Living with Integrity

In review of Ephesians 6:14 it says, “So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist.”

Bottom Line:

Stand ready, put on the belt of truth tight around your waist and let God’s justice protect you.

What this means to me:

I am to stand ready by putting on the belt of truth tightly around my waist and then letting God’s justice protect me like armor.

Integrity matters. God’s word reminds me that I’m in a war “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world.” I won’t be able to battle those spiritual forces that threaten to derail my life if I’m not living with integrity.

Essentially, I’m to be committed to taking the truth of God’s Word and applying it to all areas of my life.

It’s why Paul tells me that I need to put on the Belt of Truth before I go into the spiritual battles that are all around me. He says, “So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist” (Ephesians 6:14a GNT).

The Belt of Truth holds up everything. Without truth, my life will fall apart, and spiritual darkness can take over.

I put on my Belt of Truth, by living with integrity. Integrity comes from the word “integer,” which means “unit of one.” My life of integrity isn't the pieces of the pie; it’s being the whole pie.

To live a life of integrity, it’s important to not only know the truth, but to live it out. Like a belt, integrity provides me with stability. It holds me together in the middle through tough times. It gives me much-needed strength.

Living with integrity doesn't mean perfection. If perfection were the standard for integrity, no one would have it. I need to remember that everyone stumbles.

To live with integrity, I need to let people see on the outside what’s going on inside. It means what they see is what they get.

Hypocrisy is the great enemy of integrity. I would practice hypocrisy when I know the truth and don’t do it. It’s when what I say is not the same as what I do.

And it’s dangerous, very dangerous. A lack of integrity in any area of my life will leave me vulnerable to Satan’s arrows. In fact, the moment I start segmenting my life into different pieces; my church life, family life, work life, etc.; I've lost my integrity. I’m not living the same in all areas of my life.

So when life seems overwhelming, or if I feel like darkness is starting to win, its an indication that I’m living a double life. I’ll need to check my integrity. I am to do what God’s Word teaches in all areas of my life, not just where and when it is most convenient. I’ll have no hope without that kind of integrity.