Render Unto God Your Integrity: Integrity as Wings of Faith

By MC Jarman

For Christians, our ethics should reflect the tenants of right and wrong put forth in the Bible. The Ten Commandments are the example of God giving His people a code of ethics to live by. As you read through them, consider how these laws would apply to ethical living today.

During my study of the Holy Bible, I learned to understand God’s love for His people. God did not abort His plan when Adam sinned. He went on to choose Prophets and even talked like humans to comprehend Him. Remember, God is not like us. He has a Divine prerogative to do His own will as the Holy Deity. Our Creator, who is Self Existent does not need any of us at all. God had grand plans for the human race, kept His promise to save us by sacrificing His Son to atone for our sins. It is God’s integrity that keeps us all on this earth. We must acknowledge God’s faithfulness of His love. This devotional book intends to teach us how to learn God’s truth and use them towards building our integrity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664224490

MC Jarman

MC Jarman is a retired English teacher, Registered Nurse, and cancer survivor. She is blessed with six children and six beautiful grandchildren, married to a Psychologist. Her spiritual faith has always been an integral part of her life that helped many here and abroad. She serves as a Spiritual Life Coach as a servant of Jesus Christ. She stands in the gap through the power of prayers, interceding for her family and friends. Her compassion is worth as her hope in her heart. Her dedication to unfold the Holy Bible’s treasures has flourished with the Holy Spirit’s help, which allowed her to write this Devotional Book.

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version® Copyright © 1982

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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-2448-3 (sc)

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2021903392

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/26/2021

Without the help of the Holy Spirit, the truth can not be revealed to us.

To my children, Pia, Nina, Caress, Carlo, Marc, and Brian.

My grandchildren: Cj, Jett, Emily, Rachel, Victoria and Jacob.

And unborn grandchildren…

Contents

Acknowledgment

T o my grandmother, Candida, who showed me the right steps to take to go to church. To my mother, who always prayed the rosary. My father, Conrado who had a great belief in my talents. To my husband, Ernie, who gave me a beautiful, secured, and peaceful home. Who relentlessly brings me back to reality when I get carried away by my emotions. The man who saved my sanity and taught me to survive and rise above my disbelief. He brought me to a place where I rediscovered myself. My children, Pia, Vanessa, Caress, Carlo, Marc, and Brian, battled life with me through good and bad times. Each of them has a different personality but is united in love and faith and has a fear of God. My youngest son, Brian, whom God gave me in my later years, allowed me to fill my missed days of being a mother at home. They are the reason I beat the odds.

My role model and dearest friend, Tutu Oloyede, held my hands to know Jesus Christ more. To this day, we are prayer warriors. Noralyn Morales’s insightful words took me to quench the desires of the Word of God. Her gentle push for me to study the Bible didn’t go in vain. Marites de la Cruz, sharing her experience with the Holy Spirit, challenged my spirit and understood her joy. My eldest grandson, CJ, expressed his Truth at his young age and came up with authentic thoughts. After reading my book, my editor Rebecca Partridge encouraged me to convert it into a Devotional book. Thank you for your help. To my best friend of 27 years, Pastor Edu De La Cruz, sealed my quest for Christianity. I witnessed how the Lord worked in his life and found his calling. I remembered telling him, you are living my dreams. Invited me to my first Christian Retreat as a Christian Speaker, which opened the door for me to seek Jesus deeper.

The Master planner of my life, Jesus Christ, for putting all these people in my life for none of these may have been possible. Thanks to Ligonier Ministry for my Bible Studies. During my studies, I was unaware I was writing a book about the Truth of God. I believed God wants me to not only correct the lies but to share how lies did not win over me. In this book, you will not only fight for the Truth but beat it. I outlived the darkness of lies and triumphed in the Only Truth we all must live by, the Word of God. Learning the Truth is not a sufficiency to survive this world, Living in the Truth, in words and action, must come to pass in this lifetime.

May this book lead your steps to see the light of God, the Almighty; as for me, Let us learn how we can render our Integrity to God.

Introduction

H ave you ever felt the presence of God? Look heavenward and take in the immensity of the sky. Notice the shapes of the clouds and feel the warm rays of the sun. At night, gaze how the beams of light radiate from the stars decorating the heavens’ mysterious darkness.

Have you heard the ocean’s crashing waves, birds chirping, grass’ whisper in the wind? The peeking of the sun to start a day, the shiver you feel at the first drop of rain on your skin. Do these ever affect you spiritually? Most of us are overwhelmed by nature’s splendor at one time or another. How often did we miss the significance of our wondrous surroundings? These are gifts from our Creator, Jehovah, our Father in Heaven. It is when we are in the present that we will feel His Presence. When we pause in our daily routine, take in a deep breath, clear our minds of earthly thoughts, stand still, and immerse ourselves in peace, we can then start to listen.

I did not become conscious of my own consciousness until I became a Christian in 2009. I married young and learned to work at a young age. I was always busy tending to my children, going back to school, or working. Our early activities included going to Church every Sunday, and I acknowledged God’s presence in me. I experienced divine intervention a few times in my early years. I reckoned I did not fully know God then, not like I do today. In 2011, I visited my son Marc at his college apartment in San Diego. I noticed how he cleaned his place, and I was not diverted by his efforts to impress me. Instead, I saw the Holy Bible lying open on the bedside with Proverbs 1:8-9 highlighted:

"My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother; For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck."

The discovery of my son’s interest in the Bible was like a piercing light in my mind. It opened a longing within me to seek God intensely. I read it over and over to understand its meaning. Tucking myself to bed that night, I had an epiphany to speak to the Lord for enlightening Marc; my son had taught me more that day about God’s Word. Upon learning that he was also taking Bible studies as his minor in college, it inspired me, but it made me recognize that I am the lost one. I am a devoted Christian, but I did not read the Bible.

I went back home with a mission; I started reading the Bible. Through my daily reading devotion, I did not realize that I was slowly building an intimate relationship with God. One day I decided to memorize a bible verse and asked myself, what scripture connects with my belief? John 14:6 was the first thought:

"I am way the truth and the life; No one comes

to the Father except through Me."

I noticed the verse consisted of my two favorite numbers. It was the fourteenth when I had my youngest and the same date when I passed the interview to come to America. The Lord blessed me with six children, and so, 14:6 was relatively easy to remember. The scripture was short and straightforward; it easily glued in my brain. I said to myself, I know this, Lord. I love Jesus, and I know He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I believe that our Father in heaven sent His only begotten Son to die for our sin, after three days, He rose again and sits at the right hand of the Father, I got it, Lord, I got it.

Moreover, once I went beyond my basic understanding, this verse brought me to a dry well of questions and searching. I became perplexed by the enormity of its message. This verse inspired me to want to see through the realm of what God wants from us.

I had no idea the impact this search would have on my life until I decided to enroll in Biblical Studies. The subjects were mostly biblical history and bible interpretations, which might seem dry and dull. But I became addicted to what I was learning. It offered me a higher perspective, answered a myriad of my questions, and eradicated my assumptions. My doubts and fears vanished, and my mind was no longer so troubled.

My goals and the purpose of my existence suddenly became crystal clear. Blissful joy filled my heart. My attempt to relay my experience to others ultimately failed. The word peace could not convey the magnitude of the emotion.

During my quest to learn the Bible, I fell in love with God’s Word repeatedly. The more I read, the more I felt intimately connected to Him. I came to realize that His Word is the power of this world. It is the air that I breathe. It is the reason I wake up in the morning. That realization was an illuminating moment for me.

My morning routine changed from checking my phone to reading scripture like a text from God. As I built a relationship with our Creator, I understood that God is the Integrity of HIS Being, HE is Self-Existing, and God is all we need.

Scripture reveals His Holiness. What God spoke to the Prophets of the Old Testament came to pass. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ came to earth endowed with the truth of God. God’s divine Integrity is all over the Holy Bible’s pages from Genesis to Revelation for man to see. God exalted His Word above His name. (Psalm 138:2) This verse is a revelation of His authority. He lives by His own rules. The God that is just and loving who keeps His promises. Therefore, we can trust God more than any human being. It made me ask myself: What does God want from us? Learn and live in the truth of His words and render to God our Integrity.

This realization is what inspired me to write this book. I wanted to share what I had discovered: God is Integrity. Therefore, Integrity is essential in every aspect of leading a Christian life. With the blessing of the Holy Spirit, I pray this devotional will help you with your walk with God.

Integrity is not a comfortable journey. Building our Integrity takes time, effort, and prayer. This daily devotional is designed to assist you in focus and meditate on one aspect of goodness every day and then take action to make the modifications into your life you find necessary. There are self-diagnostic questionnaires and scenarios to make the process more interactive.

You can start any day of the year, so do not wait until the first day of January. This devotional will take you through the next 365 days. One truthful point at a time. It will be our journey to learn that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life to pursue. (John 14:6) May our heavenly Father prosper what you will learn and bring you into a deep, trusting, and intimate relationship with Him. May you find Integrity to be the key to loving God with your whole heart and soul and loving others as you love yourself. Each day we will learn the truth of God.

ONE

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Integrity Defined

Day 1:

B efore we begin our discussion of Christian Integrity, we must understand the meaning of the word integrity. Then we can examine our spiritual health concerning Integrity, look at examples, and start to build the quality within ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit.

What is Integrity? According to dictionary.com, It is a noun that means an adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character and honesty.

For Christians, the term takes on additional significance. According to interbiblecollege.net, In the context of humans, integrity has to do with being blameless before God. Integrity means soundness, wholeness, unimpaired, innocent. The Old Testament tells without blemish, completeness, perfection, sincerity, uprightness, and wholeness. In the New Testament, Integrity means truth, pure heart, Single eye genuine, sincere, and adherence to a pattern of good works.

Most Christians will say that they want to develop the qualities listed above, but they will also admit that it is a constant struggle as imperfect humans. Before you begin this year-long journey, reexamine the rates listed above. Ask yourself which of them you find the most challenging and underline them.

As Christians, we wish we could be blameless before The Lord, but we are painfully aware that our sins are not hidden in the eyes of God. However, the God we worship, the God we put our faith in, the God we call on when we are down–this God does not require perfection. He wants us to try the best we can within our imperfection. God knows all too well the fallen state of humankind, so God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us. He asks that we battle our sins despite our many failures.

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God

of my salvation; On you, I wait all day." Psalm 25:5

Day 2:

T he term integrity comes from the Hebrew words, Tamam, tom, and tam. The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance translates these as complete; usually morally pious; specifically, gentle, dear – coupled together, perfect, plain, undefiled, upright. These terms are used 16 times in the Old Testament. As a parent, one of my favorite verses is Proverb 20:7. The righteous man walks with integrity; His children are blessed after him.

In everything I do–from start to finish–I praise God’s mighty hands. In the morning, as I wake up, the first thing that comes out of my lips is, I love you, Jesus. I seek spiritual material to read to nourish my soul. With my mind, heart and spirit overflowing, I cannot refrain from talking about the awesomeness of God. I make it my mission to share HIS Word every chance I have.

I believe my faith has had a lasting impact on my children. I see it every day in the lives they lead now as adults. They are supportive with caring hearts. Growing up, I taught them two things: fear of God and self-discipline. In our struggles from poverty to blessings, I engrained in them that God has plans for us. When you know the Integrity of God, you do not need anything else in your life. The faith and fear of God is the most valuable gift we can give to our children. To this day, my children’s faith in God is steadfast. There is no more excellent gift a parent can give a child than true religion, but you must practice what you preach. Children can sense hypocrisy, and hypocrisy may cause them to stumble.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;

it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Eps. 2:7

Day 3:

A s mentioned before, an essential aspect of Integrity is soundness or wholeness. One way to better grasp the enormity of the term is to visualize it from a mathematical standpoint. In mathematics, the term integer refers to a whole number. These numbers do not contain fragments such as fractions or decimals. Likewise, you cannot be divided and still maintain your Integrity.

Here is an example of being whole versus divided. Christian or not, most people try to live a decent and moral life. They do their best to practice the golden rule: Do unto others what you would have others do unto you. However, we should not do it because we must or because it is the right thing to do when we act of kindness. We should do it because we mean it at our core. Compassion must flow from your heart to your mind and become active, that is, the whole of you. This harmony will seed light to good values and eventually give way for Integrity to grow.

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let

us do good to all…" Gal. 6:10

Day 4:

Y esterday, we looked at the aspect of Integrity related to wholeness and being undivided. Today we will look at how that principle applies in our lives as Christians.

Here is a scenario to consider: Say you have a friend who has lost a loved one. Perhaps it was a parent, spouse, or child. You could express your condolences by calling or sending a sympathy card. But being whole in your commitment as a friend should prompt you to take the time to console the person grieving with words of hope and comfort. Giving support, advice, or just listening means being there in the moment with the person. Sharing stories of empathy means drawing upon our own experience to understand what your friend is going through utterly.

The ability to empathize, not just sympathize, show one’s credibility as a trustworthy friend and deepens a relationship. However, no one can give what they do not possess. We can only share the gift of empathy with others because we have the advantage of God’s love within us. We cannot divide us from the Grace of God. Believer or non-believer, we are called to become whole in the truth of His love.

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind

on high things but associate with the humble." Rom.12: 15-16

Day 5:

"The LORD shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O. LORD, according to my

righteousness, and according to the integrity within me." (Psalms 7:8)

T his verse was written by David when King Saul attempted to murder him. David asked the Lord for His judgment. According to the New American Standard Bible, David asks God to vindicate him. He could ask this because he knew in his heart that he was innocent of any wrongdoing.

It is essential to note in this plea, David acknowledged that God is the only one who knows the heart. He knew that he could not claim self-righteousness or justification, though he had acted with Integrity and uprightness toward King Saul. Still, David was confident enough to plead with Jehovah to judge or vindicate him. He is the judge of the heavens and earth. We must strive for righteousness and live within our Integrity.

Day 6:

O ver the next few days, take a hard look at where you are regarding your Integrity. The following self-diagnostic questionnaire will help you assess your spiritual health objectively regarding this virtue’s many aspects. Today, we will examine honesty.

On a scale of one to five, how would you rate yourself?

Day 7:

F or today’s assessment, let us contemplate the last 72 hours. How would you rate yourself when it comes to staying true to your beliefs? This is not designed to make you feel bad about yourself. We all have issues with struggles in life. It will highlight where you are succeeding and where you need help. When it comes to your beliefs, were you?

Day 8:

T hose around us can often see things about ourselves we do not see. The Scottish poet Robert Burns once wrote, Oh would some power give us the gift to see ourselves as others see us. You probably would not be comfortable asking someone else to evaluate you concerning your moral character. Instead, I invite you to think about your support circle: coworkers, family, and friends: How would those closest to you rate you in the following areas?

Day 9:

N one of us can claim to be holy. As part of fallen humankind, we are by nature imperfect. Yet, we strive to follow Jesus’s example. The point is to resist sin and remain as blameless as we are able. Jesus will do the rest. Knowing that, let us evaluate the areas of holiness where you need the most help.

Day 10:

O ur Integrity, or lack-there-of, impacts every aspect of how we live. Some are more obvious than others. Our last self-diagnostic assessment will help you examine your life areas that you may not have considered matters of Integrity before.

Day 11:

A s we try to attain Integrity or honesty within us, we must unite an open heart, renewed mind, and discerning spirit. Your efforts must be a sincere quest to find your true self.

• Start from within. Look back over the questionnaires from the last few days, accepting your weaknesses and confessing your sins. Repentance will bring us grace. Grace, in turn, will remove our transgressions before they destroy us.

• Forgive yourself and others. If you want to feel genuine freedom, forgive, forget and move on.

• Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance. (John 14:26-28) He will give you peace.

Remember, nothing accomplishes in an instant. We are all pilgrims. Believers or not, we must seek the path toward a better character within us. We will never be perfect in this lifetime or sinless, but we can choose to no longer continue to sin consciously.

Different Kinds of Integrity

Day 12: