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The restorative power of integrity
Everybody has made bad decisions along the way that were rooted in overconfidence.
You’ve made them.
And I’ve made them.
Though the details have differed, the basic story is as follows.
We are presented with information from somebody who wants something from us. We are asked to promise that we’ll provide something to them in return for something that we want.
It could involve a business deal, a certain type of relationship or joint project of some sort, or perhaps even a Christian service commitment.
We do a bit of homework because we don’t want to be accused of making uninformed, rash decisions.
Then we think that we’re going to win in the proposed deal and we say, “Yes.”
In very short order, we learn that we didn’t have all the information about the other party or parties involved in the deal.
We realize that we’ve entangled ourselves in a mess and it really stinks.
We realize that we’re actually the loser in the deal.
As rotten as these sort of circumstances are — and they do prompt much angst on occasion — our decision-making goof does not have to become our legacy.
If we use the poor decision as a trigger for demonstrating ongoing faith, what Satan schemed in order to erode our faith CAN instead become a tool for the victory of our faith.
It’s all about our willingness to admit our prideful overconfidence in our judgment and commit to the integrity of keeping our promises.
What Satan intended for our defeat can be turned back against his schemes.
It just takes humility, self-discipline and faith.
There is, of course, a biblical trigger for this Morning Devotion.
It’s found in today’s reading in the One-Year Bible.
The story is told in Joshua 9-10 — a passage I strongly encourage you to read.
This is a story about the Israelite leaders trusting their own wisdom with no regard for the place of prayer. You’ll read of the terrible regret the leaders later experienced because of thinking they didn’t need God’s input in their decision.
You’ll read of how thousands of Hebrew lives were put at risk because of the foolish promises.
You’ll also read of how God took the Israelite’s failures of faith and brought about a powerful victory over Satan’s schemes, a victory that actually promoted the pre-ordained plan of God for Israel and cleansing the Promised Land.
I pray that you will read this account. And I pray that you’ll think about those bad decisions that you’ve made in the past, decisions for which you relied too much on your “taste tests” and not enough on humble prayers to God.
Even if you’re still suffering in some way because of those decisions, I exhort you to keep your vows.
Demonstrate that your word is true, that you understand the importance of integrity.
Sooner or later, if you pray to God for strength to show integrity even in the storm, He WILL uphold you and He WILL use you in a way that unmistakably shows God to be stronger than Satan.
He WILL bless your life even though you’ve made a mess of some decisions along the way.
You’ll have more scars in this life, yes.
But you’ll also have the confidence of more stars in your crown for the next life.
Just like Joshua did after the victories were racked up in Joshua 10.
Please, remember this passage and you’ll save yourself a lot of grief:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” Proverbs 3:5-6
As always, I love you
Martin
