I’m working through Proverbs and Proverbs 11:3 says…

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

To be honest, I had never really thought about integrity as a guide before but it really is. When you tell the truth all the time, you don’t have to remember what story you’re telling which people. You’re telling the same story all the time because the truth doesn’t change. It’s a much less stressful way to live.

Integrity is also a guide because it teaches us to do what we say we’re going to do. This should guide a lot of our behavior. The more we begin to take our word seriously, the more we realize how much of a blessing it is to ourselves and others when we do what we say we’re going to do. Integrity is a guide in this way in that we don’t have to wonder whether or not we should honor our word. The answer is always, “Yes.” This takes a lot of our oscillating and decision-making time off the table because we know in advance that we’re going to do what we say.

What is duplicity? It means being one way on the outside and a different way on the inside. Why will it destroy us? Eventually people will find out. You can’t hide forever. The other reality that people generally don’t want to confront is that the King of the universe cannot be deceived. He may let you coast along living two lives for a time, but you had better believe that he’s not OK with it. Don’t let his silence be confused with pleasure. As the Ruler of the moral government of the universe, he will eventually reward righteousness and severely punish wickedness.

What if we all chose to live lives of integrity? We would stick out like a sore thumb in a world that prides itself on deception. We would also experience an incredible freedom because as Pastor Rick Bezet says, “Fake is exhausting.”