I have been reading my way through a book consisting of a compilation of articles that I picked up at the Catalyst conference a few weeks back (Catalyst Groupzine Vol. 4). The third section of this book is entirely devoted to the topic of integrity--how to nurture, guard, and protect your integrity. In the opening article, Undivided: The Real You Must Be Whole, Craig Groeschel made some important contributions to the conversation.
One aspect of integrity that he emphasized is that every person has certain areas in his or her life that are more suspect to temptation than others. He suggests that identifying these areas and then putting boundaries around them is one way to protect integrity. Some personal policies Craig has put in place include: never going out of town overnight alone; zero access to church finances; reviewal of all internet activity by two other people...etc. Based on the need to identify areas of personal vulnerability and then establish policies to safeguard moral failure, Craig says he sometimes says to staff members in one-on-one interactions: "Tell me, out loud: what are the three most vulnerable areas in your life?"
That's a powerful question to consider!
I spent the better part of the last week praying about my answer. It proved to be tremendously beneficial. The entire process culminated yesterday when I met with a spiritual advisor that I seek counsel from on a regular basis and shared with him the results. I think one of the ways we can insulate our integrity from temptation is to let other people in on the vulnerable areas in our lives. Sin can gain a life of its own when left in the dark. Answering Craig's question helps keep us walking in the light.
What are the three most vulnerable areas in your life?
Who can help you walk in the light?
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