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You know what's true about a trial?

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The same thing that's true

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about a man who gives his word.

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He swears to his own hurt

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and he changes not.

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When a man of integrity

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is confronted by a path that's easy,

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but to take the easy path means

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I have to forfeit my integrity,

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versus a path that hurts,

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but to walk it,

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to walk the path of integrity,

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I'm going to have to suffer the pain.

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And this comes back to trials

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because in trials,

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we're faced with what temptation?

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We're faced with going through the trial.

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Typically, one of the things

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that is true about the trial

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is that to go through it 
in a way of integrity

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means that there's going 
to be certain suffering.

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And many times, there 
are ways out of trials.

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You see, the person that 
is not a person of integrity

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will seek to avoid pain at all costs

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even though it will cost them their honor

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or cost them their honesty.

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How about mistakes?

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When people fail?

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There is a place too

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where a person's integrity will show.

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Because I'll tell you this about David.

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When he was confronted by his sin,

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he admitted it.

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A man without integrity will seek

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to hide what he has done.

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He won't seek to admit what he's done.

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Mistakes.

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Honesty.

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You live in this house.

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Integrity says, I come home.

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I'm famished.

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Go to the refrigerator.

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There's a half-eaten sandwich.

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Integrity says that doesn't belong to me.

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I'm not going to eat it.

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You know what integrity says?

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You take a soda at Fatty's or a water

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and you pay for it.

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Integrity says that when I know the boss

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is out sick that day,

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I don't mark it down as a play day.

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I work just as hard as if he was there.

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And you know what 
motivates a man to do that?

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A man who knows that in all of his actions

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God is there.

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And God is watching.

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And God vindicates and upholds

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and protects and allows 
access to His holy hill,

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men of integrity.

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You see, a person who 
really longs for Christ

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and longs for intimacy with God knows

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that the person of integrity has access

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to His holy hill

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and will be invited very often

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into the intimate place that 
people without integrity

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are not invited into.

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And I'll tell you this.

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There are degrees of integrity 
among God's children.

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That degree of integrity,

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those who have the highest degrees of it

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are granted access into 
the most privileged places

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more than those who don't have it.

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And if you really desire to be there,

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you who walk before God,

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you know that He's watching you.

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"A man's ways are before 
the eyes of the Lord."

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Proverbs 5:21, "...and He 
ponders all his paths."

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I'll tell you, when you 
come to that refrigerator,

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men who live here,

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and you find something 
in that refrigerator

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that doesn't belong to you,

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God is there and He's pondering your path.

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When you go and you pull 
that soda out at Fatty's,

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God is there and He's pondering the path.

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When you walk through life,

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when you're telling the story,

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and you embellish it

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and you add facts that make you look good,

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but aren't exactly true 
and you stretch things,

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God is there and He's weighing out

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your words in the balance and He knows.

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And a man of integrity will purposely

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not overembellish a story.

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He will purposely under-embellish it

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lest he be found a liar 
in the sight of God.

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Integrity. Do you have it?

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Young people, do you have it?

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Those of you that live in this house -

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it's amazing that one of the things

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that we want to encourage is integrity

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for those young men 
that live in this house.

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You know what's amazing to me

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is this last first of the month,

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the guys that are supposed 
to pay their money

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on the first Sunday of the month,

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we had four of the men not pay.

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And some of those men are men

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that are members of our church.

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Integrity, men.

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Integrity, ladies.

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Do you give your word

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that you're going to do something?

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Do you give your word

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that you're going to be on time at a job?

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Do you take a job

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and you tell your boss

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I'm going to do this?

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I'll do this. I'll work for you.

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I give you my word.

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And then, are you found 
to work half-hearted?

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Half as much as the people that 
are lost in that workplace?

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This is a matter of integrity.

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There is a God that sees.

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2 Chronicles 16:9,

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"The eyes of the Lord run to and fro

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throughout the whole earth

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to give strong support to those

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whose heart is blameless toward Him."

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His eyes.

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As the Bible likens this to that of a man

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that we can imagine God,

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His eyes are running to and fro

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all the time,

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back and forth,

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and what is He looking for?

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Men and women of integrity.

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I'll tell you this,

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you know what the motivation is

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to live a life of integrity?

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It's faith that truly believes

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that even when no one else is watching,

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God knows

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and He's weighing it all 
out in His balances.

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And based on your decisions,

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based on your honesty,

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based on your integrity,

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you are going to be granted access

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to greater and lesser degrees

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to His very holy place

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and to communion with Him

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and Him preserving you.

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And when you walk a life like that,

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you can go into your prayer place

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and you can say,

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"Father, I ask You for this

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based on my integrity."

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And that is not an unbiblical way to pray.

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But it is an unbiblical way to pray

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if you don't have integrity.

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I call you to it.

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"The Lord is in His holy temple."

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Psalm 11:4 says,

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"The Lord's throne is in Heaven.

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His eyes see.

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His eyelids test the children of man."

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We can't hide ourselves before the Lord.

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He tests all of our ways.

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There is your motivation for integrity.

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The Lord before Whom you walk.

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The Lord before Whom you live.

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The Lord before Whom

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you must carry out your ways

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and your words and your thoughts,

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Whose eyes are running to and fro

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constantly looking.

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Isn't it amazing?

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The Lord is specifically looking

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for people of integrity.

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Young people,

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don't cut corners on integrity.

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Don't be half-hearted.

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Dwell on these things.

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It's only of faith that believes

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what I've said tonight.

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It's only of faith that believes.

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It's only a person that lives

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in an awareness of the presence of God

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and believes God is here,

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God is present,

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God is watching,

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God is concerned,

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God is weighing,

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God's eyes are running to and fro.

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It's only with that conviction

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that you will be motivated

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to live a life of integrity.

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Guarantee, that is the driving force.

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That is the driving conviction.

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Well, may God help us to do so.