‍Words of Wisdom, Email Newsletter

Plant seeds of wisdom today

Take the next 37 or so breaths slowly and reflect deeply on your life. I hope these words help you grow in you the most valuable treasure in life: wisdom. Wisdom grows imperceptibly but flourishes like a mighty oak, standing the test of time.

WoW 128: On recovering integrity

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Belonging is a fundamental human quest. If you lack integrity, you lack depth of belonging, whether others know it or not.

If you have fallen short of God's standards, you must recover your own integrity. Without personal integrity you will never truly belong. Without integrity you will lack the solid foundation to build your life upon. The more influence you want to have, the deeper your roots of integrity must be. The taller the tree, the deeper the roots. Without integrity, you can grow in skill and influence but it won't last. Your life will crumble away beneath you as you grow. So even if you experience success and others are not aware of your unconfessed issues it will catch up to you eventually. And then, those that matter to you the most will be devastated the most.

I see this all the time with my clients. Some have all the success in the world, and a beautiful family. They are the picture of success. But without integrity, life teeters on the brink of ruin and they must desperately try to recover it all.

Everything in your life, if you want flourishing to last, must be built on rock solid integrity.

You recover integrity first by choosing to ​surrender​ to God.

Instead of running away, face yourself and the reality of how you have fallen short. No matter how far you've strayed, return to the Lord with humility. The greatest courage is finally choosing to stop running and to face whatever God has for you. It turns out that facing your fears is the only way to overcome them.

Choose to be rigorously ​honest​ and let others in. Choose to risk letting people disciple you. Let them see your darkness and the difficulties. Choose to be ​vulnerable​ and submit yourself to their wisdom.

Quotes

"I believe that the main work of the Holy Spirit is to search your heart and life, bringing destructive patterns into your awareness that hinder your God-given potential. Conviction is a product of love. Trusting God by giving Him control is what is necessary in order to change. The mission of the Holy Spirit is to set you free and to reduce the enemy's influence in your life. The most powerful and successful changes come from participating with what He is bringing into your conscious awareness."

Michael Dye, ​The Genesis Process​

"Discipline turns intentions into action. Discipline means no procrastination. Discipline means now. Choose the pain of discipline, not the pain of regret. An undisciplined moment seems harmless, but they add up to disaster. Without discipline, the tiny things will be your downfall."

Derek Sivers, ​How to Live​

Questions

How have I fallen short? What do I need to turn from? What have I been avoiding?

Am I willing to fully surrender to God? Will I choose to entrust the outcomes and all that is out of my control to Him?

What is the simplest way to grow in integrity today?

What is a small disciplined step forward I can take?

(Use these questions as a journal prompt and to guide your prayers this week)

Endnote

Get honest today. Build the foundation of personal integrity and watch what God will do.

Live wisely,

Josh

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