INTEGRITY TEST

Integrity Test
By Eddie Smith

September, 2009

Hi,

Alice had a dilemma; or as we say in Texas, “she was between a rock and a hard place.”
“Honey, I have a problem. I feel called to produce a resource with regard to fasting…”
“Why would that be a problem?” I gently interrupted in a husbandly sort of way.
“Well, Jesus said that when we fast we're to tell no one, right?”
“Right,” I dryly acknowledged, not looking up from whatever I was doing.
“Then how can I provide training for fasting if I'm not to mention the fact that I'm personally acquainted with and accustomed to fasting?”

A Matter of Integrity

Alice's question pertained to “integrity”. We'll get back to her dilemma in a moment. But first…what is integrity?
Integrity is more than not cheating on your spouse; or not stealing tools or material from your employer. That's morality, not integrity. In fact, integrity isn't how one acts at all. An act is only a performance. Integrity isn't a performance, it's an identity! Or as some have noted; “Integrity is what you are when no one's looking.”
Your integrity is a most valuable commodity. It can be easily damaged, even lost. However, only you can damage or lose your integrity. Others, even with their criticisms, curses and their false charges can't damage or rob you of your integrity. Men criticized, cursed and falsely charged Jesus. They beat, bloodied, and spat on Him, but they couldn't soil His integrity!
My father, Robert Smith, was a man of integrity. Only a handful of people knew of the 50 churches he built in Mexico (out of his own pocket). Those who knew of the 457 seminary extension courses Dad taught to minority pastors didn't know that he refused payment of any sort. Almost no one noticed that at age 65 he enrolled in college to learn Spanish, so he could preach in Spanish.
At age 71 my father became president of an English second-language school, and preached in Spanish for 20 years! And you now join the handful of people who know that Dad once drove 12 hours in our family car, deep into Mexico, to deliver the body of a pastor who'd died while visiting the U.S. Why? Because the pastor's family could never have afforded to have their husband and father's body shipped home for proper burial. That, friend, is an indication of integrity!

A Test of Integrity

Now back to the opening story. Alice is a woman of integrity. Sure. I hear the reports about what she does and how God uses her in the Kingdom. But what's not reported matters even more! Integrity is about intent. Anything we do for recognition, no matter how good or needful it is, is done without integrity.
Now, we are inching closer to the answer to Alice's question.
Jesus did say that when we fast, we're not to announce it, or make it a performance for others to see (Matt. 6:16). However, to mention it after the fact is another matter. The Bible doesn't use the term “for recognition”. Jesus' words (our English) were, “to be seen of men”.
I said, “Alice, if it were wrong to write about your experience with fasting, we'd have never known anything about it at all—there would be no biblical record!
Jesus' point was this—a person of integrity doesn't turn fasting into a performance or an act for the recognition of others”.
So Alice lovingly produced a small book entitled, Power Praying. It's a wonderful resource that takes the reader day-by-day through a 40-day fast. In it she offers sound, practical counsel regarding the ministry of fasting, and coaches her reader through the process.
Power Praying is our gift to you this month for your investment of $30 or more in our ministry. You may request the printed book (the hard copy or a downloadable PDF e-book); or the audio-book (the CD or downloadable mp3 file). Obviously the downloadable versions are “instant delivery”!
Thank you for your generous Kingdom investment this month. We praise God for our “Give-a-Buck-a-Day-Away” partners (those who send $30 or more each month). You may remember, we're asking God for 1,000 partners who will commit a “faith promise” of $30 or a multiple of $30 each month. This enables us to do what God's called us to do. Yes, YOU make possible what God is doing through this ministry.
Thank you for your gift of any amount. God is doing remarkable things in the U.S. and around the world. We are delighted to serve as your partners in the Father's “family business”—extending His Kingdom, one life at a time!

Blessings,

Eddie (and Alice)
John 3:30

P.S. How are you doing in the area of integrity? We all have room for improvement, don't we? Let us hear from you.