The Higher Happiness

In Ephesians 6 we are commanded to put on the armor of G-d that we may be able to resist the enemy and stand our ground in the evil day. Wearing this armor enables us to successfully stand up against the strategies and deceits of ha'satan. This armor is spiritual protection and spiritual weaponry to enable us to have victory.

One of the pieces of G-d's armor is the belt or girdle of truth. This description was taken from the armor of a soldier during Rav. Saul's day. A soldier had a leather girdle that he tightened around his waist to protect him and it carried his sword as well as held his tunic so it could not be caught on something and endanger his life. For a Believer, this belt or girdle of truth is integrity.

G-d has perfect integrity. In fact, He's so full of integrity that He and His Word are the absolute same. G-d is so full of integrity that He describes Himself as "holy." I describe Him as "wholly." A person of integrity is whole, living from a place of truth.

When we live in integrity, we operate in alignment with what we believe. Integrity is knowing what you believe and operating in accordance with the same. It's a position where you are what you say because what you speak represents what you believe. It means your words line up with your actions.

The world, the Church, and most Believers fall critically short in integrity. There is such a mixture of duplicity, double standard, saying one thing and doing another, that we are seeing breakdowns in relationships, institutions, ideologies that we thought we would see stand forever. These things we've trusted are falling down and the lack of integrity is the cause.

Integrity is a personal issue. Integrity causes a person to do right when no one is watching, although G-d is always watching and sees us. Integrity causes a person to resist temptation and ultimately brings victory.

Mishlei/Proverbs 10:9 (NKJV) says, "He who walks with integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will become known." Mishlei/Proverbs 11:3 (NKJV) says, "The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. Literally integerity will bring us into victory and safety and lack of integrity will cause us to be double-minded, wavering, crooked, unfaithful, wicked and ultimately lead to destruction.

Let's look at some examples of today's lack of integrity:

"I love my family! My family is the most important thing in the entire world!" But in the average household, you will find the father involved in his armchair politics, sports or personal hobbies; the mother busy with cooking, shopping, her personal hobbies; the children lost in the television or pc and less than 5 minutes per day of family interaction. So is the family the most important thing in the entire world? No. It's saying one thing and doing another.

"Things are not important to me." Are you making purchases you cannot afford? Are you filling your life with things that bring temporary fulfilment?

"I love G-d with all my heart!" Do you talk to Him daily? Do you give Him the first of your income to support what is important to Him? Do you study His Word?

Do you compromise your beliefs when the crowd pushes you to just "overlook" what you believe this one time?

Do you compromise when the incorrect change is less than $5? Do you compromise when the incorrect change is $100?

Do you compromise when a rule is broken that no one knew about but you? Would you not compromise if it cost you winning the nice trophy?

Are you negligent and corrupt? Are you faithful to what you really believe? Are you faithful to Truth? Or are you just going along and breaking your own beliefs to placate others and to look good?

Do you say you want to be in health and then not eat right and exercise?

Are you faithful to your friends? Do you stand up for them when they aren't around and another wants to gossip about them? Are you faithful to your neighbors or are you double-minded?

Ya'akov/James 4:17 (AMP) says, "So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin."

It's not the government who should be teaching your children. It is not the government's responsibility to give your children breakfast in the morning. It's not the government's responsibility to restrain your child who is bullying others. These things happen because of a lack of integrity, responsbility, character, honesty, truth.

Do you cheat on your taxes? Do you disobey the driving laws of your land? Do you take pens from work? Or are you blessing your nation? Are you doing right when no one is looking? Do you bless your employer?

Do you say you are going to do this and this when you are elected and then do the opposite just to make your party happy? Do you see the right path but do things that go down the wrong path just to fit in? Do you say you want to balance the budget and go further into debt?

Do you say you love others but not have time for them? Do you say you love others but reject them in ways?

Is just praying enough or are you following through with action? Is it enough to just say "I haven't done anything wrong" but failed to do anything right?

The Bible reveals a person with a huge lack of integrity. He wasn't operating from a place of Truth. In Yochanan/John 18:38 (AMP), Pontius Pilate asks Yeshua, "What is Truth?" Pilate was so lacking in integrity that he could no longer find truth. How do we know Pilate had no integrity? Let me quote Pilate's own words. Luke 23:14-15 (AMP) "...you brought this Man before me as One Who was perverting and misleading and turning away and corrupting the people; and behold, after examining Him before you, I have no found any offense (crime or guilt) in this Man in regard to your accusations against Him. No, nor indeed did Herod, for he sent Him back to us; behold, He has done nothing deserving of death." In fact, Pilate said three times that he found no fault in Yeshua. Luke 23:22 (AMP) "...I will therefore chastise Him (in order to teach Him better) and release Him." Yochanan/John 19:16 (AMP) "Then he delivered Him over to them to be crucified."

First Pilate asked what is Truth? He had no truth in him because he was not operating from a place of truth. He knew Yeshua was not guilty but he Had him chastised and whipped. He knew Yeshua was not guilty but turned Him over to be crucified. His actions were not lining up with his words.

The Bible also reveals a person of great integrity. B'resheet/Genesis 39:8-9 (AMP) "But he refused and said to his master's wife, See here, with me in the house my master has concern about nothing; he has put all that he has in my care. He is not greater in this house than I am; nor has he kept anything from me except you, for you are his wife. How then can I do this great evil and sin against God?" Yossef was a man of great integrity. He probably could have pulled off sleeping with his master's wife except he was well aware of the Truth. He realized that sinning against G-d would stop the blessing on his life and prevent his destiny.

G-d wants us to rise up in a higher level of integrity to be like Him. We are to speak truth. We are to do what we say and say what we mean. We are to line up our actions with what we say. We are to live uprightly. It starts by making the decision to hear and obey G-d and give Yeshua the permission to break the fallow ground of the heart. Only He can give the strength to be full of integrity and to operate from a position of wholeness and truth.

This girdle of truth is a very important piece of our armor if we want to overcome ha'satan. Let's put it back on and use it! When we operate from a position of truth we are not lead down a path of folly or deception. It is the higher happiness.

"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson,
   Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."

“Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible."