Faith

INTEGRITY


This morning I was reading about Daniel. You know, the Daniel and the Lion’s Den story? I’ve heard the story before, but this was the first time I really sat down and read it. He refused to quit praying to God despite it being against the law, so the king threw him into a den filled with lions. The lions did not touch him. I’m doing this whole “read the Bible in a year” book and something popped into my mind after reading the story.

Integrity. My pastor once said that Integrity is integrating what I believe into my daily actions. So, what does that mean? He went on to tell a story about how a woman was in prison in China, they brought her children to the jail and said that if she renounced God, said she did not believe in God she could go home with her kids and live out a full life. If not, if she chose to continue in her belief in God and Jesus, then she would remain in prison.

What would you do?

Well, this woman, standing firm in her faith, did not renounce God. She was kept in prison another 26 years. Can you believe it? Oh, and John McCain. When he was a POW, he was given the opportunity to leave the prison camp early because of the status of his father. He said no, he stuck with the protocol that the POW there the longest got to go home first. He remained in that POW camp another 4 years.

I call that integrity. What would you do in those situations? I would hope I could do the right thing, but God only knows.

4 Comments

  • JC Lamont

    Many times they pray for the salvation of the guards and other prisoners and many get saved. So I wouldn’t rather die. But it must be very hard when your children are young. To me, when mine are all grown up though, I don’t think I’d care if I was evangelizing in a prison as long as I was evangelizing. But that’s my calling. I love all the persecuted Christians, and respect them sooo much. I can’t imagine what they go through on a daily basis. We Americans are truly spoiled.

  • Sheri Boeyink

    Lisa–Thanks for stopping by. Beth Moore has some wonderful studies I hear. Haven’t done one personally, but heard they are great.

    Kat–Yeah, I think I have integrity, but I’ve never been faced with 26 years in prison or a prison camp. I pray I’m never faced with those, but if I am, I pray even harder I’ll stand firm — I think I’d rather die too…

  • Kat

    I’d like to think I have integrity. Twenty-six years is a long time, but in my heart, there’s no way I could renounce God.

    Honestly, I think I’d rather die.

  • Lisa Bergren

    I did Beth Moore’s DANIEL study last year–phenomenal. I pretty much only knew the lion’s den story…and there is SO much to glean from that book. All kinds of prophecy and relation to Revelation. Good for you for reading the Bible in a year! The idea of it always overwhelms me… LTB