Blog 31: The FIGHT Series (Part 2)— Fight For Your Integrity

1 Principle That Will Help You Make Better Decisions

‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well’—Matthew 6 v33 (NIV)

There is a battle going on in my head. A fight for my integrity. Life demands compromise. If you’re married you’ll know what I mean.

When choosing to put God first, some priorities need to change.

Some things need to be put down … other things picked up. Change is inevitable … and change takes me out of my comfort zone—into uncertainty.

C.S. Lewis stated that, ‘Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.’ Some decisions are easy and others complex.

In this post-post modern era, when society claims that there are no longer any moral absolutes, can I develop the ability to make wise choices and live a life of integrity?

Is this fight winnable?

Yes—I believe that it is!

As a child I learned the value of a daily quite time, but there have been times I’ve compromised.

Quiet was replaced by rushing.

Rushing my Bible reading,
rushing my prayer time,
rushing out the door.
If I were late to bed, I’d sleep in the next day or wake up grumpy.

Consequences

Starting the day behind the 8 ball wasn’t optimal, playing catch up all day long and failing. There were consequences—not happy ones.

I’d promise God to have a quiet time before I went to sleep, but . . .

That’s not treating God with the respect He deserves.

Other areas of life suffered too:

exercise,
writing,
reading,
family time . . .

I really needed another two or three hours in the day.

God or bed?

Have a close relationship with God, spend time with my family, live a significant life, be healthy, exercise daily and leave a legacy.

I could:

Choose to have that extra slice of dessert, or intentionally say no.
Watch TV or intentionally practice my bass.
stay up late and sleep in the next day, or intentionally choose to rise early and have a quite-time.

Intentionality was the common denominator.

What was more important—God or bed?

The mind games continued. The fight relentless.

Then someone gave me a principle which has turned my life around.

Something I now use when setting my priorities;

“You can have what ever you want, but you can’t have it all.”

What I've learned

I accepted the challenge to go to bed earlier and set the alarm.

I don’t miss TV as much as I thought I would.
I’ve learned to appreciate the quietness of the mornings—when it’s just God and me!
My relationship with God has become more intimate.
It’s taken discipline, but do you know it’s no longer a fight, it’s not a chore. It’s a new habit and I actually enjoy it.

Starting the day with God has had added bonuses too.

My writing has become more productive.
I exercise more regularly.
I spend the first four hours of the day doing something I really enjoy.

If it works for me, perhaps it will for you!

A Personal Question:

What value do you place on your integrity?
Is it worth fighting for?
What are you prepared to do to protect it?

Call To Action:

My challenge to you is: Every day for the next 7 days, take 7 minutes out of your schedule and ask God 3 questions:

What are you calling me to do with the rest of my life? Journal your observations.
What do you want me to let go of? Write down your observations.
What are you asking me to pick up? Yea, you’ve got the idea now!

Prayer:

Father, I acknowledge that the biggest battles are often in my head. Help me to choose wisely, to accept the challenges and discipline and if necessary fight to spend daily quality time with You. I need to recognise not only what to ‘put down’ but what to ‘pick up’. I long to become like Your son Jesus, my Saviour and Lord. Amen.’