When you think of integrity, who in your life immediately comes to mind? A mentor who invested in your growth? A friend who was there for you in a time of need?

While our world often looks at the outward appearance of how things seem to be, we know that God sees beyond that. Matthew 5:8 says "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." While we don't always get it right, integrity means you are consistent in your values and behaviors. Integrity means you have character. Your life is integrated - not compartmentalized. It means you are the same person at home as you are at work, church, and everywhere in between. 

To help you on your journey, below we've compiled 4 things that contribute to becoming a person of integrity. We pray these lessons from Scripture help you follow Christ's example of a life lived with integrity - so you may know God's mysterious plan to live a blessed, abundant life!

LESSON #1: EXAMINE YOUR MOTIVES

First, to live with integrity we need to regularly examine our motives. The problem is, there isn't a single heart out there that isn't full of mixed motives. We can even pursue the right move with the wrong motive. For example, you could spend time helping a new colleague at work, but truthfully, you just want to impress your boss. Right move, wrong motive!

To help you check your motives, ask yourself this: Are the decisions that I'm making lately a reflection of God's desire for me to be pure in heart? Are you doing what you're doing to please God, or yourself? When you uncover the motives for your actions, you'll be able to keep it real.

LESSON #2: REFUSE TO GOSSIP

The next lesson to help you become a person of integrity is to refuse to gossip. The Webster Dictionary defines a gossip as "a person who habitually reveals personal or sensational facts, often without confirming them first." If we're being honest, we often excuse gossip as no big deal. But gossip is a big problem, because it compartmentalizes your life. When you spread rumors and gossip, you hurt people.

LESSON #3: KEEP YOUR PROMISES

The next facet to integrity is to make an effort to keep your promises. Psalm 15:4 says that a person who is pure in heart, who obeys God, will always make an effort to do what they promise, no matter the cost. So, here's a question for you: What promises haven't you kept that you need to keep for integrity's sake? Try your best to keep your promises so that your words are sincere.

LESSON #4: DO YOUR BEST AT WORK

Finally, vocational integrity is important, too. By this, we mean that you do your best at work even when your boss isn't watching. Proverbs 18:9 says "Slack habits and sloppy work are as bad as vandalism." Essentially, here the Bible is saying that you are sabotaging someone else's business when you don't give your best at work. If you have integrity, you work as if working for God, not for your human boss. Whether you work for a big corporation, a supermarket, or at a small business, it's not the CEO you work for - it's the Lord Christ you are serving!

With these lessons, we pray that you will ask God to search your heart so He can build you into a person of integrity. Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - so we know we won't be able to do this perfectly. But, with God's Holy Spirit power living in us, we can take steps to become fully integrated and whole.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

To continue learning from Liquid Church's Crazy Happy series, you may want to check out this additional content:

• Article: 5 Ways To Show Mercy To Others. Are you patient with peoples' quirks? How do you deal with people who hurt you? Click here to learn 5 ways God can help you show mercy to those around you.
• Message: Good Grief. Jesus' teaching "Blessed are those who mourn" is a comfort in times of grief. Click here to watch how you can handle losses with Christ.
• Message: Finding Happiness Where You Least Expect It. Based on the Beatitudes, Jesus teaches us that true happiness is often found where we least expect it. Click here to watch this message from guest speaker and author of "Crazy Happy" the book, Daniel Fusco.