WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.180 Welcome back to our continuing conversation on 00:00:03.180 --> 00:00:07.799 Refined for a Purpose. In our last conversation, 00:00:07.940 --> 00:00:10.599 we discovered that what people intend concerning 00:00:10.599 --> 00:00:14.259 our lives does not have the final authority over 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:19.039 our story. Joseph could say, You meant evil against 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:23.399 me, but God meant it for good. We learned that 00:00:23.399 --> 00:00:26.719 the pit was not the ending. The false accusation 00:00:26.719 --> 00:00:30.510 was not the ending. The prison, was not the ending. 00:00:31.370 --> 00:00:34.170 And sometimes what looks like rejection may contain 00:00:34.170 --> 00:00:37.710 redirection. What looks like delay may contain 00:00:37.710 --> 00:00:41.670 preparation. What looks wasted may still be used 00:00:41.670 --> 00:00:45.390 by God. But perhaps one of the most important 00:00:45.390 --> 00:00:49.369 things we discovered was this. Joseph did not 00:00:49.369 --> 00:00:53.090 simply come out of prison. Joseph came out prepared 00:00:53.090 --> 00:00:57.469 for Pharaoh. And today, I want us to go one step 00:00:57.469 --> 00:01:01.820 further. Because it is possible to spend so much 00:01:01.820 --> 00:01:05.019 time praying for God to change our circumstances 00:01:05.019 --> 00:01:08.519 that we never ask what God is trying to change 00:01:08.519 --> 00:01:12.500 within us. We pray for the door. We pray for 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:16.079 the promotion. We pray for the opportunity. We 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:19.079 pray for the ministry. We pray for the marriage. 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.519 We pray for the business. We pray for influence. 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:27.219 We pray for resources. We pray for greater responsibility. 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:30.659 But perhaps heaven is asking another question 00:01:30.659 --> 00:01:34.560 if I give you what you are asking for Can your 00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:38.319 character carry it? Because sometimes the greatest 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:41.579 danger is not that you will never reach the place 00:01:41.579 --> 00:01:45.640 you prayed for Sometimes the greatest danger 00:01:45.640 --> 00:01:48.099 is reaching it before your character is ready 00:01:48.099 --> 00:01:52.379 to survive there Joseph eventually had power 00:01:52.379 --> 00:01:56.159 Daniel eventually had influence David eventually 00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:01.019 had a throne Moses eventually led a nation. Peter 00:02:01.019 --> 00:02:03.859 eventually became a leader in the early church. 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:06.680 But before we become fascinated with where God 00:02:06.680 --> 00:02:09.479 took them, we need to examine what happened to 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:12.500 their character along the way. Because perhaps 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:15.099 the fire is not only preparing the blessing, 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:18.060 perhaps the fire is preparing you for the weight 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:21.379 of the blessing. And that brings us to our continuing 00:02:21.379 --> 00:02:25.479 conversation today. Can God Trust Your Integrity? 00:02:25.789 --> 00:02:30.270 Listen carefully. I'm not asking. Have you ever 00:02:30.270 --> 00:02:34.090 failed? If that were the definition of integrity, 00:02:34.530 --> 00:02:36.990 many of the people God used throughout scripture 00:02:36.990 --> 00:02:40.870 would immediately be disqualified. David failed. 00:02:41.189 --> 00:02:45.710 Moses failed. Peter failed. Abraham failed. Jacob 00:02:45.710 --> 00:02:49.610 failed. Yet God continued working in their lives. 00:02:50.110 --> 00:02:52.750 So integrity cannot simply mean that you have 00:02:52.750 --> 00:02:55.919 never made a mistake. Integrity goes deeper. 00:02:56.300 --> 00:02:59.599 Integrity is about what remains true about your 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:02.719 character when your character is tested. Who 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:06.180 are you when nobody is watching? Who are you 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:09.240 when compromise would be easier? Who are you 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:11.900 when you're angry? Who are you when you have 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:15.300 power? Who are you when you are hurt? Who are 00:03:15.300 --> 00:03:18.280 you when somebody offers you something you desperately 00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:22.060 want, but receiving it would require compromising 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:25.169 what you believe? Who are you when doing the 00:03:25.169 --> 00:03:28.610 right thing costs you something? Because integrity 00:03:28.610 --> 00:03:32.490 is rarely revealed when doing right is easy. 00:03:33.289 --> 00:03:37.009 Integrity is revealed when compromise would be 00:03:37.009 --> 00:03:41.469 easier. Look at Joseph. Before Joseph ever stood 00:03:41.469 --> 00:03:44.389 before Pharaoh, he stood in Potiphar's house. 00:03:45.370 --> 00:03:48.969 Genesis 39 tells us that Potiphar trusted Joseph 00:03:48.969 --> 00:03:51.889 with practically everything under his authority. 00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:56.280 Then temptation came. Potiphar's wife attempted 00:03:56.280 --> 00:03:59.759 to seduce Joseph, and Joseph said, how then can 00:03:59.759 --> 00:04:03.460 I do this great wickedness and sin against God? 00:04:03.819 --> 00:04:08.319 Genesis 39 .9. Notice something. Joseph's integrity 00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:12.180 was tested before his promotion. Nobody from 00:04:12.180 --> 00:04:15.000 his family was there. His father wasn't watching. 00:04:15.259 --> 00:04:18.019 His brothers weren't watching. There was no church 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:20.339 congregation watching. There was no audience. 00:04:20.459 --> 00:04:23.220 There was no social media. There was no public 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:27.000 reputation to protect. Joseph was far from home. 00:04:27.220 --> 00:04:30.819 And he still understood, God sees me. Joseph 00:04:30.819 --> 00:04:34.319 ran. And ironically, doing the right thing did 00:04:34.319 --> 00:04:37.259 not immediately make his life easier. It sent 00:04:37.259 --> 00:04:40.399 him to prison. Think about that. He protected 00:04:40.399 --> 00:04:43.600 his integrity and still suffered. And this is 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:46.819 where integrity becomes expensive. Sometimes 00:04:46.819 --> 00:04:49.819 doing the right thing does not produce an immediate 00:04:49.819 --> 00:04:53.819 reward. Sometimes telling the truth creates problems. 00:04:54.220 --> 00:04:57.879 Sometimes refusing compromise costs an opportunity. 00:04:58.399 --> 00:05:01.540 Sometimes setting a boundary costs a relationship. 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:05.120 Sometimes refusing to participate in wrongdoing 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:08.660 makes you unpopular. Sometimes integrity will 00:05:08.660 --> 00:05:11.439 cost you something before it gives you anything. 00:05:12.300 --> 00:05:16.230 But Joseph teaches us. Never sacrifice tomorrow's 00:05:16.230 --> 00:05:19.790 purpose for today's opportunity. Because Potiphar's 00:05:19.790 --> 00:05:23.290 wife could offer Joseph a moment. But God was 00:05:23.290 --> 00:05:26.250 preparing Joseph for a nation. And there are 00:05:26.250 --> 00:05:29.649 moments when you must decide whether you want 00:05:29.649 --> 00:05:32.730 what is being offered now more than you want 00:05:32.730 --> 00:05:36.170 what God is preparing later. But Joseph is only 00:05:36.170 --> 00:05:39.449 one dimension of integrity. Because integrity 00:05:39.449 --> 00:05:43.519 is not tested only through temptation. Sometimes 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:47.560 integrity is tested through suffering. Look at 00:05:47.560 --> 00:05:51.060 Job. God said something extraordinary about Job. 00:05:51.300 --> 00:05:55.040 In Job 2 -3, God says that Job still held fast 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:58.100 to his integrity even after extraordinary suffering. 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:02.100 Job lost possessions. He lost children. He lost 00:06:02.100 --> 00:06:05.600 health. His life became almost unrecognizable. 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:08.800 And yet the question surrounding Job's story 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:11.779 was essentially... Will his relationship with 00:06:11.779 --> 00:06:16.079 God survive when life stops rewarding him? That 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:19.819 is another kind of integrity. It is easy to worship 00:06:19.819 --> 00:06:23.360 when everything is working. It is easy to testify 00:06:23.360 --> 00:06:26.519 when the doors are opening. It is easy to say 00:06:26.519 --> 00:06:29.459 God is faithful when the prayer has already been 00:06:29.459 --> 00:06:32.300 answered. But what happens when heaven feels 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:35.920 silent? What happens when you don't understand? 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:39.000 What happens when you prayed and the situation 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:43.519 became worse? Job struggled. Job questioned. 00:06:44.100 --> 00:06:48.319 Job grieved. And later, God corrected some of 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:51.879 Job's understanding. But through the devastation, 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:55.399 Job did not simply abandon God. His integrity 00:06:55.399 --> 00:06:58.019 was being tested through suffering. And this 00:06:58.019 --> 00:07:01.339 teaches us integrity is not only about what you 00:07:01.339 --> 00:07:04.750 refuse to do when tempted. It is also about who 00:07:04.750 --> 00:07:08.389 you remain when life hurts. But there is another 00:07:08.389 --> 00:07:13.170 test. Can your integrity survive scrutiny? Daniel's 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:16.050 enemies hated his influence. They wanted something 00:07:16.050 --> 00:07:19.810 they could use against him. Daniel 6 -4 tells 00:07:19.810 --> 00:07:22.589 us that officials tried to find grounds for charges 00:07:22.589 --> 00:07:25.670 against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs. 00:07:26.129 --> 00:07:28.990 Think about that in today's language. They investigated 00:07:28.990 --> 00:07:32.360 him. They examined his administration. They searched 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:34.740 for negligence. They searched for corruption. 00:07:35.100 --> 00:07:37.819 They searched for misconduct. They wanted evidence. 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:40.759 And scripture says, they could find no corruption 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:43.500 in him because he was trustworthy and neither 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:47.319 corrupt nor negligent. What a testimony. Daniel's 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:50.360 integrity survived an adversarial examination, 00:07:50.819 --> 00:07:53.360 not an examination conducted by friends trying 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:56.560 to protect him, an examination conducted by enemies 00:07:56.560 --> 00:08:00.610 trying to destroy him. Imagine somebody examining 00:08:00.610 --> 00:08:04.290 your decisions, your records, your conversations, 00:08:04.930 --> 00:08:07.810 your financial dealings, your treatment of people, 00:08:08.370 --> 00:08:11.050 your workplace conduct, your private messages, 00:08:11.430 --> 00:08:13.990 your public statements. Not because they like 00:08:13.990 --> 00:08:16.410 you, because they are looking for something they 00:08:16.410 --> 00:08:19.610 can use against you. Daniel's enemies searched, 00:08:19.949 --> 00:08:22.569 and they could not find corruption. Eventually 00:08:22.569 --> 00:08:24.990 they realized that if they were going to attack 00:08:24.990 --> 00:08:27.730 Daniel, They would have to attack him concerning 00:08:27.730 --> 00:08:30.569 his faithfulness to God. That is extraordinary 00:08:30.569 --> 00:08:33.470 integrity, and it raises an uncomfortable question 00:08:33.470 --> 00:08:36.690 for us. Would our integrity survive investigation? 00:08:37.549 --> 00:08:39.809 Now bring this into the world we live in today. 00:08:40.870 --> 00:08:43.230 We live in a generation where almost everything 00:08:43.230 --> 00:08:47.149 leaves a trail. Messages can be saved, screenshots 00:08:47.149 --> 00:08:50.250 can be taken, conversations can be recorded, 00:08:50.870 --> 00:08:53.909 cameras are everywhere, posts can resurface years 00:08:53.909 --> 00:08:57.460 later. Private behavior can suddenly become public 00:08:57.460 --> 00:09:00.679 information, and sometimes people spend enormous 00:09:00.679 --> 00:09:03.519 energy protecting their image while neglecting 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:06.919 their character. But hear me carefully. Social 00:09:06.919 --> 00:09:10.320 media does not create the crack. It amplifies 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:13.659 what was already there. The screenshot is not 00:09:13.659 --> 00:09:16.799 the integrity problem. The behavior inside the 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:20.500 screenshot is. The recording is not the integrity 00:09:20.500 --> 00:09:23.700 problem. The conduct captured in the recording 00:09:23.700 --> 00:09:27.559 is. The exposure may be painful, but sometimes 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:30.500 exposure simply reveals something that character 00:09:30.500 --> 00:09:33.139 should have addressed earlier. So perhaps we 00:09:33.139 --> 00:09:36.279 should stop asking, how do I protect my image? 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:41.059 And start asking, God, refine my character. Because 00:09:41.059 --> 00:09:43.679 image is what people think you are. Character 00:09:43.679 --> 00:09:47.039 is who you actually are. And integrity is when 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:49.279 those two are increasingly becoming the same 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:53.059 person. Let me ask it another way. Would your 00:09:53.059 --> 00:09:56.340 integrity survive the screenshot? Not because 00:09:56.340 --> 00:09:59.179 everybody deserves access to your private life. 00:09:59.379 --> 00:10:02.980 They don't. Not because every accusation is true. 00:10:03.159 --> 00:10:06.460 It isn't. Not because every recording tells the 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:10.320 entire story. It doesn't. But because integrity 00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:12.879 asks us to live with an awareness that who we 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:16.279 are privately matters before God, even if nobody 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:19.539 else ever sees it. Samuel understood something 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:22.399 about this. When his leadership was nearing its 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:25.679 conclusion, Samuel stood before Israel and essentially 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:29.059 invited them to examine his public service. In 00:10:29.059 --> 00:10:32.799 1 Samuel 12 he asked, Whose ox have I taken? 00:10:33.179 --> 00:10:36.299 Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? 00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:40.039 Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I 00:10:40.039 --> 00:10:43.379 accepted a bribe? Samuel was essentially saying, 00:10:43.840 --> 00:10:47.379 examine my record. That is powerful. He wasn't 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:50.440 claiming sinless perfection. He was talking about 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:53.139 integrity and stewardship and leadership. He 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:55.700 could stand before the people he had served and 00:10:55.700 --> 00:10:58.860 invite examination. And that brings us to another 00:10:58.860 --> 00:11:03.059 dimension. Can God trust you with power? Power 00:11:03.059 --> 00:11:06.940 reveals things. Money reveals things. Authority 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:11.320 reveals things. Success reveals things. Sometimes 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:14.120 we think hardship is the greatest test of character. 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:18.500 It isn't always. Sometimes success is more dangerous. 00:11:18.730 --> 00:11:22.690 than suffering. When you have no authority, humility 00:11:22.690 --> 00:11:26.350 is easier. When you have no money, financial 00:11:26.350 --> 00:11:29.710 stewardship can remain theoretical. When nobody 00:11:29.710 --> 00:11:32.889 knows your name, pride has fewer opportunities. 00:11:33.429 --> 00:11:36.809 When nobody depends on your decisions, leadership 00:11:36.809 --> 00:11:40.350 integrity has not yet been fully tested. But 00:11:40.350 --> 00:11:43.169 what happens when people begin calling you important? 00:11:43.590 --> 00:11:45.929 What happens when your decisions affect other 00:11:45.929 --> 00:11:48.980 people's lives? What happens when you control 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:52.940 resources? What happens when people cannot easily 00:11:52.940 --> 00:11:57.299 challenge you? Nehemiah understood this. As governor, 00:11:57.879 --> 00:12:01.000 Nehemiah had access to privileges previous governors 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:05.440 had used. But in Nehemiah 5, he explains that 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:08.159 because of the fear of God, he did not exploit 00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:10.940 the people the way others had. He had the right 00:12:10.940 --> 00:12:14.429 to certain benefits. But he understood that having 00:12:14.429 --> 00:12:17.850 authority does not mean you must use every privilege 00:12:17.850 --> 00:12:22.330 available to you. That is integrity. Integrity 00:12:22.330 --> 00:12:27.590 asks not only, can I do this? Sometimes integrity 00:12:27.590 --> 00:12:32.090 asks, should I? And that question becomes especially 00:12:32.090 --> 00:12:35.269 important when nobody around you has enough authority 00:12:35.269 --> 00:12:38.809 to stop you. But now we have to confront something 00:12:38.809 --> 00:12:42.120 else. Because there are people listening. who 00:12:42.120 --> 00:12:45.700 are thinking, I have already failed an integrity 00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:50.200 test. Maybe you lost your temper. Maybe you lied. 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:54.379 Maybe you compromised. Maybe you made a decision 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:57.740 that embarrassed you. Maybe something was exposed. 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:01.340 Maybe you damaged someone's trust. Maybe your 00:13:01.340 --> 00:13:03.799 private character did not match your public confession. 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:07.799 What then? Does integrity disappear forever? 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:12.279 Look at David. David committed devastating sins, 00:13:13.100 --> 00:13:17.799 adultery, deception, abuse of authority, and 00:13:17.799 --> 00:13:21.120 ultimately, actions connected to Uriah's death. 00:13:21.799 --> 00:13:24.120 Scripture does not sanitize David's failure. 00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:28.059 God sent Nathan to confront him, and when David 00:13:28.059 --> 00:13:32.100 was confronted, eventually he said, I have sinned 00:13:32.100 --> 00:13:36.159 against the Lord. Psalm 51 gives us the language 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:40.139 of a man whose failure had been exposed. Create 00:13:40.139 --> 00:13:43.620 in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right 00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:47.500 spirit within me. This is important, because 00:13:47.500 --> 00:13:50.320 integrity is not pretending you never failed. 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:54.759 Integrity also reveals itself in how you respond 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:58.960 when your failure is exposed. Do you lie? Do 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:03.159 you blame? Do you manipulate? Do you attack everybody 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:06.539 who tells the truth? Do you protect your image 00:14:06.539 --> 00:14:10.669 at the expense of repentance? Do you become humble 00:14:10.669 --> 00:14:14.909 enough to say, God, this is in me, change me? 00:14:15.470 --> 00:14:17.570 There is a difference between protecting your 00:14:17.570 --> 00:14:21.070 reputation and allowing God to restore your character. 00:14:21.769 --> 00:14:25.409 Sometimes conviction is mercy. Sometimes God 00:14:25.409 --> 00:14:28.809 exposes a crack privately because he loves you 00:14:28.809 --> 00:14:32.230 too much to allow it to become a collapse publicly. 00:14:33.029 --> 00:14:35.990 And perhaps that is why some of the uncomfortable 00:14:35.990 --> 00:14:38.909 things God has been showing you during this season. 00:14:39.019 --> 00:14:43.279 are not evidence of rejection. They may be evidence 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:47.299 of refinement. Peter learned this. Peter believed 00:14:47.299 --> 00:14:50.659 he was stronger than he actually was. He told 00:14:50.659 --> 00:14:53.580 Jesus that even if everybody else fell away, 00:14:53.899 --> 00:14:57.440 he would remain. But pressure exposed something 00:14:57.440 --> 00:15:01.600 in Peter. Fear came, and Peter denied Jesus three 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:05.120 times. The rooster crowed. Peter realized what 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:08.669 he had done, and he wept. But Peter's story did 00:15:08.669 --> 00:15:12.330 not end beside that fire. After the resurrection, 00:15:12.750 --> 00:15:16.149 Jesus restored Peter. And eventually, the man 00:15:16.149 --> 00:15:19.710 who denied Jesus under pressure became a man 00:15:19.710 --> 00:15:22.870 who could publicly proclaim him. What happened? 00:15:23.169 --> 00:15:26.889 Peter discovered his weakness and weakness acknowledged 00:15:26.889 --> 00:15:30.309 before God can become a place of transformation. 00:15:30.730 --> 00:15:35.370 That is why integrity is not arrogance. A person 00:15:35.370 --> 00:15:39.039 of integrity does not walk around saying, I would 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:43.799 never do that. A mature person understands, without 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:47.379 the grace of God, without the Holy Spirit, without 00:15:47.379 --> 00:15:50.960 discipline, without boundaries, without wisdom, 00:15:51.419 --> 00:15:55.759 I am capable of making terrible decisions. That 00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:59.899 awareness produces humility, and humility protects 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:03.220 integrity. This brings us to something we cannot 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:07.070 ignore. The Holy Spirit produces self -control, 00:16:07.470 --> 00:16:11.649 but you must practice discipline. Galatians 5 00:16:11.649 --> 00:16:14.330 includes self -control among the fruit of the 00:16:14.330 --> 00:16:18.830 Spirit. The Holy Spirit works within us. He convicts. 00:16:18.830 --> 00:16:22.909 He transforms. He strengthens. He produces new 00:16:22.909 --> 00:16:26.789 desires. But scripture also repeatedly calls 00:16:26.789 --> 00:16:30.789 believers to obedience, discipline, vigilance, 00:16:31.029 --> 00:16:34.139 and wisdom. You still decide whether to send 00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:37.139 the message. You still decide whether to say 00:16:37.139 --> 00:16:40.580 the words. You still decide whether to walk into 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:43.679 the room. You still decide whether to remain 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:46.899 in the conversation. You still decide whether 00:16:46.899 --> 00:16:50.500 to entertain the temptation. You still decide 00:16:50.500 --> 00:16:54.000 whether to tell the truth. You still decide whether 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:57.799 to apologize. You still decide whether to walk 00:16:57.799 --> 00:17:02.720 away. Spiritual maturity is not passive. Sometimes, 00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:05.759 the most spiritual thing you can do is stop yourself, 00:17:06.220 --> 00:17:09.319 control your tongue, control your anger, walk 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:12.480 away from temptation, refuse the conversation, 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:16.779 put down the phone, leave the room, set the boundary, 00:17:17.460 --> 00:17:21.000 tell the truth, apologize, accept correction. 00:17:21.960 --> 00:17:24.200 Because discipline protects things that emotion 00:17:24.200 --> 00:17:27.359 can destroy in seconds, and now perhaps we can 00:17:27.359 --> 00:17:30.619 see the progression, God refines your character. 00:17:31.019 --> 00:17:34.380 Character develops through discipline. Discipline 00:17:34.380 --> 00:17:37.460 strengthens self -control. Self -control protects 00:17:37.460 --> 00:17:41.519 integrity. Integrity makes you trustworthy. And 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:44.119 trustworthiness increases your capacity to carry 00:17:44.119 --> 00:17:47.319 responsibility. That is why this conversation 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:50.920 matters. You may be praying for greater responsibility 00:17:50.920 --> 00:17:54.099 while God is working on your reaction. You may 00:17:54.099 --> 00:17:56.299 be praying for influence while God is working 00:17:56.299 --> 00:17:59.549 on your tongue. You may be praying for financial 00:17:59.549 --> 00:18:02.509 increase while God is examining your stewardship. 00:18:03.470 --> 00:18:05.849 You may be praying for leadership while God is 00:18:05.849 --> 00:18:08.250 watching how you treat people who cannot benefit 00:18:08.250 --> 00:18:10.630 you. You may be praying for a platform while 00:18:10.630 --> 00:18:13.309 God is working on who you are when there is no 00:18:13.309 --> 00:18:16.349 audience. You may be asking God, when will you 00:18:16.349 --> 00:18:19.269 promote me? While God may be asking, can I trust 00:18:19.269 --> 00:18:21.869 you there? And nobody demonstrates this more 00:18:21.869 --> 00:18:25.170 perfectly than Jesus. Jesus was tempted. Jesus 00:18:25.170 --> 00:18:28.779 was rejected. Jesus was falsely accused. Jesus 00:18:28.779 --> 00:18:32.380 was misunderstood. Jesus was betrayed. Jesus 00:18:32.380 --> 00:18:35.519 was mocked. Jesus possessed authority. Jesus 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:38.960 attracted crowds. Jesus experienced abandonment. 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:42.019 Jesus stood before political and religious power. 00:18:42.180 --> 00:18:44.740 And through every test, his character remained 00:18:44.740 --> 00:18:47.640 perfectly aligned with the will of God. Satan 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:50.880 offered him shortcuts. He refused. Crowds wanted 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:53.880 to make him king on their terms. He withdrew. 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:56.900 People insulted him. He did not allow their hatred 00:18:56.900 --> 00:19:00.480 to redefine His mission. Even in suffering, He 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:04.000 remained obedient. Jesus shows us perfect integrity, 00:19:04.140 --> 00:19:06.559 and we will never reproduce that perfection through 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:09.960 human strength alone. We need the Holy Spirit. 00:19:10.339 --> 00:19:13.980 We need grace. We need the Word of God. We need 00:19:13.980 --> 00:19:17.599 prayer. We need correction. We need community. 00:19:18.259 --> 00:19:21.380 We need discipline. We need boundaries. And we 00:19:21.380 --> 00:19:24.579 need the humility to remain teachable. Because 00:19:24.579 --> 00:19:27.400 the goal is not to become people who are excellent 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:31.700 at hiding cracks. The goal is to allow God to 00:19:31.700 --> 00:19:35.140 refine them. So maybe before we finish today, 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:37.720 there are questions we need to bring before God. 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:40.980 Can God trust my integrity when nobody is watching? 00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:43.779 Can God trust my integrity when I am tempted? 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:47.240 Can God trust my integrity when I am angry? Can 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:50.190 God trust my integrity when I am hurt? Can God 00:19:50.190 --> 00:19:52.769 trust my integrity with money? Can God trust 00:19:52.769 --> 00:19:55.650 my integrity with authority? Can God trust my 00:19:55.650 --> 00:19:57.750 integrity with another person's vulnerability? 00:19:58.130 --> 00:20:00.569 Can God trust my integrity with confidential 00:20:00.569 --> 00:20:03.410 information? Can God trust my integrity when 00:20:03.410 --> 00:20:06.029 telling the truth could cost me something? Can 00:20:06.029 --> 00:20:08.789 God trust my integrity when I have enough power 00:20:08.789 --> 00:20:12.250 to retaliate? Can God trust my integrity when 00:20:12.250 --> 00:20:15.289 success finally comes? And maybe the deepest 00:20:15.289 --> 00:20:18.460 question Can God trust me with the very thing 00:20:18.460 --> 00:20:21.019 I have been praying for? Because perhaps God 00:20:21.019 --> 00:20:23.819 is not withholding your purpose. Perhaps he is 00:20:23.819 --> 00:20:26.279 refining the person who will have to carry it. 00:20:26.559 --> 00:20:29.700 Joseph needed more than a dream. He needed character. 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:32.559 Daniel needed more than intelligence. He needed 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:35.599 integrity. David needed more than anointing. 00:20:35.859 --> 00:20:39.039 He needed character capable of carrying kingship. 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:42.440 Peter needed more than passion. He needed refinement. 00:20:42.839 --> 00:20:45.779 And we need more than gifts. More than talent. 00:20:45.930 --> 00:20:49.430 more than charisma, more than education, more 00:20:49.430 --> 00:20:52.829 than connections, more than opportunity, we need 00:20:52.829 --> 00:20:56.009 character. Because your gift may open a door 00:20:56.009 --> 00:20:59.089 that your character must keep open. Your talent 00:20:59.089 --> 00:21:01.930 may take you somewhere that your integrity must 00:21:01.930 --> 00:21:04.809 sustain you. And your anointing does not eliminate 00:21:04.809 --> 00:21:07.549 your responsibility to live a disciplined life. 00:21:07.970 --> 00:21:10.930 God may give the gift. God may open the door. 00:21:11.170 --> 00:21:13.900 God may provide the opportunity. But there are 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:16.880 things we must learn to preserve. So don't spend 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:19.920 your entire life protecting your image. Allow 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:23.039 God to refine your character. Don't be afraid 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:25.319 when the Holy Spirit shows you something that 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:28.519 needs correction. That conviction may be protecting 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:31.980 your future. Don't despise discipline. Don't 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:35.099 reject accountability. Don't run from correction. 00:21:35.380 --> 00:21:38.279 Because sometimes God reveals the crack before 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:42.069 the collapse. And that is exactly where Our continuing 00:21:42.069 --> 00:21:45.789 conversation is going next. In our next conversation, 00:21:46.250 --> 00:21:49.490 the crack before the collapse. We're going to 00:21:49.490 --> 00:21:52.829 talk about the small compromises we ignore. The 00:21:52.829 --> 00:21:56.210 attitudes we excuse. The boundaries we slowly 00:21:56.210 --> 00:21:59.950 move. The habits nobody knows about. The warning 00:21:59.950 --> 00:22:03.690 signs we dismiss. The conviction we keep silencing. 00:22:04.109 --> 00:22:07.170 Because collapse rarely begins on the day everybody 00:22:07.170 --> 00:22:10.069 sees it. Usually something has been cracking 00:22:10.069 --> 00:22:13.829 quietly for a long time, and sometimes God's 00:22:13.829 --> 00:22:16.210 greatest mercy is allowing you to see the crack 00:22:16.210 --> 00:22:19.549 while there is still time to repair it. So today, 00:22:19.690 --> 00:22:23.349 don't ask only, God, when is my season changing? 00:22:23.869 --> 00:22:27.849 Ask, God, what in me must change before my season 00:22:27.849 --> 00:22:31.009 changes? Because you are not simply being prepared 00:22:31.009 --> 00:22:33.769 to arrive. You are being prepared to remain. 00:22:33.950 --> 00:22:36.569 You are not simply being prepared to receive. 00:22:36.779 --> 00:22:39.500 You are being prepared to carry. You are not 00:22:39.500 --> 00:22:42.180 simply being prepared for visibility. You are 00:22:42.180 --> 00:22:45.559 being prepared for responsibility. And perhaps 00:22:45.559 --> 00:22:48.359 this fire has been doing more than you realize. 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:51.619 God has been refining your character, strengthening 00:22:51.619 --> 00:22:54.119 your discipline, teaching you self -control, 00:22:54.420 --> 00:22:57.819 protecting your integrity, increasing your capacity, 00:22:58.440 --> 00:23:01.200 preparing you for responsibility. Because the 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:03.519 question is not only whether God can get you 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:06.730 there. The question is, can God trust your integrity 00:23:06.730 --> 00:23:09.630 when you arrive? You're being refined for a purpose.