The very reason you need to tell someone…

Integrity means that you must make up your mind in advance or in other words, commit openly.

There are times in life when you shouldn't wait to make up your mind.  For instance:  Your wedding day and the pastor says, "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"  That is not the time to say, "Give me just a minute on that one."  Make up your mind in advance. 

Make up your mind in advance about integrity.  Decide in advance who you're to be and I encourage us to be like GOD in this.

Isaiah 45:19 (LB), this is what GOD's like.  HE says, "I publicly proclaim bold promises; I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner so that no one will know what I mean." 

You say, "I can't always trust myself to make the right decision.  I'm not sure it's a good idea to make a commitment because I might let somebody down."  Just remember it's always easier to absolve yourselves than resolve yourself; it's easier to make up excuses than make up your mind.  For all of us, that is why, once you've made up your mind, you tell someone.  Tell it to the right someone about your commitment. 

Many of us have never told anybody about our commitment to integrity.  We've never talked with anyone about it, because we think, "It's my business."  But we all need to understand what an important part, voicing our commitment plays.  We think if we tell someone then fall short we'll feel embarrassed, like a failure.  That's the very reason you need to tell someone, so that you put your life on the line.  We all need some people in our life that we can tell about our commitment that will help us be accountable to those commitments. 

Just a thought from the front porch…