Christ line up with your convictions and conversations? Is there any area of your life that is out of sync with your true identity in Christ? Ask the Lord to reveal inconsistencies and choose to live a life of integrity that brings glory to God. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Deception Integrity Ten Commandments

Maintain Your Integrity

“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 16:10 (NIV) Maintain your integrity. My favorite definition of integrity is: when the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. To be a person of integrity means that you are unmixed and unadulterated. With integrity, your walk and your talk are synonymous. There is no disparity and no duplicity. A person of integrity is not divided. For the person of integrity, the public life matches the private life. Be trustworthy and honest. God rewards obedience. God values trustworthiness and honesty. If God can trust you with very little, then God can trust you with much. What are you doing with all that God has entrusted to your care? What kind of lifestyle are you embracing? Are you being trustworthy? Whenever there is a gap in your integrity. Close the gap by making restitution. Make things right between you and God. Be vigilant in making things right with others. Resolve to make personal adjustments in your life to close the gap. Remove harmful habits and embrace healthy patterns to build a bridge of reconciliation to others. Zacchaeus had a life-changing experience that resulted in his willingness to make restitution. He had financed his selfish lifestyle at the expense of others. “But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’” Luke 19:8 (NIV) Investigate your integrity. How’s your private life? How does your private life line up with your public life? Is there a gap? With the Lord’s help, address your duplicity and close the gap by God’s grace. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Consistency Honesty Integrity

Keep Your Word

“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” Matt 5:37 (NIV) Decide to live a life of integrity. My favorite description of integrity is when the tongue in your mouth lines up with the tongue in your shoe. Moses demonstrated integrity by refusing to succumb to the gravitational pull of instant gratification. King David shepherded his people with integrity of heart. Jesus is the model of integrity. Living a life of integrity includes keeping your word. There’s no need to prop up your words by swearing or making a verbal promise. Simply let your “yes” be “yes,” and your “no” be “no.” Be a person of your word. When you give your word on something it should be validated by a lifestyle of credibility. You build your credibility through honesty, consistency, and transparency. “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.” Heb 11:25 (NIV) “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” Psalm 78:72 (NIV) Don’t give the devil a foothold. Don’t give the devil an entry point to dilute your devotion to the Lord or to compromise your integrity. Guard your heart. Protect your mind. Seek to become more and more like Christ each day. The clarity of your integrity will be elevated through Christlikeness. When Jesus reigns in your life, you will reign with integrity in this life. Refuse to be mixed in your motives. Keep your motives pure before God. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Integrity Motives Sufficiency

Measuring Your Motives

“You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3 (NIV) Have you ever been the recipient of a gift that was given with impure motives? When motives are not right, the gift loses its impact. How you give is just as important as what you give. How you serve is just as important as the act of serving. How you do life is just as important as what you do with your life. Motives matter to God. God is all-knowing and all-seeing. In His omniscience, God detects the motives in which you operate your life. God looks beneath the surface of your good deeds to identify your true motives. Selfishness is an indicator of impure motives. Wrong motives will cause you to mistreat others in order to get what you want. “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” Prov 16:2 (NIV) What if we started with a boldness to simply ask God? If there is something we need, what keeps us from asking God who is the Creator and Sustainer of life? Why do we try to take life into our own hands and allow impure motives to infiltrate our decisions? Let’s commit to go to God! He is our sufficiency! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Heart Integrity Sincerity

Sincere Integrity

“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” Psalms 78:72 (NIV) Does the tongue in your mouth line up with the tongue in your shoe? Is your talk in alignment with your walk? If so, that’s integrity! Honesty and truthfulness are garments that every child of God should feature. To be a person of integrity is to be honest about who you are and truthful in your conversation and your conduct. Perhaps you know of people who are loaded with talent, but lack integrity. In many cases, their talent took them farther than their character could sustain them. We have watched countless talented men and women fall into grave immorality due to the lack of integrity. In God’s economy, talent and skill are insufficient without integrity. God wants us to use the gifts and abilities He has blessed us with through the avenue of integrity. The level of our integrity determines the veracity of our testimony. Purity, honesty, and authenticity are vital components for the person God uses. Sincere integrity is crucial for being on mission with God in a corrupt world. King David was not perfect. He made some poor choices and leveraged his position to indulge his sinful appetite. Yet, in brokenness and humility, he confessed his sin and received God’s forgiveness. David shepherded the people with integrity. He led the people with skillful hands. God’s grace was more than sufficient for the race. David learned to depend upon God and to trust in His daily provision. If God can make someone like King David into a man after God’s own heart, then there’s hope for us. We can walk in integrity through our daily dependence upon God. Without His ample supply of grace, we have no chance of living a life of integrity. God does not expect us to live the Christian life in our own strength. Let’s surrender completely to the Lord’s control and allow Him to live His life of integrity through us. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Discipline First Integrity Priorities

Priorities

“‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’” Matt 6:33 (NIV) What is competing for “first” in your life? What gets the majority of your time, energy, and attention? Maybe you feel like you have too many plates spinning and several wobbling. Maybe you are overwhelmed with the tugs on your life and you wonder how you are going to pull it all off before each deadline. Jesus understands the allurements and tugs of life. He had to say “no” to the wrong things so that He could say “yes” to the right things. Jesus had to say “no” to the good opportunities so that He could say “yes” to the best opportunities. Jesus had to guard His mornings so that He could have unbroken fellowship and communion with our Heavenly Father. Jesus had to strategically carve out time to simply rest and be away from the crowds and the demands on His life. There is only so much of you to allocate. You cannot please everyone and you cannot satisfy every request. Some of your spinning plates will have to crash. The wonderful news is that God’s Will can be accomplished within the 24 hours that He has given you each day. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 (NIV) “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:15-16 (NIV) Make room in your life for Jesus to occupy “first” place. Guard your daily intimacy with Him. Create margins in your life to foster balance. No one can do this for you. Only you can enthrone Jesus to the “first” position of prominence in your life. What adjustments do you need to make right now? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor (This devotional was originally posted in ’07 or ’08. I’m taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.) Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Deception If Integrity

Deception

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8 (NIV) Accuracy promotes intimacy. If you want to have an intimate love relationship with God, you must have an accurate estimation of yourself. Taking personal inventory can be helpful. Have you ever stopped long enough to really get down to your current reality? You can live at such a fast pace in this life that you neglect the need for introspection. Looking within to capture the truth of your spiritual status is vitally important. An accurate estimation of yourself requires truthfulness. Being honest about your thought-life, being honest about your motives, and being honest about your inner desires are marks of spiritual maturity. The tendency is to evaluate others under a microscope and to evaluate ourselves with binoculars. Everyone looks good from a distance. Take a close look at your life. Don’t live in deception. Don’t gloss over the things that break the heart of God. “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” 1 Cor 10:12 (NIV) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor (This devotional was originally posted in ’07 or ’08. I’m taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.) Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Discipline First Integrity Priorities

First

Deception If Integrity