Will the Power of God's Grace Disable Duplicity?

The tendency toward deception is a problem even the strongest Christians must struggle against. When confronted with situations that are embarrassing, denying wrongdoing or admitting failure in morals and character is common practice. Large corporations pay out huge sums to settle lawsuits, while denying wrongdoing.

This prevailing mindset bows to deception as an effective means of functioning in society. However deception damages integrity, creates guilt, and may become emotionally habitual or a common way of life.

Living with deception fosters a way of life tainted by duplicity, which is dangerous. Listen to Proverbs 11:3, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Though sin may have gained a foothold in your life, God’s grace is greater, more powerful than sin’s stronghold. God is persistent in guiding you away from evil and toward Jesus Christ and his righteousness. 

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When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive and lives only for God. In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God. Don’t let sin rule your body. After all, your body is bound to die, so don’t obey its desires.

~Romans 6:10-12 Contemporary English Version

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Values: Boundary Markers for Living - Part 1

Ernest Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature yet found it difficult at times to write a significant beginning sentence that portrayed a truth. While Hemingway is considered to have been a true American literary genius, his value system brought him intense pain and suffering which resulted in his eventual suicide.

Hemingway continuously sought to prove himself through his famous African safaris, his drinking ability, sportsmanship, and exploits with women, but discovered that permanent peace did not exist for him. A Quaker proverb addresses caring for and loving yourself. "It is true that each person has integrity that can be damaged and diminished by choices that person makes."

Your integrity is intricately connected to your value system, so your values either strengthen or weaken your integrity. Jesus posited a blueprint for guarding your integrity. "Love the Lord God with your whole being and your neighbor as yourself." "Do to others as you would have them do to you" is a choice God will bless while strengthening your integrity.

Battling Evil Assaults: Allied with God - Part 1

While the accumulation of seemingly trivial instances of evil will threaten our integrity, we're often encouraged to overlook little offenses and treat them as insignificant. No offense of evil is insignificant, for these offenses chip away at our integrity by corroding our conscience. A corroded conscience proceeds to become disconnected from God, and from those who love us.

Romans 12:21 commands us to "not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." These words warn us we're vulnerable to evil's influence and power. Evil's strategy may not be a frontal attack, but rather a subtle infiltration of the conscience. Shading the truth with half-truths or white lies may seem harmless but will damage your integrity.

Overcoming evil with good in order to survive spiritually necessitates choosing Christ Jesus to be a part of your entire life. When tempted by evil, no matter how seemingly trivial, ask Jesus to empower you with the courage to do what is good and pleasing in God's sight. With his guidance and assistance you will succeed.