Kenneth Copeland - Honor : walking in honesty, truth & integrity

Contents

Honor

Walking in Honesty, Truth, and

Integrity

Introduction

In my study of the Word of God, I discovered something very important about honor . Honor carries and is supported by the supernatural power of God.

An honorable man may look like a lamb being led to the slaughter. As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter (Rom. 8:36). He may look like he has just stuck out his chin for someone to hit. He appears this way because he lives by biblical teachings and principles:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." When a man demands your shirt, give him your coat too. Go the extra mile. If someone strikes you on the one cheek, turn to him the other cheek. If your boss doesn't treat you right, honor him anyway. Do the right thing regardless of what it looks like it will cost.

Sometimes it may look like we are going to the slaughter when we live according to the Bible definition of honor , but we need to remember what the Bible tells us: that ...whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free (Eph. 6:8); that ...we are more than conquerors through him that loved us

(Rom. 8:37); and that the Lord has promised ...them that honour me I will honour... (1 Sam. 2:30).

Those are all important principles of godly honor .

If we choose to do the honorable thingif we choose to live by the Word of Godthen the honor of God will hold us up. God will provide for us because of His own personal honor and integrity. He has promised that He will honor us when we honor Him.

In this book we will look at the biblical definition of honor and the results of living an honorable life.

The Honorable Life

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2 Peter 1:1-4

The Bible teaches honor all the way through even though the word " honor " isn't always used, as in this passage from 2 Peter, which speaks of God's divine nature and His precious promises.

What is honor ? The world defines it in many ways, but we will define " honor " as a keen sense of ethical conduct. Honor is often used to refer to one's word being given as a guarantee. It is personal integrity.

Honor and honest are related. They are often used to refer to those who fear the Lord. In many Bible references fear means reverence.

We fear, or reverence, or highly honor God by living life as He directs. God has promised that if we will do that, if we will honor Him and act on His Word, He will honor us. (1 Sam. 2:30.) A common problem is that many of us have not believed His Word or believed for the blessings promised in His Word.

For instance, we have not understood what Jesus meant when He said for us to turn the other cheek. (Matt. 5:39.) He was not talking about weakness; He was talking about meekness.

Such scriptures are not referring to our being weak. They are referring to our being submitted to God and committed to doing what He says, whether it looks good to us or not. That is doing the honorable thing.

We must learn to put aside our own feelings and human reasonings and just be obedient to the Lord. Jesus was telling us that if we will turn the other cheek in meekness and in the power of the honor of God, we cannot be hit again.

Even though a person turns his other cheek, if he stands on the Word and in the Word, the devil will have a hard time getting through to hit him the second time. In order to do this, however, an individual has to know in Whom he has believed. He has to have faith and trust in the honor of God and in His divine integrity.

If you and I know how to walk in honor before God, we don't have to be afraid of anyone. We don't have to fear what men can do to us. The Lord has promised that if we will honor Him and be obedient to His Word, He will honor us and protect us from all our enemies.

Honesty and Honor Go Together

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

1 Peter 2:11 ,12

Where do we get the word "honest"? If you will study the way this word developed, you will see that it is related to honor . Honor , honesty and truth are closely related concepts.

Peter is saying here, "Let your conversationyour manner of lifebe honorable among the Gentiles."

Among the Jews of Peter's day the word "Gentiles" was used to refer to nations or people without God. If you study the book of Ephesians, you will see that at one time you and I were Gentiles, but now we who were afar off have been brought near to God by the blood of His Son Jesus Christ. (Eph. 2:13.)

This passage is talking about the way we should act toward those who don't know God. Our honorable manner of life, our living honestly among the Gentiles, is important. Oh, how important it is.

Let just one or two preachers get in trouble and suddenly all preachers have trouble because of the way a few "Christian" ministers have lived their lives and conducted their business. Instead of walking in honor before the Gentiles, these few have disgraced and damaged all believers. We need to understand what God intends for us to do and what we can expect of Him.

Expect of Him? Yes, we expect of Him. If we don't expect something from God when we act on the Word, all we are doing is just making a tradition out of it. We are doing things because someone said we are supposed to do it instead of because God said it and we're acting on His Word.

We must learn to walk honestly before the Gentiles, so they will behold our good works and glorify our heavenly Father.

Submit to God-Ordained Authority

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

1 Peter 2:13-17

We are not to use our freedom to hide our hanky-panky. We don't use our power or reputation to take advantage of someone. We must not use our position and the respect due us as a preacher of the gospel or as a child of God to defraud anyone.

Some do, though, and it reflects badly on all of usand on the Church of Jesus Christ.

No Discounts, Please!

One time a preacher came into a convenience store where I was shopping. He was trying to talk the clerk into giving him a discount on his shotgun shells because he was a minister. It embarrassed me. It almost made me want to curse so that clerk wouldn't think I was a preacher, too.

I just stood there and shook my head.

The clerk behind the counter got really irritated at the man. He could not have given him a discount, even if he had wanted to, because he did not own the store.