Welcome back to our continuing conversation on
Refined for a Purpose. In our last conversation,
we discovered that what people intend concerning
our lives does not have the final authority over
our story. Joseph could say, You meant evil against
me, but God meant it for good. We learned that
the pit was not the ending. The false accusation
was not the ending. The prison, was not the ending.
And sometimes what looks like rejection may contain
redirection. What looks like delay may contain
preparation. What looks wasted may still be used
by God. But perhaps one of the most important
things we discovered was this. Joseph did not
simply come out of prison. Joseph came out prepared
for Pharaoh. And today, I want us to go one step
further. Because it is possible to spend so much
time praying for God to change our circumstances
that we never ask what God is trying to change
within us. We pray for the door. We pray for
the promotion. We pray for the opportunity. We
pray for the ministry. We pray for the marriage.
We pray for the business. We pray for influence.
We pray for resources. We pray for greater responsibility.
But perhaps heaven is asking another question
if I give you what you are asking for Can your
character carry it? Because sometimes the greatest
danger is not that you will never reach the place
you prayed for Sometimes the greatest danger
is reaching it before your character is ready
to survive there Joseph eventually had power
Daniel eventually had influence David eventually
had a throne Moses eventually led a nation. Peter
eventually became a leader in the early church.
But before we become fascinated with where God
took them, we need to examine what happened to
their character along the way. Because perhaps
the fire is not only preparing the blessing,
perhaps the fire is preparing you for the weight
of the blessing. And that brings us to our continuing
conversation today. Can God Trust Your Integrity?
Listen carefully. I'm not asking. Have you ever
failed? If that were the definition of integrity,
many of the people God used throughout scripture
would immediately be disqualified. David failed.
Moses failed. Peter failed. Abraham failed. Jacob
failed. Yet God continued working in their lives.
So integrity cannot simply mean that you have
never made a mistake. Integrity goes deeper.
Integrity is about what remains true about your
character when your character is tested. Who
are you when nobody is watching? Who are you
when compromise would be easier? Who are you
when you're angry? Who are you when you have
power? Who are you when you are hurt? Who are
you when somebody offers you something you desperately
want, but receiving it would require compromising
what you believe? Who are you when doing the
right thing costs you something? Because integrity
is rarely revealed when doing right is easy.
Integrity is revealed when compromise would be
easier. Look at Joseph. Before Joseph ever stood
before Pharaoh, he stood in Potiphar's house.
Genesis 39 tells us that Potiphar trusted Joseph
with practically everything under his authority.
Then temptation came. Potiphar's wife attempted
to seduce Joseph, and Joseph said, how then can
I do this great wickedness and sin against God?
Genesis 39 .9. Notice something. Joseph's integrity
was tested before his promotion. Nobody from
his family was there. His father wasn't watching.
His brothers weren't watching. There was no church
congregation watching. There was no audience.
There was no social media. There was no public
reputation to protect. Joseph was far from home.
And he still understood, God sees me. Joseph
ran. And ironically, doing the right thing did
not immediately make his life easier. It sent
him to prison. Think about that. He protected
his integrity and still suffered. And this is
where integrity becomes expensive. Sometimes
doing the right thing does not produce an immediate
reward. Sometimes telling the truth creates problems.
Sometimes refusing compromise costs an opportunity.
Sometimes setting a boundary costs a relationship.
Sometimes refusing to participate in wrongdoing
makes you unpopular. Sometimes integrity will
cost you something before it gives you anything.
But Joseph teaches us. Never sacrifice tomorrow's
purpose for today's opportunity. Because Potiphar's
wife could offer Joseph a moment. But God was
preparing Joseph for a nation. And there are
moments when you must decide whether you want
what is being offered now more than you want
what God is preparing later. But Joseph is only
one dimension of integrity. Because integrity
is not tested only through temptation. Sometimes
integrity is tested through suffering. Look at
Job. God said something extraordinary about Job.
In Job 2 -3, God says that Job still held fast
to his integrity even after extraordinary suffering.
Job lost possessions. He lost children. He lost
health. His life became almost unrecognizable.
And yet the question surrounding Job's story
was essentially... Will his relationship with
God survive when life stops rewarding him? That
is another kind of integrity. It is easy to worship
when everything is working. It is easy to testify
when the doors are opening. It is easy to say
God is faithful when the prayer has already been
answered. But what happens when heaven feels
silent? What happens when you don't understand?
What happens when you prayed and the situation
became worse? Job struggled. Job questioned.
Job grieved. And later, God corrected some of
Job's understanding. But through the devastation,
Job did not simply abandon God. His integrity
was being tested through suffering. And this
teaches us integrity is not only about what you
refuse to do when tempted. It is also about who
you remain when life hurts. But there is another
test. Can your integrity survive scrutiny? Daniel's
enemies hated his influence. They wanted something
they could use against him. Daniel 6 -4 tells
us that officials tried to find grounds for charges
against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs.
Think about that in today's language. They investigated
him. They examined his administration. They searched
for negligence. They searched for corruption.
They searched for misconduct. They wanted evidence.
And scripture says, they could find no corruption
in him because he was trustworthy and neither
corrupt nor negligent. What a testimony. Daniel's
integrity survived an adversarial examination,
not an examination conducted by friends trying
to protect him, an examination conducted by enemies
trying to destroy him. Imagine somebody examining
your decisions, your records, your conversations,
your financial dealings, your treatment of people,
your workplace conduct, your private messages,
your public statements. Not because they like
you, because they are looking for something they
can use against you. Daniel's enemies searched,
and they could not find corruption. Eventually
they realized that if they were going to attack
Daniel, They would have to attack him concerning
his faithfulness to God. That is extraordinary
integrity, and it raises an uncomfortable question
for us. Would our integrity survive investigation?
Now bring this into the world we live in today.
We live in a generation where almost everything
leaves a trail. Messages can be saved, screenshots
can be taken, conversations can be recorded,
cameras are everywhere, posts can resurface years
later. Private behavior can suddenly become public
information, and sometimes people spend enormous
energy protecting their image while neglecting
their character. But hear me carefully. Social
media does not create the crack. It amplifies
what was already there. The screenshot is not
the integrity problem. The behavior inside the
screenshot is. The recording is not the integrity
problem. The conduct captured in the recording
is. The exposure may be painful, but sometimes
exposure simply reveals something that character
should have addressed earlier. So perhaps we
should stop asking, how do I protect my image?
And start asking, God, refine my character. Because
image is what people think you are. Character
is who you actually are. And integrity is when
those two are increasingly becoming the same
person. Let me ask it another way. Would your
integrity survive the screenshot? Not because
everybody deserves access to your private life.
They don't. Not because every accusation is true.
It isn't. Not because every recording tells the
entire story. It doesn't. But because integrity
asks us to live with an awareness that who we
are privately matters before God, even if nobody
else ever sees it. Samuel understood something
about this. When his leadership was nearing its
conclusion, Samuel stood before Israel and essentially
invited them to examine his public service. In
1 Samuel 12 he asked, Whose ox have I taken?
Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated?
Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I
accepted a bribe? Samuel was essentially saying,
examine my record. That is powerful. He wasn't
claiming sinless perfection. He was talking about
integrity and stewardship and leadership. He
could stand before the people he had served and
invite examination. And that brings us to another
dimension. Can God trust you with power? Power
reveals things. Money reveals things. Authority
reveals things. Success reveals things. Sometimes
we think hardship is the greatest test of character.
It isn't always. Sometimes success is more dangerous.
than suffering. When you have no authority, humility
is easier. When you have no money, financial
stewardship can remain theoretical. When nobody
knows your name, pride has fewer opportunities.
When nobody depends on your decisions, leadership
integrity has not yet been fully tested. But
what happens when people begin calling you important?
What happens when your decisions affect other
people's lives? What happens when you control
resources? What happens when people cannot easily
challenge you? Nehemiah understood this. As governor,
Nehemiah had access to privileges previous governors
had used. But in Nehemiah 5, he explains that
because of the fear of God, he did not exploit
the people the way others had. He had the right
to certain benefits. But he understood that having
authority does not mean you must use every privilege
available to you. That is integrity. Integrity
asks not only, can I do this? Sometimes integrity
asks, should I? And that question becomes especially
important when nobody around you has enough authority
to stop you. But now we have to confront something
else. Because there are people listening. who
are thinking, I have already failed an integrity
test. Maybe you lost your temper. Maybe you lied.
Maybe you compromised. Maybe you made a decision
that embarrassed you. Maybe something was exposed.
Maybe you damaged someone's trust. Maybe your
private character did not match your public confession.
What then? Does integrity disappear forever?
Look at David. David committed devastating sins,
adultery, deception, abuse of authority, and
ultimately, actions connected to Uriah's death.
Scripture does not sanitize David's failure.
God sent Nathan to confront him, and when David
was confronted, eventually he said, I have sinned
against the Lord. Psalm 51 gives us the language
of a man whose failure had been exposed. Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right
spirit within me. This is important, because
integrity is not pretending you never failed.
Integrity also reveals itself in how you respond
when your failure is exposed. Do you lie? Do
you blame? Do you manipulate? Do you attack everybody
who tells the truth? Do you protect your image
at the expense of repentance? Do you become humble
enough to say, God, this is in me, change me?
There is a difference between protecting your
reputation and allowing God to restore your character.
Sometimes conviction is mercy. Sometimes God
exposes a crack privately because he loves you
too much to allow it to become a collapse publicly.
And perhaps that is why some of the uncomfortable
things God has been showing you during this season.
are not evidence of rejection. They may be evidence
of refinement. Peter learned this. Peter believed
he was stronger than he actually was. He told
Jesus that even if everybody else fell away,
he would remain. But pressure exposed something
in Peter. Fear came, and Peter denied Jesus three
times. The rooster crowed. Peter realized what
he had done, and he wept. But Peter's story did
not end beside that fire. After the resurrection,
Jesus restored Peter. And eventually, the man
who denied Jesus under pressure became a man
who could publicly proclaim him. What happened?
Peter discovered his weakness and weakness acknowledged
before God can become a place of transformation.
That is why integrity is not arrogance. A person
of integrity does not walk around saying, I would
never do that. A mature person understands, without
the grace of God, without the Holy Spirit, without
discipline, without boundaries, without wisdom,
I am capable of making terrible decisions. That
awareness produces humility, and humility protects
integrity. This brings us to something we cannot
ignore. The Holy Spirit produces self -control,
but you must practice discipline. Galatians 5
includes self -control among the fruit of the
Spirit. The Holy Spirit works within us. He convicts.
He transforms. He strengthens. He produces new
desires. But scripture also repeatedly calls
believers to obedience, discipline, vigilance,
and wisdom. You still decide whether to send
the message. You still decide whether to say
the words. You still decide whether to walk into
the room. You still decide whether to remain
in the conversation. You still decide whether
to entertain the temptation. You still decide
whether to tell the truth. You still decide whether
to apologize. You still decide whether to walk
away. Spiritual maturity is not passive. Sometimes,
the most spiritual thing you can do is stop yourself,
control your tongue, control your anger, walk
away from temptation, refuse the conversation,
put down the phone, leave the room, set the boundary,
tell the truth, apologize, accept correction.
Because discipline protects things that emotion
can destroy in seconds, and now perhaps we can
see the progression, God refines your character.
Character develops through discipline. Discipline
strengthens self -control. Self -control protects
integrity. Integrity makes you trustworthy. And
trustworthiness increases your capacity to carry
responsibility. That is why this conversation
matters. You may be praying for greater responsibility
while God is working on your reaction. You may
be praying for influence while God is working
on your tongue. You may be praying for financial
increase while God is examining your stewardship.
You may be praying for leadership while God is
watching how you treat people who cannot benefit
you. You may be praying for a platform while
God is working on who you are when there is no
audience. You may be asking God, when will you
promote me? While God may be asking, can I trust
you there? And nobody demonstrates this more
perfectly than Jesus. Jesus was tempted. Jesus
was rejected. Jesus was falsely accused. Jesus
was misunderstood. Jesus was betrayed. Jesus
was mocked. Jesus possessed authority. Jesus
attracted crowds. Jesus experienced abandonment.
Jesus stood before political and religious power.
And through every test, his character remained
perfectly aligned with the will of God. Satan
offered him shortcuts. He refused. Crowds wanted
to make him king on their terms. He withdrew.
People insulted him. He did not allow their hatred
to redefine His mission. Even in suffering, He
remained obedient. Jesus shows us perfect integrity,
and we will never reproduce that perfection through
human strength alone. We need the Holy Spirit.
We need grace. We need the Word of God. We need
prayer. We need correction. We need community.
We need discipline. We need boundaries. And we
need the humility to remain teachable. Because
the goal is not to become people who are excellent
at hiding cracks. The goal is to allow God to
refine them. So maybe before we finish today,
there are questions we need to bring before God.
Can God trust my integrity when nobody is watching?
Can God trust my integrity when I am tempted?
Can God trust my integrity when I am angry? Can
God trust my integrity when I am hurt? Can God
trust my integrity with money? Can God trust
my integrity with authority? Can God trust my
integrity with another person's vulnerability?
Can God trust my integrity with confidential
information? Can God trust my integrity when
telling the truth could cost me something? Can
God trust my integrity when I have enough power
to retaliate? Can God trust my integrity when
success finally comes? And maybe the deepest
question Can God trust me with the very thing
I have been praying for? Because perhaps God
is not withholding your purpose. Perhaps he is
refining the person who will have to carry it.
Joseph needed more than a dream. He needed character.
Daniel needed more than intelligence. He needed
integrity. David needed more than anointing.
He needed character capable of carrying kingship.
Peter needed more than passion. He needed refinement.
And we need more than gifts. More than talent.
more than charisma, more than education, more
than connections, more than opportunity, we need
character. Because your gift may open a door
that your character must keep open. Your talent
may take you somewhere that your integrity must
sustain you. And your anointing does not eliminate
your responsibility to live a disciplined life.
God may give the gift. God may open the door.
God may provide the opportunity. But there are
things we must learn to preserve. So don't spend
your entire life protecting your image. Allow
God to refine your character. Don't be afraid
when the Holy Spirit shows you something that
needs correction. That conviction may be protecting
your future. Don't despise discipline. Don't
reject accountability. Don't run from correction.
Because sometimes God reveals the crack before
the collapse. And that is exactly where Our continuing
conversation is going next. In our next conversation,
the crack before the collapse. We're going to
talk about the small compromises we ignore. The
attitudes we excuse. The boundaries we slowly
move. The habits nobody knows about. The warning
signs we dismiss. The conviction we keep silencing.
Because collapse rarely begins on the day everybody
sees it. Usually something has been cracking
quietly for a long time, and sometimes God's
greatest mercy is allowing you to see the crack
while there is still time to repair it. So today,
don't ask only, God, when is my season changing?
Ask, God, what in me must change before my season
changes? Because you are not simply being prepared
to arrive. You are being prepared to remain.
You are not simply being prepared to receive.
You are being prepared to carry. You are not
simply being prepared for visibility. You are
being prepared for responsibility. And perhaps
this fire has been doing more than you realize.
God has been refining your character, strengthening
your discipline, teaching you self -control,
protecting your integrity, increasing your capacity,
preparing you for responsibility. Because the
question is not only whether God can get you
there. The question is, can God trust your integrity
when you arrive? You're being refined for a purpose.