Men of Integrity - #269

Are you a man of integrity? Not just outwardly. Not just publicly. But privately. Deep in your heart. When nobody else is watching. 

Transcript

God described Job as a man of complete integrity—someone who feared God, turned away from evil, and stayed faithful even in the middle of suffering. So let me ask you a very personal question: Could that be said about you? Are you a man of integrity—not just publicly, but privately? Is that kind of life even possible in today’s world?

Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast—a weekly Bible study packed with practical truth from God’s Word to help you pursue lasting purity, spiritual integrity, and genuine freedom in Christ. I’m your host Steve Etner – author, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #269 entitled “Men of Integrity” 

As we begin today’s episode, I want to challenge you to pause for just a moment and honestly pray what David prayed in Psalm 27:11: “Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path.” Before we go any further, ask God to make your heart teachable. Ask Him to open your eyes. Ask Him to show you where your life is lining up with His truth—and where it isn’t.

And as we walk through this topic together, I want to encourage you to stay open to the leading and conviction of the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” I love that picture. Stop long enough to look around. Ask God which path is actually good, right, and life-giving and then choose to walk in it.

So let’s talk honestly for a few minutes about integrity.

Scripture has a lot to say about it. Proverbs 20:7 says, “The godly walk with integrity.” Proverbs 28:6 tells us, “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.” Proverbs 19:1 says, “Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than a person who is perverse in speech and is a fool.” Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” Proverbs 10:9 says, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” And Proverbs 28:18 reminds us, “Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.”

David prayed in Psalm 25:21, “May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.” In Psalm 26:1 he said, “I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.” And Psalm 101:2 says, “I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.”

Now that’s a lot of verses. So why take the time to read all of them? Because integrity matters deeply to God. In fact, God described Job this way in Job 2:3: “He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” Think about that for a second. Could that be said about you? About me? Are we men of integrity?

And before we answer too quickly, we need to understand what integrity really is. A person of integrity is someone who, as Acts 24:16 says, “always takes pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” In other words, you’re not living a double life. You’re not one person at church and another person behind closed doors.

A person of integrity understands what Proverbs 21:3 teaches—that “to do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” God is not impressed by outward religious activity if the heart is corrupt. He wants obedience. He wants sincerity. He wants truth.

A person of integrity doesn’t lie, cheat, manipulate, or deceive. Malachi 2:6 describes someone who walks with God faithfully and turns others away from sin. Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” Ephesians 4:25 says we are to “put away falsehood” and “speak the truth.” Colossians 3:9 says plainly, “Do not lie to one another.” Integrity means your words match reality. What people see is who you actually are.

A person of integrity also understands Micah 6:8: “What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Integrity is not arrogance. It’s humility before God.

Ezekiel 18:9 says the person of integrity “walks in my statutes and keeps my rules by acting faithfully.” Isaiah 33:15 describes someone who refuses dishonest gain, rejects corruption, and turns away from evil. Luke 6:31 says they treat others the way they themselves want to be treated.

Proverbs 22:11 says a person of integrity “loves purity of heart and whose speech is gracious.” Psalm 24 asks who may stand in God’s holy place, and the answer is: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart.” Jesus echoed that in Matthew 5:8: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Now let’s make this very practical for a moment. A person of integrity isn’t secretly feeding fleshly desire while pretending outward spirituality. They aren’t indulging sinful habits, and then trying to hide it all behind a spiritual mask. Integrity means what you are privately matches what you claim publicly.

2 Corinthians 4:2 says we are to “renounce disgraceful, underhanded ways” and not practice deception. Second Timothy 2:15 says we are to “do your best to present yourself to God as one approved.” First Thessalonians 2:4 reminds us that we are not living “to please man, but to please God, who tests our hearts.”

2 Corinthians 8:21 says we are to aim at what is honorable “not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.” Psalm 26:1 says integrity is tied directly to trusting the Lord without wavering. And then Psalm 15 paints this incredible picture of the person who walks closely with God: someone who “leads a blameless life, does what is right, speaks truth from the heart, refuses to gossip, keeps promises even when it hurts, and honors those who fear the Lord.”

That’s integrity. So let me ask you again: do you want to be known as a person of integrity? Because Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.” Proverbs 10:9 says, “People with integrity walk safely, but those who follow crooked paths will be exposed.” And Proverbs 28:18 warns us, “Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.”

Friend, integrity is not perfection. It’s honesty. It’s consistency. It’s choosing to walk in the light instead of hiding in the darkness. It’s living surrendered to God both publicly and privately. And in a world full of compromise, confusion, and hypocrisy… integrity shines brightly.

Living as a person of integrity is not some impossible standard that only a few “super spiritual” people can reach. God never calls us to something He won’t also equip us to pursue. But integrity always begins in the same place: the heart.

That’s why Solomon warns us in Proverbs to guard our hearts above everything else, because the direction of our entire life flows out of what’s happening inside us. Your thoughts, attitudes, choices, words, actions, and even your purity are all connected to the condition of your heart. So let me ask you honestly—how are you doing with that? Are you guarding your heart… or just reacting to life as it comes?

A person of integrity is someone who is single-minded for God. Focused. Intentional. Not spiritually scattered. Not trying to balance devotion to God with devotion to self. Throughout Scripture, we see men and women of God crying out with an undivided heart—seeking God wholeheartedly, pressing forward toward Him, longing to know Him more deeply, wanting His presence above everything else. That’s integrity. A heart that says, “God, You are my focus. You are what I want most.”

And that kind of integrity always shows up in how a person lives. A person of integrity is not just someone who says they follow Jesus—they actually strive to live a life that proves they follow Jesus. Their words and their lifestyle match. They keep pursuing obedience, not because they’re trying to earn salvation, but because they genuinely love God and want their life to honor Him.

Scripture repeatedly warns us not to make promises lightly, especially before God. A person of integrity keeps their word. They don’t casually say things they never intend to follow through on. They don’t make spiritual commitments emotionally and then abandon them when things get difficult. Integrity means your “yes” actually means yes.

And integrity also affects what you allow into your eyes and mind. Throughout Scripture, we’re warned to be careful what we look at, where we go, and what paths we choose to walk down. A person of integrity doesn’t just stumble through life blindly. They think carefully about their choices. They pay attention to the direction of their life. They understand that temptation is real and that purity requires intentionality.

So they make deliberate decisions. They avoid things that pull them away from God. They refuse to feed King Me. They choose not to entertain sinful thoughts and images. They understand that integrity is not just about what people see publicly—it’s also about who you are privately when nobody else is around.

That’s why Scripture encourages us to carefully consider our ways, to walk wisely, and to stay alert spiritually. Because God sees every path we take. Nothing is hidden from Him. And let’s be honest here—living with integrity takes diligence. It takes effort. It takes consistency. You don’t accidentally drift into godliness. You don’t wake up one day with strong integrity because you casually thought about God once in a while.

Over and over again, Scripture calls us to diligence—to stay steadfast, to keep pressing forward, to not grow weary in doing good, to remain faithful, disciplined, and spiritually alert. Why? Because laziness is dangerous, especially in the Christian life.

And if we’re honest, most of us struggle with spiritual laziness at some level. We procrastinate obedience. We neglect time in God’s Word. We stop being watchful. We become careless in our thought life. We slowly lower our guard. And little compromises eventually become big compromises.

But Scripture teaches that diligence brings blessing. Not necessarily worldly wealth and comfort—but spiritual strength, wisdom, integrity, and purity. As we consistently apply God’s truth to our hearts and daily choices, God shapes us into men who walk securely and faithfully with Him.

So let me ask you again: Are you a man of integrity? Not just outwardly. Not just publicly. But privately. Deep in your heart. When nobody else is watching. Are you becoming a godly man who is wholehearted, honest, watchful, diligent, and fully surrendered to God?

Because integrity isn’t perfection. It’s consistency in pursuing God with an undivided heart.

Alright, we’re going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode. But before we wrap up, if today’s study on integrity challenged or encouraged you, I’d love for you to take the next step.

Head over to ThePurityCoach.com and check out the resources we’ve made available through The Pure Man Ministry to help men all over the world pursue purity, integrity, and real freedom in Christ.

And one resource I especially want to point you to today is my book, “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel,” available right now on Amazon.

This is a 12-week men’s Bible study designed to help you become the man God has called you to be in a world that is increasingly anti-God, anti-Christ, and anti-Bible. And yes—we use the Superman illustration throughout the study, because just like Superman draws his strength from the sun, you and I draw our spiritual strength from staying close to the SON of God, Jesus Christ.

The closer your relationship with Christ becomes, the stronger you’ll stand against temptation, compromise, and the attacks of the enemy. James 4:7 reminds us that when we submit ourselves to God and resist the devil, he will flee from us.

But let’s be honest—we all have Kryptonite. We all have weaknesses, temptations, and struggles the enemy loves to use against us. And when we toy around with those things, it weakens our walk with God and our ability to stand firm in the fight. That’s exactly what this study helps you confront.

In “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel,” you’ll learn how to identify your spiritual Kryptonite, guard your heart, grow stronger in your relationship with Christ, and become a man of integrity who stands firm in the middle of spiritual warfare.

So here’s my challenge: don’t just listen to truth—take action. Go to Amazon.com today and pick up your copy of “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” Or simply search my name, Steve Etner, and check out the other books the Lord has allowed me to write.

Well, if you have not yet subscribed to this podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes! So, until next time this is Steve Etner – author, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry – reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.