“Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy” Daniel 6:4 NLT
Temptations are commonplace in this world for a believer. You may encounter instances, where you may have to sprinkle lies on your CV to secure that juicy job, or take a bribe when no one is watching, or do things that are not consistent with your overt Christian character. These scenarios and more confront us daily as believers; however, our response will always make a difference.
Integrity is defined as the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. As believers, God’s word informs our standards and we must adhere to it at all times, regardless of the situation we find ourselves in.
In the Scriptures, Daniel exemplifies the concept of integrity to such a great extent. When you study the book of Daniel, you will discover a lot of attributes about Daniel including excellence, wisdom, amongst others. However, Daniel was also a man of integrity. He served under 3 successive administrations and yet, at no time was his character questioned.
As we can glean from our anchor verse, his impeccable character drove his colleagues to intense frustration and disdain as they could not find any fault. Could it be that they tried to get him to add an extra zero to the proposed budget or they tried to offer him a reward if he would just look the other way and he refused? Daniel must have earned a scornful and sarcastic tag of ‘Mr Integrity’.
As a believer, full of the Spirit, you can even do better than Daniel. Daniel was a man of the senses and only operated based on the fear of God and the desire to lead uprightly. However, you now have the Spirit of God living and active in you; directing your actions and serving as an internal controlling mechanism over your thoughts and actions (Romans 8:14, Ephesians 1:13).
This means that if Daniel, faced with those tempting situations, could say no and walk away, then you can do so too. You can stand in truth when faced with decisions that will test your integrity at work, school or even among loved ones and strangers. Sometimes, walking away will cost you a friend, job, contract, relationship, a good grade or even money, but it will be all worth it not to compromise on God’s standards.
Pray for strength, wisdom, and direction. You can trust God to guide and strengthen you through any tough decision or temptation. Daniel applied this even when his faith was threatened and yet he remained faithful and God rescued him (Daniel 6:6-23).
Dear believer, God’s desire is that you continue to be a person of integrity, when everyone is watching and also when no one is watching.
Bible Reading Plan: Isaiah 35-36