I recently was looking through some surveys taken at a university campus that dealt with the issues of integrity.  The questions were simple and straightforward.  Define integrity.  Name a political leader who has integrity.  Name a spiritual leader with integrity.  Name a company who has integrity.  Name someone you know who has integrity.

 

What I found is that the definiton of integrity was not always sound, nor did it always make complete sense(However, there were a few that had a good grasp on a solid definition for integrity).  There were many “influencers” on the answers that were given.  It appeared that ones ethnicity influenced who you thought had integrity.  Moral standards and even beliefs about morality influenced who you thought had integrity.  Political ideologies affected who you thought had integrity.  And while none of this is shocking it should cause some sense for concern because it emphasizes the effect of relativism on issues of character that should not be that subjective.

 

Here is what integrity is not, despite some thought on our university campuses to the contrary.  Someone does not have integrity just because they agree with my lifestyle.  Someone does not have integrity just because they have the same skin color as I do.  Someone does not have integrity just because they are in the same political party as I am.  Someone does not have integrity just because they say they do.

 

Integrity is really only proven over time and in secret.  Integrity is seen in the crises of life, because that is where we see the stuff of which we are made.  Integrity is seen more in our reactions than our actions.  Clearly defined, integrity comprehends the whole moral character.  It is the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles.  And I guess therein is where the problem lies.

 

In a world where moral standards are constantly assaulted, redefined and ignored, integrity has taken a beating.  From “wall street to main street” as our political candidates love to say, there is an absence of integrity, or a very misconstrued definition of the word and we can see its tragic results.

 

We need to have the purity and genuineness that integrity calls for and there is only one way to accomplish this goal.  There is only one who pure and holy.  So our integrity is revealed as Jesus Christ lives out His life through us.  If integrity is tied up in moral standards then we have to agree there is a wrong and right, and then we have to agree that there is a standard or measuring stick that defines wrong and right.  Next we have to ask ourselves what that measuring stick or standard is for our lives.

 

Historically the answer is seen over and over again.  It is clear that the Bible is the best standard which to uphold and that Jesus is the best example by which to live.  Some of the strangeness of the survey results was not just what answers were given, but the obvious omission of answers that seem obvious.  Not one person mentioned Billy Graham as a spiritual leader with integrity.  Even the Pope got more nods in this category than Jesus Christ Himself, with his one vote.

 

If integrity continues to be defined outside of the the life of Jesus and the word of God we will continue to see economic disaster, political upheaval, and relational dysfunction like never before.  But if we will return to God’s high moral standards we will find a new sense of security and peace that I believe we all would welcome.

I just got an encouraging email from someone in our church, but it also contained some information that I thought was worthy of passing along to all of you that may read this (all 1,000 of you - I wish!).  The backdrop is that we recently finished a sermon series on prayer here at In Focus and the correlation between discipline in fitness and prayer is of course very practical and good.

 

So we can learn a lot from being disciplined in our physical health, and working out if we would apply the same principles to our prayer life.  So here they are, I hope whether you are planning on going to the gym or meeting with God (and you should probably do both) that this will help.  Now remember these were written for a Fitness magazine to help you do better at getting fit, uncanny!

 

1. Make it nonnegotiable—Don’t tell yourself that you can cop out.

2.  Make it actionable—be clear about what you’re going to do to reach your goal. For example: “I’ll go to sleep 30 min. earlier so I can pray (exercise)in the morning”

3.   Set a deadline—Mark it on your calendar.

4.   Schedule it in —Write prayer time (or workout) on your planner and treat them like appointments.

5.  Find solutions for your usual excuses–write down your most common reasons for not praying (exercising) and brainstorm strategies to deal with them.

6.   Do it daily–the more something is part of your everyday life, the less you’ll have to think about it.

7.   Change your focus—Look at what you’ve accomplished as opposed to what you still have to do.  (look at the answered prayers instead of all the unanswered or focus on weight lost instead of how much more to loose).

 

 

What great advice to help us in our physical health and our spiritual health.  No wonder Paul used so many athletic analogies in his letters, it is because we can understand spiritual principles better and then hopefully apply them to our lives.  So I hope that you will “run the race as if you want to win” and as a result that there will be a lot more healthy prayer warriors out there in the community!

 

 

There are many things that I see repeatedly in the life of Jesus that I strive for in my own life, but one particular characteristic is really sticking in my mind right now and that is His ability to stay calm in every situation.  If you are like me (and you may be for all you know) moving from the peaceful places of calmness to the turbulent waters of anxiety can be a very short trip.  It does not take much it seems for me to feel the pressure rising in my chest and bursting forth in my grey hairs when circumstances seem to be mounting against me.

 

I think our initial inclination is to figure out what we can do to fix something, or make something better, or possibly just hold on until the tsunami of issues pass on by, if they will.  I feel like I am on solid ground when I state that God desires our first inclination to be to run into Him.  Jesus was so good at this, and His ability to speak the Word of God and know the heart of God kept Him in a state of peacefulness that I certainly long for in my life. 

 

Remember when Jesus was sleeping through a nor’easter on the fishing boat with the disciples?  How did He remain calm in the midst of all that commotion and fear?  It was not like the disciples had no right to be a little scared as the water was filling up the boat.  When they awoke Jesus He immediately told the winds and waves to calm down (and they did) and then asked the disciples where their faith had gone?  Complete calm and confidence in God is what Jesus exhibited, even in the face of visible trouble.  I believe that is what God is asking of us as well, calm, peace and confidence in our Heavenly Father even in the face of visible trouble.  Faith is the ability to see what is not yet seen and knowing God will come through.

 

As Jesus also once stated, I “have not added any hairs to my head by worrying,” but I have made them disappear and/or turn colors.  So my only response is to strive for the rest and peace and calm that can be found in Christ alone.  There is much to learn from our country’s economic situation (and other unpleasant life situations), but one of them is how to find a calmness in the middle of turmoil.  Like Jesus, we need to see the impending storm and go take a nap!

 

“God is in control,” it may sound trite but the Word of God emphasizes it over and over and we need to remind ourselves of this very fact over and over.  There is no substitute for time in prayer and in God’s Word.  This is how we will know the Word of God as well as know the heart of God, and consequently pray the will of God into every situation.

 

In response to the panic surrounding the stock market and the economic situation in our country I decided to pass along some scriptures that my former pastor sent to me today.  Pastor Gene always had a way of pointing my attention back to the Word of God for the truth, as well as the source to place our trust.  Here is some of what he sent to me and that I hope will encourage you today.

 

A RIGHTEOUS MAN DOES NOT FEAR A BAD REPORT

 

WEALTH AND RICHES ARE IN THE HOUSE OF THE RIGHTEOUS

 

FOR THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD THERE IS NO WANT

 

THE EYES OF THE LORD IS TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS

 

THOSE WHO SEEK THE LORD THERE IS NO WANT

 

THE RIGHTEOUS CRY AND THE LORD HEARS, AND DELIVERS THEM OUT OF ALL THEIR TROUBLES

 

THE LORD KNOWS THE DAYS OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THEY SHALL NOT BE ASHAMED IN TIMES OF FAMINE

 

I HAVE BEEN YOUNG AND NOW I AM OLD YET I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN NOR HIS CHILDREN BEGGING BREAD

 

TRUST IN THE LORD AND DO GOOD AND THE LORD SHALL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART

 

BIND KINDNESS AND TRUTH AROUND YOU NECK THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE FAVOR WITH GOD AND MAN

 

THE SALVATION (DELIVERANCE) OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS FROM THE LORD, HE IS THEIR STRENGTH AND HE HELPS THEM, HE IS THEIR PROVIDER IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

 

THOSE WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN THE LORD SHALL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED

 

THE LORD IS GOOD TO THOSE WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN HIM

 

THE LORD NEVER FORSAKES HIS GODLY ONES, HE PRESERVES THEM IN TIMES OF FAMINE 

 

 

Now is the time more than ever to hide God’s Word in our hearts and respond to Him out of trust and faith.  His Word is true and helps us to renew our minds when all other things (reports, voices, facts and figures, and rumors) tell us to run because the “sky is falling.”  This is no time for “chicken littles” but it is time for faith and trust in God and His unfailing love.

Prayer has been a part of my daily life for as long as I can remember.  From bedtime prayers to before dinner “blessings” to corporate prayers at church, praying has been a part of my life.  Does it work?  I have to say yes not only because of personal experience, but because of Biblical proof that it does as well.  And yet for every answered prayer that I have gotten there is a litany of unanswered prayers as well.  Now like Garth Brooks so eloquently sang, I too have thanked God for some of those prayers being unanswered.  However, there have been others that I still wonder why it seems I have never heard back on, or it seemed the answer was “no.”

 

Phillip Yancey, in his book “Prayer - Does it Make a Difference,” recounts three things that he feels the Bible teaches when it comes to prayer.  Three principles that appear to have been modeled by Jesus during His time here on this planet as well.  They are not earth shattering, just simple, but profound enough that if implemented could revolutionize our prayer lives.  So here they are:

1.  Keep it honest

2.  Keep it simple

3.  Keep it up!

 

Mother Theresa once said “If you want to get better at praying, pray more.”  So the conclusion that I have come to is to keep on praying.  The Bible says in Ephesians 6:18, “keep on praying in the Spirit, at all times, with all kinds of prayers.”  So it seems pretty obviouis that is what we are supposed to do to me.  Keep it honest.  God knows you better than anyone else so you don’t have to be something or somebody you are not.  He is ready to receieve and listen to you just as you are.

 

Keep it simple.  God is not impressed with lofty or lenghthy prayers.  You should not feel the pressure to say things you would never say, or say them in ways you would never speak in everyday life.  What is on your heart, what do you want to say to God?  Speak it out and spend the time with God to do so, just don’t forget to pause and listen as well.

 

Keep it up.  Consistency and persistence will do more to enhance your prayer life than almost anything else.  The Bible states numerous times that Jesus “often” went away to pray.  We often “think about praying” but rarely make it a consistent part of our daily lives.  If we will just show up and do our part, desiring to be in a relationship with the God of the universe, you can be assured He will do His part, even if the answer is no.