The Overwhelming Importance of Integrity and Sincerity in the Christian’s Life!

16 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   16 August 2025   1 Samuel 1:7b.

1 Samuel 1:7b.        for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Oh friends, am I ever disappointed that I could not stay longer abed this glorious lazy-day Saturday in the middle of August 2025! And why is that? Because after spending almost the whole day in the concrete jungle city called Toronto, enduring traffic jams, going and coming, and waiting a couple of hours before I could have my procedure done, I got home tired and went to bed early – well early by my standards. (smile) But then the ole back eventually rebelled when I lay abed for longer than normal, thus forcing me to get up earlier than I intended. But that’s what happens when you’re getting on in life. Note, I did not say getting old. (smile)

Anyway, we’re up and about, and thankful that we’re alive to see another beautiful day on God’s beautiful but currently chaotic and disastrous earth. That means we have a purpose for being here at this time and place, and the Lord is trying to initiate His plan, His playbook for our lives, but unfortunately too many of us are resisting His advances and His plays. But let’s see if we can’t turn things around somewhat nuh, through the medium of prayer, which God instituted so we can communicate with Him, thus letting Him know how we feel about any and everything, especially the plays He’s calling in our lives. (smile)

Remember, He wants to be involved in everything that concerns us, be it big or small, relevant or irrelevant. So let’s begin with offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’

Now that’s the easiest way to get God’s attention, by seeking greater communication and intimacy with Him. For remember one of the reasons He created us is for us to LOVE Him and each other, and achieve an intimacy that’s pure and wholesome. But the main point of the whole process is sincerity. If we’re not sincere, then the Lord will ignore whatever we say. For unlike mankind, He doesn’t just listen to our words, but searches the depths of our hearts to discover our real motives.

And there are several scriptures which repeat that fact, beginning with this one from 1 Samuel, where the Lord admonished Samuel when he sent him to anoint a new king from the sons of Jesse, and Samuel looks on the comely and manly features of the eldest son, Eliab and believes that he is the chosen one. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature, because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)

And so it went, until the Lord chose the most unlikely of Jesse’s sons to be king, Bruh David, because he had a sincere heart for the Lord. Then, we have these words of Bruh David from Psalm 7 – A Plea for Protection from Enemies – where he declares: ‘The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me. O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins (tests the hearts and minds). My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.’ (Ps. 7:8-10)

Oh my people, being of an upright, sincere heart is ever so important in our relationships; both with God and with our fellow man. Although, like the prophet Jeremiah said so long ago: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (incurably sick): who can know it?’ (Jer. 17:9) And that’s the indisputable  truth! Man’s heart is oh so wicked that it cannot be trusted, especially in what looks like these last days, when negative and ungodly things like greed, deceit, envy, slander, strife, poverty, inequality are ruling the roost in our world.

That’s why Jeremiah follows up that verse with this one: ‘I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins (test the mind, the most secret parts), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (deeds).’ (Jer. 17:10) And knowing all that, it boggles my mind to think that so many of us, even supposed believers, still try to hide things from God eh? We go to Him with a lot of praise and whatever in our mouths, but our hearts are nowhere close to what our mouths are spewing.

It’s like Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees: ‘This people draweth nigh (near) unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.’ (Matt. 15:8-9) And brother, is that ever happening in today’s society! The false prophets, the evil snake and His cohorts are running riot over the land with false doctrines, deceits and even outright lies. And sadly, many of us are buying into it!

But if we are true believers, we ought to know better, for as John warns in his first epistle: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:1-3)

And that’s ever so true friends, for the antichrist is raising a hue and cry all over our world right now, and we have to be very careful about what and whom we listen to. But hear this most important fact from the next verse. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4)

Now my people, if we don’t believe anything else today, please, let’s believe that, and please, let’s take it to heart, write it indelibly in souls, mind and bodies, because it is the gospel truth, and only as we believe it, and operate from that position of authority and power of the Holy Spirit, will we ever defeat the enemy. Much LOVE!

…it’s foolish to try and hide anything from God…for He created us…and is omniscient – all-knowing…knows everything about us…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   10 February 2023 Proverbs 19:1.

10 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 19:1.       Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.

How interesting it is to awaken to a house with no electricity on a damp and cloudy Friday morning! Just the encouragement you need to jump back into bed, because it means no internet and thus no messaging or no Bit. And I could genuinely say ‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ and pull the covers back over my head. (smile) But good things don’t last forever, and some forty minutes later the electricity returned. Chuh! I was just getting warm and cozy with the duchess. 

And once the electricity came back, she was ready to be up and about and begin her day. No lounging in bed for her. So, I reluctantly got up too. And here I am contemplating what to write. Obviously, I asked the Lord to show me what He wants me to write on, but nothing has come to mind so far, so let’s open the Good Library and see where He leads me. Soon come. 

And it didn’t take long. He guided me to these awesome words of Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.’ (Prov. 19:1) And isn’t that the awesome truth? It certainly is, and it’s highlighted ever so much by our current talkative society, who, with the help of social media talk a whole lot of baloney, on things they know nothing about. I don’t think we’ve ever had so many foolish people in our world like we do today, thanks to social media and the supposed encouragers who manipulate it for their own selfish and evil purposes. 

And sadly, many of us don’t even know the word ‘integrity’ much less it’s meaning. And what does it mean eh? Well, according to the Random House Dictionary, integrity is: ‘Adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. The state of being whole, entire or undiminished.’ Now how many of us nowadays adhere to moral and ethical principles or are honest eh? Not too many, because those things are no longer the backbone, the foundation of our societal character. Rather things like fraud, dishonesty, deceit, immorality and evil doings now are the guiding principles of our ungodly society. 

And here are some character traits related to integrity, which hopefully will rub off on us and keep us walking along the straight and narrow path. Integrity is: ‘Gracious, Respectful., Honest. Integrity requires honesty. … Trustworthy. People with integrity follow through on their commitments. … Hardworking, Responsible. Those with integrity take accountability for their actions. … Helpful. When someone has integrity, they help those in need. … Patient.’ Yes friends, to have true integrity, we must possess most, if not all of those characteristics. 

Now, if you read through those traits again and compare them to our current society, you will find that we are a failed society under those terms of reckoning. And isn’t it interesting that later on in Proverbs, Cousin Sol chooses to reiterate his words on integrity in a slightly different manner. This time he writes: ‘Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness (integrity), than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.’ (Prov. 28:6) 

Oh my people, that’s another glorious truth! Wealth doesn’t give us the privilege to behave perverse and foolish, without integrity. But that’s exactly how many a wealthy person and/or family behaves nowadays. As though their earthly wealth has given them the authority to behave like they own the world and can do whatever they want, as dishonestly, deceitfully and ungodly as they desire. But yuh know what? The verse just before that last one offers us an interesting picture as it says: ‘Evil men understand not judgement (justice): but they that seek the Lord understand all things.’ (Prov. 28:5) 

And that’s something we should sincerely contemplate, then try to make it true in our own lives. Sadly though, the Father of our faith, Abraham, suffered two occasions where serious integrity was totally lacking. Twice he lied and said that his wife Sarah was his sister, and since Sarah was beautiful both the Pharoah of Egypt and King Abimelech of Gerar took her for their wives. The Lord plagued Pharaoh’s house with great plagues because of it, and Pharaoh finally saw the light and returned Sarah to Abraham and then ran him out of town.  (Gen. 12:10-20) 

With Abimelech though, God warned him in a dream that Sarah was Abraham’s wife and he was playing with fire if he touched her. (Gen. 20:1-4) Abimelech protested his innocence. ‘Said he (Abraham) not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thine heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 

Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, and all that are thine.’ (Gen. 20:5-7) And Abimelech obeyed the Lord’s command, but first seriously reproaching both Abraham and Sarah.’ (Gen. 20:9-18)  

Oh my fellow believers, you see the major problems we can cause others through lack of honesty and true integrity. Meanwhile in Psalm 7, Bruh David pleads with God to deal with him according to his integrity. ‘The Lord shall judge the people: judge me, O lord, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.’ (Ps. 7:8) Now how many of us have the parts to ask God to do such a thing eh? Not too many. 

And the Book of Job is chocked full of talk on integrity, for Job maintained before his friends and God that he had done no wrong to cause all his calamity to befall him. But I think the moment he shows the most awesome integrity is when his wife tells him: ‘Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive (accept) evil (calamity)? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’ (Job 2:9-10) 

Ah friends, it’s not easy living the Christian life, especially in these last days, but live it we must. And with the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us, we certainly can live it victoriously. We only have to abide by His leading and guidance. And the first thing He always recommends in our uncertainty is prayer. And there’s no better time for prayer than right now. So, let’s go to the throne of God, through our Friday Chant asking for divine help in our sinful and ungodly world. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the confusion and anxiety caused by the pandemic and our many other serious problems. We can’t fix them on our own Lord, so we desperately need your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. 

So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, without further serious setbacks. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to return backsliders to your fold, show them the error of their ways. 

And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic, the bubbling discontent and dissatisfaction in our land, as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

Now, our next move is to truly start living and behaving like the faithful believers we mentioned above, so that the Lord can look down on us with His divine favour! Much LOVE!

…a righteous heart walks in integrity…but the evil heart walks in ungodliness… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ