The Actions of Integrity

By on July 25, 2011 in growing godly men, the heart, The Word

Joseph is one of my favorite people in the Bible to study. His un-shakable commitment to the character of God is something I long for. He was betrayed by his brothers, separated from his father for decades, forgotten about by those who promised to help him, and falsely accused. Yet through offense after horrible offense, Joseph never wavered in what he believed in.

Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife “…How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” And as she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not listen to her, to lie beside her or to be with her. Genesis 39:6-10

In the face of great temptation, Joseph ran in the path of integrity.

Joseph boldly refused the offer.

He could have gotten away with it. Joseph had been given control over all of his master Potiphar’s possessions. He could have arranged for all servants to be busy with their duties…away from him and Potiphar’s wife. I imagine Potiphar’s wife was an attractive woman, and we know that she was persistent! She very openly and aggressively offered herself to him. To Joseph, there was no beating around the bush; he flat out refused her.

Joseph recognized who his sin was ultimately against.

Sure, Potiphar would have been livid to find his right-hand-man in bed with his wife but Joseph’s motivation to reject this alluring offer was out of love, respect and commitment to God and His ways.

Joseph didn’t listen to the constant invitation.

20/141 Not Listening

photo credit

He had initially declined her offer, but the woman would just not stop. She entreated him day after day after day, constantly reminding him of what he was missing out on. He refused her day after day after day. He tuned her out. He would not listen to the lie that life with this woman and the pleasures she could offer him were better than fellowship with God.

A momma’s plea for integrity.

Oh, that my boys would be like Joseph in the face of temptation! It was by God’s grace that Joseph was able to endure temptation and walk with integrity. And by God’s grace, my boys can too.

  • Lord, I pray that when my sons have an opportunity to sin, they would refuse it. Give them boldness to say no and courage to flee at the first signs of temptation.
  • I ask that you would cement the truth in my boys’ minds that sin is ultimately an offense against you, our Holy Creator. Let them not be primarily driven from sin out of fear of getting caught. I pray their motivation to remain pure would be an overflow of their heart’s reverent awe of your holiness.
  • Give my sons a deaf ear to the offers of pleasure this world can provide. Show them that only you can satisfy the cravings of their soul.

What are your prayers for your sons in the area of integrity? How do you teach your boys what integrity is?

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How To Teach A Young Boy About Integrity

By on July 22, 2011 in growing godly men, the heart, Uncategorized

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent!”

~Horton the Elephant {Horton Hears A Who! by Dr. Seuss}

 

Perhaps the most notable trait in a man of integrity is that he is ‘only as good as his word.’  Which is to say that he does what he says he will.  And he truly means what he says.

And how do we teach this trait, integral to a man’s integrity?

We model it.

Quite simply, be a Horton:

follow through on what you articulate.

 

Not just in terms of discipline {which is very important}, but when your son tugs at your skirt for your attention, and you promise to play with him in “just a minute,” make sure you do.  Even if you see that he has become distracted or occupied with something else, he *will* realize that you’ve brushed him off and/or evaded him.

Should you then be surprised when he shirks responsibility later in life?  What has he learned about faithfulness to those around him?

Mean what you say, and say what you mean.

The promises we make, break, and keep today teach our sons how to make, break, and keep promises as he becomes a man.  As trivial as those little moments may seem, children remember the small things…or what  – in this case, moments in which we become wrapped up in to-dos and miss the hidden opportunities – may become the big things.

What will you teach your son?

 

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Cover Me in the Day of War

By on July 21, 2011 in giveaway, Warrior Prayer

More and more often I feel the war that comes with raising two little boys I hope will become godly men.

Us boy moms, we need inspiration. We need to believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). We need heroes of the faith to remind us that the God we serve is mighty, yes, even mighty to save. And we need to believe that the same power that God freely gave to His followers in times of old, is available to us today.

But do we?

Do we believe that God can still part the seas?

Do we believe that God can still bring us manna from heaven?

Do we believe that God can still speak to us through any means He chooses? Including a burning bush or a common donkey?

Do we believe that the same God who used all the power of heaven to raise His beloved Son from the dead can use that same power to work in the hearts of our sons?

Do we believe that God still pursues the hearts of his children through radical, miracle-working grace?

I recently had the honor of reading a book that reminded me of this power…the power that caused a little shepherd boy to raise five smooth stones in the name of the God he loved and believed in.  The same power that caused him to stand when everyone else around him was sitting. The same power that caused men to love him, revere him, follow him, fight for him.

David.

I’ve always been intrigued by this man David…after God’s own heart. He’s a picture of us all. Desperately in love with his God, yet lured by the things of this world. But as I read Day of War, by Cliff Graham, David became more than a man after God’s own heart to me…he became my inspiration.

Reading this book made me wonder if I really believe that God is still the God of the supernatural. Does He still work miracles? Is He still capable of moving the immovable? Does He see me and my need?

Does He still cover me in the day of war?

“The giant was bearing down on him. There was no more time. Swing…faster…aim! He cried out, certain the fire would destroy him, but instead it drove him forward through the rocks. Dust flew. With a final burst, he released one of the ropes, sending the stone whistling through the air, and as it flew toward the black form of the warrior, the young man whispered in his spirit: Cover me in the day of war.” ~Day of War

We’re in a war for the hearts of our sons and we’re losing the battle. I long to raise men who believe that God will cover them in their day of war. But before I can help them believe, I must believe it myself.

Reading Day of War has rekindled my faith, and I’m stepping into the war whose end shows my sons as great warriors like King David. I’m praying, “Cover me Lord.  Cover me in the day of war.”

Will you join me? What if we all entered the war for our sons? What if our collective battle cry was, “Cover us in the day of war!”

We might all be giant killers.

****************

Cliff Graham is an officer in the United States Army National Guard, author of Day of War, and father of three little boys he is determined to raise as warriors for the Lord.

Today he is generously offering THREE copies of his amazing fictional account of Kind David and his mighty men based on 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11…Day of War.

I’m a reader. And I’ve read many a good book in my time. But I’ve never read a book that captured my attention and inspired my faith (and parenting) the way this one did.  It challenged me to believe that the God I serve today is the same God who covered David in his day of war.

Mandatory Entry:

Share the MOB Society with your friends. Recommend that your boy mom friends follow us any way you like.

* For an extra entry, follow @CliffGraham on Twitter.

 

 

 

 

Integrity: To Be Rather Than to Seem

By on July 19, 2011 in growing godly men

The North Carolina state seal carries the motto, Esse Quam Videre: “To Be, Rather Than To Seem.” It’s a good rule for ourselves and our sons, not just our home state.

Integrity is one of those things that’s better caught than taught, that come best through discipleship.  When we think of discipling our children, we need to remember that involves far more than teaching them or disciplining them. Discipling is the art of making a disciple, of helping the student become like the teacher. That means if we are discipling our children, as we should, we are helping them to become like us.

That’s pretty sobering. It’s why if we want to raise men of integrity, it’s absolutely essential that we exhibit personal integrity ourselves. Boys hate hypocrisy. They want their leaders to deserve their devotion.

Has your son ever seen you tell the truth when it cost you something? Or, do the right thing even though it hurt you? Those lessons are powerful and life-changing for a boy. You see, boys need heroes – examples that they can think of and ask themselves, “What would George Washington do?” or “What would Paul do?” and hopefully, “What would Dad do?” All those questions, if we’ve given the right heroes to our sons, are different ways of asking, “What would Jesus do?”

And that’s really the standard. Would our Lord lie to reduce his insurance cost? Would he “forget” to mention His home improvements to avoid a tax hike? Would He use His mom’s handicapped handtag to get a better parking space? Every day in different ways we show our boys how to serve Christ or how to serve themselves. They’ve got to make the decision whether to follow our example or not, but it’s our responsibility to be the right one to follow.

On a lighter note, our boys (and girls) are joining us this month as we drive across the entire United States, from North Carolina to California and back, 6000 miles. Head over to our blog and follow the adventures of our mongoose-like family. Why mongoose-like? Why, don’t you know the story of Rikki Tikki Tavi?

It is the hardest thing in the world to frighten a mongoose, because he is eaten up from nose to tail with curiosity. The motto of all the mongoose family is “Run and find out”; and Rikki-tikki was a true mongoose.

The Jungle Books Two by Rudyard Kipling

That’s pretty much us. It’s our unofficial family motto. Come and join us!

jo

 

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