Integrity- People of God

The reason Jesus came was so that we might know the truth and the truth that we accept and receive as our own can set us free from the lies of this world. As it was said, that we “might”know the truth, because the choice is still ours to make. Jesus never forces His way on anyone, He states the truth and leavesthe decision up to the individual. That is our God given inheritance as being created in God’s likeness and His image, He gave us the authority to choose our own destiny.

John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”

Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

John 8:31-32   Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” NKJ 

Jesus always spoke the truth to those who came to Him and leftthem with the choice to believe Him or not, saying “if you believe, all things are possible.”  The same goes for us today, Jesus’ truth is speaking and we each will determine if we will believe Him and the power of His word, or to believe the lies of this world that are entrenched in its systems. 

Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

1 John 5:9- 13  If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son.   He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.   

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.   He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.   These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

People in this day and age are going after knowledge of many different things. They call it a thirst for knowledge and the Bible calls it itching ears. They are forever learning but never able to come to the “knowledge of the truth,” which is Jesus the Son of God. Jesus was made flesh and lived among us to show us His way. This is a spiritual principle that we must take hold and exalt it above all the knowledge and teaching we have received from the world that comes against the truth of God’s word. 

2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 

Some teaching we receive is honorable and trustworthy as it relates to teaching us how to live a life of respect for family and others but no teaching should negate, contradict or raise itself above the truth of God’s word.   There are those who portray a religious form but are lovers of themselves trying to deceive gullible people and to lead them away from truth for their own benefit and pleasures. Some people would rather live the lie of supremacy, entitlement and privilege so that they may control and dominate others for their selfish need to feel important. They will practice the lie of oppression and manipulation to try and lift themselves above their fellowman, who also are created in God’s image.  

2 Timothy 3:1-7 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,

traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!   For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.   

We are seeing these last days where men are lovers of themselves, money and proud boasters of all they do and all they have. Though what they have, may have been obtained deceitfully, they are more in love with their sinful pleasures.  They are willing to forfeit the love of God and deny His truth and the power that is in His word.   

In every spiritual battle the enemy comes with his deceivinglies, fear or hate to try and turn the hearts of mankind againstthe word of God. We are told to cast down these vain thoughts and imaginings from our minds. The enemy will bring evil, deceitful and dishonest thoughts before every person to try and lure them to think on, consider and ponder those illicit thoughtsso that they may put them into action. But God has told us that we are not to entertain those corrupt thoughts that will try andrise above the word of God. We are to take those thoughtscaptive through prayer and lay them before Christ. 

Our spiritual weapons are prayer, praise and the worship of God. We are to ask the Holy Spirit to give us discernment to know what is true and the strength to be obedient to the word of God.  We are to praise Him for what He has done for us already in the past and we thank God in advance for answering our prayer. Then we worship Him for who He is, the Almighty God, One full of compassion, for His tender in mercy, and forHis loving kindness. He is so worthy to be praised, respected and reverenced for being the Awesome God who is able to deliver us from evil. 

2 Corinthians 10: 4-6  or the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,  casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,   and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Satan would rather have mankind, who were created to be the light of God on the earth, to stay in the darkness he has established at the fall. The enemy has cultivated a system of hate and pride, of anger and grudges and that of fear and vengeance to keep humanity in obscurity, blinded to the truth of Jesus’s way of love and forgiveness.  

If you live in hate and dislike or despise those who are created in God’s image, no matter their race, culture or status, you are living in darkness, without the love of God or the truth of His word. It is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from hate that we may live in fellowship with one another. 

1 John 1:6-7 if we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.   But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

We are to choose to think on the things that are true, pure, lovely and admirable. This is how we turn from the evil that the enemy puts before us and turn to God’s way of thinking and doing. 

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Proverbs 4:14-15, 17-19 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on…

For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun,That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. NKJ