Integrity Backs Up Our Words
Month 11: Living It Out · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Proverbs 11:3
3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.
Memory Verse
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”— Micah 6:8 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Jeremiah 32-34
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 317 of 365 — Jeremiah buys a field as a sign that God will restore the land He promised.)The Heart of It
"The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them" (). Integrity is a big word. It means being the same person all the way through. You are the same when people are watching and when they're not. You are the same in your words and in your actions. The word actually comes from the same root as "integer," a whole number. A person of integrity isn't split into pieces, saying one thing and living another. They're whole, undivided, real. And the Bible says that wholeness "guides" you. It keeps you on a straight, safe path. But a divided, two-faced life eventually trips you up and tears you apart.
Here's why this matters for defending the faith. You can give someone the best argument in the world for why Jesus is real. But if your life doesn't match your words, your argument leaks all its power. People can argue with your reasons. It's much harder to argue with a life that's honest, kind, and consistent for years. That's why integrity backs up our words. When a Christian keeps promises, tells the truth even when it's costly, and treats people fairly, it gives the gospel credibility. Your good life doesn't replace sharing the gospel with words. It makes those words believable. A watching world is asking, "Does this Jesus actually change anyone?" Your integrity is part of the answer.
Around the Table
Integrity means being the same kind, honest you whether Mom is in the room or not. People believe your words when your doing matches your saying.
Let's do it: Make a promise today (like "I'll put my toys away") and keep it all the way — that's integrity!
You can have great reasons that Jesus is real, but a dishonest life makes people stop listening. A truthful life makes your words believable.
Let's talk: Have you ever stopped trusting someone because their actions didn't match their words?
Integrity is being undivided — one consistent person across every setting. It doesn't replace verbal witness; it gives your witness credibility.
Let's go deeper: Where are you tempted to be a "different person" with different groups? What would integrity look like there?
💬 Conversation Starter
Who is someone you really trust — and what have they done over time to earn that trust?— Trust is built by a life that keeps matching its words.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "Christians are all hypocrites — they don't even live what they preach," you can answer kindly: "Some Christians do fail to live it out, and that's genuinely sad. Even the Bible warns against it (). But a hypocrite who doesn't follow Jesus isn't proof that Jesus is wrong. It's proof that person isn't following Him. Don't judge the medicine by the patient who won't take it. And here's a fair challenge. Watch the Christians who are really following Jesus, and see if their lives don't ring true." Say it with a smile, not a sneer. First Peter 3:15 tells us to give our answer "with gentleness and respect." And then make sure your own life is one of the honest examples you just pointed to.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Apologetics has a credibility problem that no syllogism can fix. A father can win every argument at the dinner table and still lose his children if his life contradicts his claims. Os Guinness calls it "the credibility test." The world doesn't first weigh our arguments. It weighs us. Your kids are running that test daily. Do your private words about people match your public ones? Do you keep promises to your children with the same seriousness you'd keep one to your boss? Integrity isn't perfection. It's wholeness. And when you blow it, the most powerful thing you can model is honest repentance, which is integrity in action. The single most persuasive apologetic your children will ever encounter is a dad whose walk and talk are the same number all the way through.
Draws on: Os Guinness, Fool's Talk.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, make us whole — the same honest, kind people whether anyone is watching or not. Let our lives back up our words so people can see that Jesus is real. In Jesus' name, amen."
My life is part of my argument. So I'll keep it honest enough to make my words believable.