A Cry for Integrity – Before it is Too Late! By M. John Cava

“Behold you desire truth in the inward parts . . .” (Psalm 51:6)
To quote the recent movie, Rocky Balboa, “You’re better than that . . ..”
I have spent countless hours in the middle of the night agonizing with God over people who profess Jesus as Lord and continue to operate in behind the scenes carnalities, control games, and politics. They bring damage to the Church Body, themselves and the name of the Lord. I hear my heart saying, “How can this be in the Body of Christ? How can they be so unhealed in their soul, yet still involved – even prominent in the ministry?” God is light, so pure and holy, how can they still dwell in the shadows in significant areas of their life?
Are you maybe like me? Then, I ask God to search me to see if I am blind-spotted, a legalist or deluded. (I know I am not perfect either.) He will often affirm to me, “No, you see clearly – it is generational iniquity.” (It is thinking or ways that are “bent” and not the straight way of God.) They won’t let anyone touch it. The lack of integrity is there in speech, finances, falseness, ambitions, pride, anger, immorality, or manipulation etc. A lot of gifting, yet there are big holes in character. It’s not just fault-finding – it’s obvious.
What do I mean? The love of God and even the gifts and calling of God are not a license to do what you please. In the big picture, some prophets give prophesies that don’t happen (not all, thank God), evangelists inflate the numbers, pastors abuse their flocks, adulterous associate pastors get transferred secretly and leaders are a financial mess. In the small picture, church politics goes on, families put up false fronts of healthiness, gossip rings continue, money designated to missions never gets there and pornography shows up on the computer history. Where is the integrity? What about the glory of God?
It can be different. Humility attracts grace and revival:
Let me share a few firsthand examples. About eight years ago I took a team to minister at a small youth retreat in Switzerland. There were only about 50-60 young people and several lady leaders in their twenties. They didn’t seem to spiritually hungry. Around the third group session that I led, one of the leaders came to me in mid-talk and said she wanted to say something. After a few minutes, I gave her the microphone. She went on to share that she had been steeped in Internet pornography for years and never told anyone. She gave it up a year-ago, but felt she had lived a double life to the youth group and wanted to repent to them.
Two things happened at once: A small group of prayers encircled her in love. And a line formed beside me on the platform to confess every imaginable young adult sin. The atmosphere in the room transformed with the manifest presence of God and revival broke out that went on for days. Piles of prayer, tears and joy were all over the room every session, gifts of the Spirit began flowing and young people got free. Eventually family members heard and came to watch and they were convicted. These young people went back home and started leading their friends to Christ with true power and signs and wonders. I was receiving emails of wildfire that continued after I left. It all started when one young lady got the guts to respond with integrity.
The next situation was in 2009 with a pastor in his late thirties who wanted a group of older leaders to advise him and pray for him. Through a prophetic word a generational iniquity of perversion and bestiality was identified four generations back. Having some vague remembrances of strange events, he submitted to ministry and ended up having severe manifestations of deliverance with shaking and vomiting. It was messy. He didn’t care. He wanted to honor God and walk with integrity. He and his congregation were healed and strengthened by the Lord. Jesus seemed to drawer closer to them.
But have our iniquities distanced him more than we know. I wonder if Jesus was targeting the modern day Charismatic/Pentecostal church when he spoke in Matthew 7:21-23, “ Many will say . . . have we not prophesied . . . cast out demons . . . done wonders . . . I declare to them . . . I never knew you . . . depart from me .. . .” What happened? A lot of ministry and gifting, but too much unseated iniquity that still influenced their relationship with God and had a major effect on others. If this is a cycle that you see in your own life . . .. Beware!
Do you want true unity of the Spirit? The word “integrity” has built into it the meaning of oneness “integer.” We can have prayer meetings, pastor’s banquets, marches, worship concerts and the like, but without inner integrity there will be no unity (oneness) of the Spirit. This is the heart level that God sees and evaluates, not the outward forms. Neither, will a “temporary gathering-anointing” win a city, nor force the demons back. There is no lasting power. Unfortunately, many are substituting bigger for quality . . . but not the Lord.
God still brings ministries down and judges his people. It may take ten years, but eventually what is done in secret just might be shouted from housetops. Like David’s sin with Bathsheba – the truth came out – the damage eventually came. His whole family and kingdom suffered. God will not be mocked. We have seen big ministers fall in the last 25 years, but how about the small ones and ordinary folks that go on causing damage.
It is not just a matter of everyone knowing everyone’s business. Private things can be handled privately, and public things publicly. It is about real repentance, confessing our sins one to another, so we can be prayed for and healed. True humility. Walking in the light – where we can have real fellowship with one another and be washed by the blood of Jesus. We need relational integrity of truth, so there can be trust.
God cleaned house in the time of Ezekiel. The “behind the wall sins,” eventually loosed iniquity and judgment on the whole land.
“Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women . . . begin at my sanctuary’ . . . so they began with the elders who were before the temple.” Ezekiel 9:6
He will do it again in the New Testament days.
“For the time has come for judgment to begin in the house of God, and if it begins with us first .. . .” (1 Peter 4:17). So let’s remember, the “us” is the Church!
Tens of thousands of people are leaving the traditional church in America. Yes they want relationship, yes they want simple church models and yes they are tired of hypocrisy and church politics as usual. They cry for integrity, “Can someone really tell us the truth about what is going on around here and stop trying to control the masses like cattle?”
Dear leader, brother, sister - please allow God to up-root your iniquities. Don’t let fear, pride, stubbornness, independence, temporary ministry identities or insecurities keep you imprisoned. Jesus bore our shame on the cross and he didn’t deserve it (Hebrews 12), so we can fess-up and come to the Father – free! It is okay to be wrong or need help. There is always redemption in integrity. “But as for me, I will walk in my integrity, redeem me and be merciful to me (Psalm 26:11).
We need to show people the real 24/7 character of Jesus. The famous missionary, Raymond Lull, said it this way, “The image of the crucified Christ is found much rather in men who imitate Him in their daily walk than in the crucifix made of wood.”
For the glory of God, let’s come clean. Let go of what is holding you back. You may imagine all the ramifications of looking bad and it shatters the ego of your old nature. Truth is your friend. Have many people been telling you to change in an area of your life, but you keep denying it and rationalizing it away – though there is a train of failures proving their point.
Also, stop enabling people who have a track record of little integrity. It takes courage to set boundaries, and say “no.” Some people need to lose relationships until they get enough integrity and humility to earn them back. The Father’s love includes correction for true sons and daughters (Hebrews 12).
God is an expert in exalting the humble. “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you (Psalm 25:21). A movement for integrity will bear great fruit. Let it start with you and me.