Integrity: The Soul of Godly Character.

“The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains” (Micah 7:2 NIV)
Micah started with a grave statement; “Woe is me” (Michal 7:1a). Why, because of the disappearance of people of godly character and integrity. “I look at how people are living, and what I see across the nation is that godly character is being swept away. I look for models of upright living, but I’m not seeing them.” This is a fearful picture of a deprived, corrupted and demoralised state of society – a loss of men of character and integrity and the rise of individuals and groups of people with their own agendas and self-interest that has replaced the common good. Micah lamented, “As I look at what is happening among God’s people, it breaks my heart!”
Is this not the picture we see everywhere today, even in the church? The need for men of character and integrity today is perhaps as great as it has ever been. To justify our depravity, many view integrity as an out-dated idea whereas according to the order of heaven it remains the only prerequisite to credibility. Integrity involves an inner sense of wholeness which results from being consistently honest and morally upright and it is crucial in all aspects of life: professional, personal, social and spiritual. 
There is no other way to it, integrity is the basic element of Christian character. It is the first characteristic of those welcomed into God’s presence (Ps.15:2). It is the first characteristic that distinguishes godly leadership: “So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skillful hands” (Ps.78:72). Integrity is not determined by circumstances, based on credentials and is not to be confused with reputation. A person with the integrity of heart is a morally and spiritually healthy individual.
We have drifted from God, let us turn back to God and ask He builds us over again. The Scripture says “Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls” (I Peter 2:25). Turning back to God is more than words and plans -it’s action! It’s repentance without excuses or hesitations! (See: Acts 26:20; Matthew 3:8; Titus 2:14;3:8). It is in our turning that God will turn back
A CALL TO FAITHFUL SERVICE
“I set treasurers over the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, and Pedaiah of the Levites; assisting them was Hanan son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah, for they were counted faithful, and their task was to distribute to their brethren.” Nehemiah 13:13

The high point of this passage is that all the men put in place regardless of their titles had one thing in common, the men were considered trustworthy(Nehemiah 13:13b). They were faithful men. Today faithfulness as a quality is very rare. All we do is pay lip service to it. It is disheartening to me at times to see how few people take seriously the responsibility to carry through faithfully what they have undertaken.
Faithfulness is a quality that God admires. Paul says of those who minister in the church: “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). That is the primary thing God looks for: the ability to hang in with an assignment until you are through; the willingness to fulfil responsibility year after year, not needing to be praised or thanked or publicly encouraged in order to do so; to work unto the Lord; to show up on time and to not leave until the work is done.
To be considered faithful has no relationship with age or gender, it is not a function of how long you have been in the church. A faithful believer is a man with:
  • Humble Heart: someone whose ego is not on the line all the time, who must be praised and honoured and encouraged in order to get him to do anything at all; who gets disgruntled and turned off if she does not get recognised. I look for someone who understands that service is a privilege; that power is not conferred upon a person by an office but by serving people.
  • Right Attitude: Someone who sees her work as a ministry of service to the Lord Himself; he sees it as a privilege to serve and undertakes the it out of gratitude in his own life and heart, and no matter how tough it gets, will not quit. He possesses a teachable spirit who wants to learn all the time, always listening and tries to consult and reason out with others.
God is looking for these kind of people in 2017, to change the age in which they live. That is what we are called to do today. We are all included in this calling, not just the pastor or visible leaders. There is no single believer that has not been equipped by the Holy Spirit with a special ability to do something. in the service of the Lord. Do you make your gifting available in His service? If you have, are you faithful? Will you answer the call in 2017?. The body of Christ requires faithful men and women who are willing to carry this through to the end.

A CALL TO FAITHFUL SERVICE
 
Do you have questions regarding this week’s issue of “In His Presence”? Please contact me via the email address below.
pastor@rccggoldenarena.org
Ranti Orioke

IN HIS PRESENCE

 

“The OBEDIENCE, Key to the            Miraculous”

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking.

Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, Stand up on your feet! At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. Acts 14:8-10

   

Faith or obedience, which comes first and what is the significance of the order? Obedience to what? Faith in what or whom? The combination of the two describe our daily walk with God.

The passage tells of Paul preaching in Lystra along with Barnabas, we are not told how long or the number of days this has been. There seated in the marketplace was a man who had been lame from his birth, who had never walked. He heard what Paul said, and believed what Paul declared about the power of Jesus, the mighty Son of God. Paul looked at him and saw in that man’s eyes the faith to believe. Suddenly he said to him, Stand up on your feet. And the lame man, though he had never walked in his life, made the effort to obey. He had faith enough to try, and the moment he began to obey, the power to obey was given.

 

I believe this is exactly the way the Christian life works. It does not make any difference whether the problem is physical, emotional, or spiritual; it does not matter who puts there and for how long, you are going to be held in its bondage until you begin to obey the Word of God about it. When you make the effort to obey, God will set you free. But he will never move until you obey. That is the way faith works. Most people are kept from seeing God at work in their lives because they keep waiting for God to do something, in order for them to believe. No, God has already done all that he is going to do in the realm of the spirit. When you believe what he says, then he will give you the power to be free.

 

Obedience is the fruit of ones decisions. It makes way for the miraculous. When Joshua was faced with an impassible barrier, the floodwaters of the Jordan River receded only after the leaders stepped into the rushing current in obedience and faith. Obedience unlocks God’s power. The Bible says Jesus Christ learnt obedience by the things He went through, no wonder, everything answer unto Him. As you go through the Christian race, learn obedience. Once you learn obedience, your life becomes easier.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 


”  

The OBEDIENCE, Key to the  Miraculous”

  

 Do you have questions regarding this week’s issue of “In His Presence” ? Please Contact me via the email address below.

 

pastor@rccggoldenarena.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bible says Jesus Christ learnt obedience by the things He went through, no wonder, everything answer unto Him.

The OBEDIENCE, Key to the Miraculous

In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, Stand up on your feet! At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. Acts 14:8-10

Faith or obedience, which comes first and what is the significance of the order? Obedience to what? Faith in what or whom? The combination of the two describe our daily walk with God. 

The passage tells of Paul preaching in Lystra along with Barnabas, we are not told how long or the number of days this has been. There seated in the marketplace was a man who had been lame from his birth, who had never walked. He heard what Paul said, and believed what Paul declared about the power of Jesus, the mighty Son of God. Paul looked at him and saw in that man’s eyes the faith to believe. Suddenly he said to him, Stand up on your feet. And the lame man, though he had never walked in his life, made the effort to obey. He had faith enough to try, and the moment he began to obey, the power to obey was given.

I believe this is exactly the way the Christian life works. It does not make any difference whether the problem is physical, emotional, or spiritual; it does not matter who puts there and for how long, you are going to be held in its bondage until you begin to obey the Word of God about it. When you make the effort to obey, God will set you free. But he will never move until you obey. That is the way faith works. Most people are kept from seeing God at work in their lives because they keep waiting for God to do something, in order for them to believe. No, God has already done all that he is going to do in the realm of the spirit. When you believe what he says, then he will give you the power to be free.

Obedience is the fruit of once decisions. It makes way for the miraculous. When Joshua was faced with an impassible barrier, the floodwaters of the Jordan River receded only after the leaders stepped into the rushing current in obedience and faith. Obedience unlocks God’s power. The Bible says Jesus Christ learnt obedience by the things He went through, no wonder, everything answer unto Him. As you go through the Christian race, learn obedience. Once you learn obedience, your life becomes easier.