Self Leadership: The Foundation that holds everything together

What holds your life, leadership, and faith together when everything else is tested? Integrity is the foundation upon which God builds lasting influence and how ordinary people in Scripture became extraordinary because they refused to compromise.

Transcript

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Welcome to the Leadership Collective. I'm Sandra Elizabeth and I am so glad that you've joined me today. Today's podcast is entitled The Foundation That Holds Everything Together. I want to continue on the subject of integrity. I believe that this is desperately needed in this generation. It is needed in our homes. It is needed in our communities, our workplaces, and yes, even in the church. We live in a generation where image often matters more than character. People spend hours perfecting what others can see while neglecting what only God can see. And so we polish our appearance, we build our reputation, we protect our image. But God is asking another question: What is the condition of your heart? Integrity is not what people think about you. Integrity is who you are when only God is watching. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. God has never been impressed by titles. He is never impressed by your stage performance. He is never impressed by popularity. God has never been impressed by platforms. He is looking for men and women whose hearts are completely devoted to him. Many people pray, Lord elevate me, Lord promote me, Lord increase me. But promotion without character becomes destruction. You know, before Joseph ruled Egypt, he learnt integrity in Potiphar's house. Before Daniel stood before kings, he stood faithfully before God. You see, God prepares the person before he prepares the platform. Some people think they are waiting on God, but sometimes God is waiting on us, waiting for our character to catch up with our calling. Lack of integrity makes you fall, it becomes your greatest fall. See, nobody falls overnight. Nobody suddenly wakes up and destroys their life. Failure usually begins with small compromises. One lie, one hidden conversation, one dishonest decision, one private habit. The enemy doesn't always tempt us with giant sins. He begins with little compromises. This is why the Song of Solomon 2.15 says, catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards. Yes, little foxes, little compromises, little excuses, little dishonesty, and all over time little things become big things. And that is why we need to guard our hearts every day. You see, integrity gives you confidence before God. The Bible says whoever walks in integrity walks securely. Notice that integrity produces security. People that are living dishonest lives are always afraid. They are afraid of exposure, afraid that someone will discover the truth, afraid that their lies will catch up with them. But integrity gives you peace. Integrity gives you confidence. In the book of Daniel, chapter 6, verse 4, it says, They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. You see, Daniel served under several kings. His enemies wanted to destroy him. They searched his life, they examined his work, they investigated everything, yet they could find nothing. Isn't that an amazing testimony? Can you imagine people investigating your life and finding nothing dishonest? That doesn't mean Daniel was perfect. It means he lived with integrity. Even his enemies respected his character. May we become people whose lives speak louder than our words. Jesus was a perfect example of integrity. When we think about integrity, we ultimately look to him. Jesus never manipulated people, Jesus never changed his message to please the crowd. Jesus never compromised truth for popularity. He remained faithful to the Father's will even when it led him to the cross. Integrity will cost you comfort, it will cost you relationships, it will cost you opportunities. Integrity always honors God, and whatever honors God, God honors. Let me pause for a moment here and ask you a few questions. Would your private life honor God if it became public? Are your words and your actions in agreement? Can people trust your promises? Can your family trust your example? Can your employer trust your work? Can your church trust your character? Can God trust your heart? These are not comfortable questions, but they are necessary questions. And I pray today that you will take a few moments to give it thought. Integrity is not about being perfect, it is about surrendering. It is about choosing obedience over convenience. It is about choosing truth over deception. It's about choosing faithfulness over compromise. It's about choosing character over reputation. God is not asking for your impressive resumes and CVs. He is looking for faithful hearts. He is not searching for the most gifted. He already knows what he's put in you. He is searching for the most trustworthy. So when your integrity is intact, you can lose money and recover. You can lose a position and recover. You can lose an opportunity and recover. But if you lose your integrity, you lose the very foundation upon which everything else stands. So I urge you today, let us become men and women who live lives of integrity, not because people are watching, but because we know that God is. Ask yourself this question. If someone followed you for one week, not just to church, but into your home, your workplace, your conversations, your finances, and your private decisions, would they see the same person you present on a Sunday? Integrity is not what you demonstrate on a Sunday. It is not what you demonstrate when everyone is watching. It is revealed when no one is watching except God. So you want to be somebody in the church? But let me tell you this integrity is the foundation of your calling. You see, every building needs a foundation, every bridge needs support, every ministry needs character, and every leader, every person needs integrity. You cannot ask God to enlarge your territory, but yet you don't ask Him to enlarge your character. Promotion without integrity becomes pressure. Your influence without integrity becomes dangerous. Success without integrity is unstable. God is more concerned with preparing the person than promoting the position. You know, most preachers, when they talk about integrity, they will base their sermons on Joseph, Daniel, David, and Paul. And yes, those are powerful examples, but how many times have we heard it over and over? So I did some homework. I went looking up for other uncommon people in the Bible that powerfully illustrated their integrity. In the book of 1 Kings, chapter 18, we read about Obadiah. Obadiah was faithful in a corrupt environment. How many times we find ourselves in corrupt environments, but we continue pursuing our stage performance and our popularity. Obadiah served in King Ahab's palace. It was one of Israel's most wicked administrations. Despite working in such a corrupt environment, he secretly protected 100 prophets from Jezebel. You know, the Bible introduces him with these words. Obadiah revered the Lord greatly. You can find that in the book of Kings, 1 Kings chapter 18, verse 3. But notice something remarkable. He wasn't a prophet, he didn't have a title, he wasn't a king, he wasn't preaching to crowds, he wasn't standing up on the stage, he simply remained faithful where God had placed him. You don't have to work in a Christian environment to live a Christian life. Integrity is serving God wherever he has planted you. Look at the story of Uriah. It's found in 2 Samuel chapter 11. David committed adultery with Bathsheba. To hide his sin, he brought Uriah home from the battle. David expected Uriah to go home to his wife, but Uriah refused. Why? Listen to this. 2 Samuel chapter 11, verse 11. The Ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents. My commander Joab and my Lord's men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and be with my wife? You see, Uriah remained faithful while David compromised. Think about that. The king lacked integrity, and yet the soldier had it. Uriah is often overlooked, often overlooked by preachers, often overlooked in sermons. But what we can learn today is that we never assume position equals character. Because titles don't create integrity, choices do. And here's another character in the Bible, Micaiah. He represents integrity when you're the only voice. His story can be found in the book of Kings as well. 400 prophets told King Ahab exactly what he wanted to hear. Only Micaiah told the truth. He knew it would cost him something. He knew he would be imprisoned for it. Yet he still declared the word of God. What we can learn from that is integrity speaks truth even when lies are more popular. This is incredibly relevant in today's culture, in today's church, in today's community. I also looked at the story of Jabez. You know, everyone quotes enlarge my territory, but very few people preach verse 10 carefully. Jabez prayed, keep me from evil. He wasn't only asking for success, he was asking for holiness. Character came before his expansion. Many Christians pray for bigger influence, but few pray for greater integrity. I can go back to the story of Uriah. You know, David stayed at home. He made a decision, one decision, one moment of comfort, one compromise, and it changed history. He saw Bathsheba and he committed adultery and then tried to hide his sin. To cover his actions, he called Uriah back home. But Uriah shocked him. Never ever confuse your position with your character. Some people have authority but no integrity. Some people have no title, but heaven knows their name. Your leadership, whether it is personal leadership, public leadership, it is not measured by the size of your office. It is not measured by the size of your family. It is measured by the strength of your character. Never admire someone's platform before examining their principles. Yes, you heard what I said. Never admire someone's platform before examining their principles. Oftentimes, people will blame the place that they work, they will blame the environment. But you see, you don't need to become like the environment. You are called to influence the environment, you are called to change the environment. Darkness never overcomes light, light exposes darkness. Integrity is expensive, but so is compromise. Integrity can cost you your life, it can cost you your freedom, it can land you in prison, it can land you in the pit, it can land you in the lion's den. Jesus' integrity led him to a cross. So notice the pattern here. Integrity will always cost you something. Take time at least once a month and ask yourself a few questions. Do an honest self-assessment. Would my family describe me as a person of integrity? Would my colleagues trust my word without hesitation? Do I keep promises? Do I honor God when no one's watching? Am I the same person in private and in public? These are the type of questions that you need to ask yourself. It's not meant to condemn you, it's meant to invite you into a deeper Christ-like character. None of us are perfect, but we can work towards having a Christ-like character. You got to build integrity every day. Choose honesty even when a lie seems easier. Keep your word even when it becomes inconvenient. Treat people with respect, whether they can help you or not. Refuse to gossip even if everyone else is participating. Honor God in private before seeking recognition in public. Repent when you fail and let God's grace restore you. As Jesus taught in Luke 16:10, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. So faithfulness in the small things will prepare you for greater responsibility. I know today's podcast is very different from my previous ones. It is directed to Christians, it is directed to those of you that attend church. It is directed to those of you that have a relationship with Christ. It is directed to anybody who wants to listen to this word. Because the world is not crying out for more celebrities. The world is not crying out for more preachers. The world is not crying out for more leaders. The world is not crying out for more stage performers. The world is not crying out for more gifted people, for more talented people. No, it is searching for the most faithful. It is searching for people with integrity. It is crying out for trustworthy people. Remember that Uriah had no crown, he had no throne, he had no fame. Yet thousands of years later, his integrity still speaks. Thousands of years later, we still speak about him. So you see, people may forget your achievements, people may forget everything that you've done. People may overlook your title, but they will never forget your character. When you stand before God, he will not ask how many followers you had, he won't ask how many people you had in church today, he won't ask how large is your ministry today, he won't ask how impressive your church looks, how impressive your resume looks. He will ask whether you were faithful with what he entrusted you with. As I come to the close of this podcast, I want to encourage you to make this prayer daily. Lord, before you increase my influence, increase my integrity. Before you enlarge my platform, enlarge my character, and before you bless my hands, purify my heart. Because integrity is not simply what you do, it is who you become when Christ is formed in you. And so today, my prayer is that our homes, our workplaces, our churches, and our communities begin to see the character of Christ in us. Let our integrity become a testimony that points others to Jesus. Let your integrity determine whether heaven can trust you to remain in the room. The last question I want to leave with you today is what area of your life is God calling you to walk in greater integrity this week? Don't simply admire God's word, live it. Remember, integrity is not measured by what you do when everyone is watching, it is revealed by the choices you make when only God sees. And I encourage you today to spend some time this week in prayer. Ask God to search your heart, strengthen your character, and help you to become more Christ-like every single day. Thank you today for joining me on the Leadership Collective. If this message has encouraged you, share it with someone who needs it and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Until next time, lead with wisdom, lead with courage, lead with integrity, and above all, honor Christ in everything you do. God bless you.