Integrity
“The righteous is habitually walking in his integrity,
O the blessedness of his sons after him!”
Proverbs 20:7 (LSV)
Integrity is the fruit of an honest heart. It is the antithesis of hypocrisy. It frees the heart from seeking to impress others and causes us to live wholly for God. Those who live by its light will inevitably reveal God’s righteousness.
Integrity embraces reproof and seeks rightness in all its ways. It quickly responds to the Lord’s admonitions and holds Christ’s likeness as the goal. It prevents us from seeking vindication for ourselves; it lives purely to vindicate God in every situation.
Integrity is the foundation by which families are blessed; its power is revealed even in our reactions to our failures and shortcomings. The soundness of truth is displayed in its response to these things. It refuses to dismiss our failures or hide our weakness from others in a cloak of hypocrisy and self-righteousness. It takes responsibility for the wrong and learns from these experiences.
“The righteous is habitually walking in his integrity,
O the blessedness of his sons after him!.”
Proverbs 20:7 (LSV)
Integrity is the atmosphere in which children grow to be expressions of light to the next generation. Hypocrisy, conversely, undermines the family unit by eroding and invalidating the truth it seeks to uphold.
The man of integrity walks in humility,
for in knowing himself, he can understand others.
One of the significant aspects of humility is the power to be free from the opinions of others.
“The fear of man brings a snare…”
Proverbs 29:25 (LITV)
There is liberty where the heart is free from pretense. The fear of man is the great snare that prevents our growth in God. In seeking the approval of others, we forfeit our inheritance in God by failing to become what He has purposed for us.
“How can you believe,
when you receive glory from one another
and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
John 5:44
Integrity allows us to stand on the solid (level) ground of truth amid the great assembly of the Lord. We have confidence in God, who alone has established our way; who we are before Him is who we are before men.
“But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.”
Psalm 26:11
Related Article: Untempered Mortar
“The sanctified body is one whose hands are clean. The stain of dishonesty is not on them, the withering blight of ill-gotten gain has not blistered them, the mark of violence is not found upon them. They have been separated from every occupation that could displease God or injure a fellow-man.”
– A.B. Simpson
Brian Troxel
Living with integrity in a world where the corrupt seem favored, not to mention our battle with our own sin nature is challenging. To live with integrity is to follow the example of Christ. And we can live with true integrity by the power of Christ which He graciously and freely gives to all who are His. Great post! Stay blessed🙏
HE is our hope of living such a life and may we found faithful in this darkening day.
BT
The greatest miracle that God can do today is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world and make him holy, then put him back into that unholy world and keep him holy in it.
Leonard Ravenhill
Yes… Amen. A very unpopular and powerful truth.
BT
How often are we concious of other people’s thoughts about us, only to come to realize that they may be concious of what we think of them.
I think of the thing that Jesus said about beholding the mote in your brother’s eye. The real problem is in me not outside of me. Fix the inside, and the outside will be adjusted.
At that point we can see clearer to understand that God is the only one whose thoughts of me matter.
Then we can be a light to light others.
Blessings, brother.
The true integrity that God seeks to develop in His people is where our relationship with our brothers and sisters becomes the mortar by that reveals the truth and the depth of our bonds in Him.
“Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
Colossians 1:28
The validity of the Christ within is that we become co-laborers in Him. Where in the depths of His love we hold one another accountable to His Call and His purpose.
“Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”
Acts 20:31
May we comprehend what the Holy Spirit produced in Paul, Peter, John… was the unselfish desire to see GOD’s Church arise out of the schisms, the egos and selfishness of men. It is a day for us to walk in the pure integrity UNTO HIM freed from the denominational horror of this age that our bonding is not based on the sectarian culture of today but in the living bonds of relationship IN HIM. We exist to answer His prayer of John 17. The true servants of God live unto Him. They seek nothing for themselves but seek to fulfill His desire.
“doing nothing according to party spirit or self-glory, but in humility, esteeming one another as surpassing themselves…” Philippians 2:3 (LITV)
The purity of heart brings us to the place where all of our interactions are free from the “party spirit” which in the Greek is a political term denoting competition and seeking the pre-eminince over others.
“speaking the truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, the Christ, from whom all the body, having been fitted and compacted together through every assisting bond, according to the effectual working of one measure in each part, produces the growth of the body to the building up of itself in love”
Ephesians 4:15-16
HIS Body will not arise until we began to “speak the truth” to one another in Love – His Love for the purpose of each of us becoming living stones being fitted and shaped by the Word of Life flowing from each us that we would become His Temple, His Body (singulary) that the world may know of what His love was able to bring forth through the fallen sons of Adam. Unity of the Faith is the very reason HE GAVE the five-fold ministry. The true ministry of God has one purpose
“And indeed He gave some to be apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; with a view to the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ, until we all may come to the unity of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”
Ephesians 4:11-13
Any ministry that is not aiming and working and exhorting – rebuking – reproving and encouraging His people to this ONE end is short sighted to His divine purpose. We live to serve His purposes and we live our lives and give our lives to this end – His end. The cost is high and yet they who live in the integrity of His Spirit labor to that one end…
Integrity to God brings reproach and rejection from those who walk and live in the “party-spirit” of men but are blessed of Him…
Blessings
BT
Brian, that is very necessary to be known, so I reposted your response. Thank you for your insight, and understanding. Blessings brother.
I hope you will find time to listen prayerfully to the Podcast that is being published tomorrow.
Always encouraged by your comments.
BT
Blessings, brother
Integrity involves intimacy with the individual’s inadequacy—integrity issues from intimacy with the Intimate One. Imparted intimacy and integrity are the crux and core of Christianity. Such superseding state and deepening development is graced and guarded by cooperation with and operation by the sanctifying Spirit of love, light, and liberty. It is the mooring and the more that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me risen, and His reigning right-mindedness, rectitude, and royal righteousness He rejoices to reveal out through me.
Integrity is the fruit of God’s sharp sword of the Spirit “dividing asunder” that which is soulish (self-seeking and self-serving) and that which is of His Spirit. Without integrity there can be no valid expressions of truth. Truth being much more than words but the real truth born and ministered in the Spirit of Truth culminating in His love being the bonds of our relationship with Him who IS the Truth. Where our fellowship is based solely upon our “walking in the light AS He is in the Light”. How good, how precious and how needful this wonder be our abiding experience.
May the Lord hasten the day for the fulfillment of all that HE gave Himself for and is still giving Himself for: “Unto HIM shall the gathering of the people be”!
“Behold! How good and how pleasant is the living of brothers, even in unity…” Psalm 133:1 The literal translation
Great blessings to you my brother!
BT
The inalterable integrity of Truth is the most meritorious, all-glorious Christ of God, the Lord Jesus, Himself, Who Is the limitless, eternal, omniscient, ceaselessly creative Word from and the exclusive, liberating Real, Living, Way to His Father, the Father of glory, the Father of lights, the Father of mercies, the Father of the fatherless, the Father of spirits, the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, the righteous Father, the holy Father. By our Father’s matchless Gift of Christ in us, about us, upon us, and we inseparably in Him, never to forget us, fail us, or forsake us, we live and move and have our being, giving us all that pertains to life and godliness, including the gift and grit of regular repentance, daily, hourly as the highway of holiness.
This integrity holy, habitually happens by lingering long, steadfastly gazing at, lovingly soaking, and fascinatingly steeping in Christ’s beauty and beneficence, thus becoming like His magnificence and munificence of conforming to His celestial character, as richly revealed in conscience and consciousness by cherishing communion with Himself the Spirit of the Word anointing the written Word to our spirit, in consequence of His continually creating both the ‘natural’ and supernatural physical and metaphysical environment in which He has planted/plants and prospered/prospers us and in our interface and interaction with those lives he has deigned and designed we intersect.
Singularly, succinctly stated, the saintliness and simplicity of sanctification to Christ, the wondrous Word before all words and worlds, is integrity.
Our affectionate Abba Almighty in heaven, to the praise and honor of Your grace and glory, increase in us a greater holy heart hunger to know and go with You in the effulgent face of Christ, thus enlarging our spirits’ capacity to receive the integrity of Truth You so deeply desire to endue and imbue us with on the highway of holiness heavenward. This we humbly, adoringly ask in the Name of the Son of Your love, Jesus, the Amen.
Thanks be to the King and you, Brian, for your insights, encouragement, and teachings.
As I am certain you wholeheartedly agree, we could never worship in Spirit and Truth the One Beautiful Triune God more than He everlastingly, infinitely deserves.
Burning blessings of Jesus’ beauty in your being, brother, and intimate blessings of loving affection from His holy heart as Lord of history and King of heaven.
We are going home soon; we must love lavishly in both word and work whilst in the world.
Thank you my good friend – Be blessed, sustained and kept by His amazing grace!
BT
I have been reading Streams in the Desert Devotional for at least 30 years. It has many quotes by A.B. Simpson that I find very truthful. I see his name at the bottom of your post. I know nothing about him. John 17:17 says we are sanctified by Truth. There is so much error and deception in the church today, I believe many will not make it. They refuse to love the Truth and easily accept an easier way. So, refreshing to read your words.
A.B. Simpson was a great light in his generation and ours. He was the founder of the Alliance Church and by which he would be censored in this day. I am in great agreement with your assessment of much of what is being accepted in this day. I hope you will be stirred by the Podcast being published tomorrow. the Spirit of God was very real to us in the meeting together.
Be blessed and continue to stand true to HIM in this hour of sifting!
BT
I look forward to it! God Bless you, Brian!
Blessings!
BT
Darling of Jesus, a moment ago I subscribed to your blog.
Via the Phil Driscoll music ministry at your site, I gratefully experienced such a tremendous anointing for worship, although intensely, convulsively emotional— truly transcending emotionality. Such is inimitable Holy Spirit anointing which glorifies the King by transforming self another precious line upon line, invaluable degree after degree into the very likeness of His supremely super-splendorous Self. In the past, I did not actually connect with or was attracted even, at the very least, to Phil Driscoll’s ministry, but this has now profoundly changed. Alleluia! Thank you, sister.
Christ Jesus, bold Bridegroom-King shall have a victorious, all-glorious end-time Love-lit church—His beloved bride, ordained from eternity past, not by her might or power but by His sovereign, sanctifying Spirit. In this, we can, even in the here and now, revel and rejoice and praise Him the more.
Grace to you and peace be multiplied from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
You have blessed me immensely my new friend! Phil’s Trumpet and music has always been the most anointed of Christian music to me. It just keeps getting better. He truly loves Jesus, and it comes out of his trumpet. He also has a very unique teaching about Praise and Worship unlike any I have heard. I learned a lot!
I believe Jesus is coming sooner than most think and we need His presence more than ever. The songs we worship to are very important.
May you be forever blessed in all your Praise and Worship!
God Bless you, Friend!
You write, “He truly loves Jesus, and it comes out of his trumpet.”
Wow! Dear heart, I delight divinely in your linguistically lit expression of that truth about Phil’s love and his trumpet telling of his love for our Lord. “”He truly loves Jesus, and it comes out of his trumpet.”
You also write, “He also has a very unique teaching about Praise and Worship unlike any I have heard. I learned a lot!”
About a half hour ago, before seeing your comment, I finished listening to Phil’s teaching here: https://tinyurl.com/ynf6tuzb It is entitled “The Warfare of Worship: Phil Driscoll Unveils a Revelation That Changed Everything.” It is excellent!
You, sister, are such a Godsend!
I have seen that video but I watched it again. the words are so strong and need reemphasizing. There is another one I will try to send to you. He is in a white shirt sitting at a desk.
I have been waiting for so long for someone to get what I get from Phil and his music. You are the first. You are truly a Godsend!
Sister sweetheart, about five minutes ago, before I saw this comment from you, I was borne along by the Spirit to arrive at this teaching series of Phil’s here https://shorturl.at/gysqK that I very much look forward to daily sitting under. Earlier today, I listened to a couple of his teachings, plus one in which he tells us that music is a three-dimensional spiritual force field, that God never created music but that the Father is the melody, the Son is the harmony, and the Holy Spirit is the rhythm. Such is breakthrough teaching! His music is so intimately, passionately worshipful in Spirit and Truth, in the beauty of His holiness!
“Sometimes my heart just wants to break from loving You
Then I’ll just let it break
Then run to You.”
(Phil Driscoll, Fallin’ In Love With You)
Burning blessings of Jesus’ beauty in your being and intimate blessings of loving affection from His holy heart as Lord of history and King of heaven.