Have you ever been afraid? Fear is a difficult emotion. Sometimes fear is vague, dull, and unfocused: you feel anxious, but you’re not sure why. Other times it is acute: you know EXACTLY what you’re afraid of! Fear, whether in the form of fright, worry, anxiety, terror, or dread, affects everyone. What is the answer?
Prayer is answer number one—talk to God about your fears and He will give you peace, as it says in Philippians 4:5-6.
But there is another answer: INTEGRITY.
If you have integrity, it will fill you with courage.
How? Because when you have integrity, you are committed to doing the right thing no matter what. You may be afraid of some consequence, but integrity means you care more about doing the right thing than about your own fear. People with integrity push through their fears all the time, they do the right thing, and God blesses them. In the process, they grow more courageous. Thus, integrity breeds courage.
“The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion” Proverbs 28:1.
Are you as bold as a lion? If you have integrity, you will be! But the converse is also true: if you do not have integrity, you will be afraid all the time: the wicked flee when no one is pursuing them.
So if fear is ever an issue for you, whether terror or worry, increase your commitment to integrity. Total integrity—total HONESTY—will help you grow more courage! (This advice is for normal fears. Some chronic fear, particularly the anxiety associated with clinical depression can be so entrenched only one-on-one counseling will bring true relief.)
God, help us have integrity. Make us honest in all that we do. Help us work hard for our pay. Help us be honest in our work and honest in our academics. Help us go the extra mile rather than taking shortcuts that are nothing more than high-tech cheating. Mold us into people of the utmost integrity. And use that commitment to integrity to grow more courage in us. Make each of us AS BOLD AS A LION. Thank you!
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