I saw this quote on my friend Regina's Facebook page and loved it! (Thanks, Regina!) It really made me stop and think! This quote is SO very true; however, it doesn't just apply to strong women, in my opinion. It applies to each and every one of us as God's Children...Men, Women, and Children!
My thoughts are this: We adults, who 'claim' to be God's children, saved by His Holy Grace, need to step up and SHOW our earthly children how to live our lives in and FOR our Heavenly Father. We should be doing so with our actions demonstrated in the lives we live, not just with empty words that have no meaning or integrity without action. Our Sunday School lesson yesterday in David W's class at Victory Baptist Church was about 'Spiritual Integrity' and standing up for what is right by God, not what is right according to society, personal, familial, or emotional standards. It's usually not gonna be what's popular or accepted by the masses.
In Sunday School, the lesson began with a statement that we cannot separate Integrity to God and general integrity in our daily lives. Integrity to God means we must have UNITY with God's Will and with other Christians who truly desire the same. We cannot demonstrate Spiritual Integrity and support ourselves or others, Christian or Non-Christian, who are not doing or standing up for what is right and true in God's sight, not ours. That's often extremely hard for us, but that's what we have to do as Christians. We must lay down our lives for God's Will, and I don't mean we all should be literally 'dying.' I mean standing strongly against sin, against evil, and against the Enemy, who attacks our Unity with others and God daily. Yes, we all sin daily. Yes, we are all tempted daily to sin more and more, but we must guard against it and help other Christians do the same. Sometimes, we have to forsake and rebuke actions that are clearly against God's Will, even if that means putting ourselves in very uncomfortable situations here on this earth. We have to choose God, our Heavenly Father, over ANY worldly relation we may have, especially ourselves, to demonstrate this True Integrity.
Taking a stand doesn't mean you don't love yourself, your friends, or your family members, but it means you love your Heavenly Father more and enough to do the right thing. That's Integrity. That's what being a Child of God is all about. He never indicates in His Word that this will be easy, but He does promise it will be BLESSED!
In our lesson that comes from Acts 4 & 5 in God's Holy Word, Peter had to demonstrate this Integrity by standing for God against Ananias and Sapphira's dishonesty with the Church (Apostles.) It wasn't the easy thing to do, nor was it the popular thing to do, but it was the right thing to do in the sight of God. Ananias & Sapphira were both punished for their sins, as all of us are or will be.
It seems our present-day society would have us all believe that we can do anything we desire, whatever 'tickles our fancy,' with no consequences whatsoever. That's wrong. We must demonstrate Integrity to God, and we MUST instill this trait into our children. If you aren't sure who's right or who's wrong in a situation, turn to the Bible. And PRAY. If you aren't sure what you should stand for, turn to the Bible. And PRAY. If you aren't sure what God's Will is for your life or actions, turn to the Bible and PRAY. God's Word will never steer you wrong, but it must be studied properly to be properly understood. If you can't figure it out, seek out someone with Spiritual Integrity to God to help you.
I am so thankful that I have wonderful preachers and teachers of God's Word in my life to help me when I don't understand something or when I need help in a situation I am facing. I am thankful that my Dad, who is a Minister, NEVER tells me what I want to hear; he tells me what is right by God. Throughout life, that has frustrated me from time to time. I have said on countless occasions, "Talk to me as my Dad, not as a Preacher." But he has never wavered. God is first in his life, and it shows.
Sometimes the brutal truth hurts, but we NEED to hear it, and we MUST seek the TRUTH according to God's standards, not our own. Strength does, indeed, come from God, and we must lay ourselves down at His feet and pick up His Armor in our daily battles against the Enemy, who will always hit us where it hurts the most. We must guard our relationship with Christ as our most precious and important union in life. If we do not do so, every other relationship here on this earth will suffer. To be a strong man, woman, or child of Integrity in our natural lives requires us to be focused and driven by the Promise and Word of the All-Powerful and Supernatural Jesus Christ.
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