“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely.” (Prov. 10:9)

Are you committed to integrity or do you prefer integrity?

What is the difference, you ask? If you are committed to integrity you have integrity. You will live with integrity no matter what, even when doing so is difficult. If you only prefer integrity then you do not have integrity because you only make choices of integrity when it is convenient and that is not integrity at all.

Integrity requires integrity all the time. Just like honesty. To be an honest person one must be truthful all the time because if they are only truthful some of the time they are not characterized as an honest person.

Integrity warrants doing the right thing every time, not perfectly but conscientiously. Every known choice is made to do the right thing. I don’t mean the person is sinless. To have integrity means being above reproach regarding truthfulness and honesty.

So, for example, you are given too much change at the cash register; do you tell the cashier of his mistake? The person in front of you has money sticking out of their back pocket (as my sister did recently), do you tell them or mind your own business? Do you declare all your income on your government tax forms or only the money the IRS can check on? Do you follow the laws even when no one is watching? If you can sneak onto the beach without purchasing a beach tag do you do it or do you pay the fee even if it seems ridiculous to you?

You get the idea.

How will we as Children of the One True God stand apart from the rest of the world if we don’t walk securely in integrity? There is security in integrity. You don’t have to explain your way out of anything. You don’t have to worry about getting caught. You don’t have to remember the lie you told in the first place. Security comes from doing it God’s way in the first place.

Walk in integrity. Walk in security.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the Development and Addiction Recovery teams at America’s Keswick. In addition to being a Biblical Counselor, she is a Women’s speaker for retreats, conferences and events. She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. She has been married to her husband John over 28 years. She has 2 adult children, 3 grandchildren, 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all. She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.

i Proverbs 10:9