MFM H/Q Sermons

November 26th, 2023

Topic: PERSONAL HONESTY
Text: Isaiah 6:1-8, Proverbs 20:7, Psalms 101:7, John 4:24
Minister: Dr. Daniel Olukoya (G.O. MFM Worldwide)

Proverbs 20:7 (KJV) says: “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.”

Psalms 101:7 (KJV) “He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.”

John 4:24 (KJV) “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

Take note of these Scriptures and listen carefully, beloveth: Before God can pay attention to your words, before you can call God, and before your voice to God is like His own voice to Him, there must be personal honesty found within us.

Personal honesty has to do with integrity. There is a difference between corporate honesty, collective honesty, organisational honesty, and personal honesty. Individual honesty is what we are talking about. Our Christian testimony depends on personal honesty. It is an obligation God places on every true child of God.

As far as God is concerned, the issue of honesty is not negotiable; it is a must. God will only deal with people who have personal honesty, which is integrity.

Somebody is honest:

• when he is without deceit.
• when he is honourable in principles.
• When he is honourable in his intentions.
• When he is honourable in his actions.
• When is not inclined to lie, steal, or cheat.
• When he is upright, straightforward, and very firm in his interpersonal relationships.
• When his “yes” is his “yes” and his “no” is his “no.”
• When he is truthful.
• When he is very open and frank.
• When he is living his life without disguise. That is, you are not wearing a mask, which you can put on and off as the situation demands.
• When he is above board.
• When he is authentic, he is genuine. The Bible says, “God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

This is a very very serious matter. There is too much deceit in the lives of people. There is so much that people are doing today that society is getting into an epidemic of dishonesty.

Many people deceive themselves every day, and it is a terrible thing to do. And if you do not repent, the Bible says we cannot tarry in His presence when there are plenty of lies, falsehoods, and untruths in us.

Listen very carefully, beloveth; there is what we call personal honesty to God. Is there honesty between you and God? Do you honestly sort out what you are supposed to do between you and God?

When God requires worship, prayer, and Bible study, do you honestly give that to God? There is personal honesty towards fellow men. Are you honest with your fellow men? Do you tell nothing but the truth to your fellow men?

Then there is personal honesty with yourself. Let us be honest; this is a very serious matter, and we will be able to make our way the way God wants us to make it.

I want to give you 10 statements now about honesty before I begin to round up. I pray that the Lord will touch hearts here, especially those who are not straightforward with God. In Bible reading, you are not straightforward. In prayer, you are cloudy. What you give to God, too, is not okay. Your service to God has a comma in it. You are the one who will say, “Bless this food for Christ’s sake,” and the next thing you say after that is, “Who is the crazy woman that cooked this food?” Something is wrong somewhere.

Hard Facts on Honesty.

1. An honest man will neither receive money nor praise that is not due to him.
2. Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. When you begin to try and cut corners and be unstable, then you are not wise. Age is not wisdom. Wisdom has a first chapter, and that chapter is honesty. I want you to understand this very well.
3. There are no degrees of honesty. Either you are honest or not. There is nothing like 50% or 70% honesty. You are either honest or not.
4. Some people are honest only because they never had a good chance to steal anything.
5. The employee who steals for his boss will steal from his boss as well. So if you put somebody in your shop and you say, “When customers come, tell them that this product is of the best quality,” even when it is not, you are teaching that employee how to lie and steal for you, and he will also lie and steal from you.
6. Honesty is the cornerstone of success. Any success you achieve with dishonesty is no success at all; the rain will fall, the storm will blow, and the house will soon collapse.
7. You can never really lose anything that belongs to you, and you can never keep what belongs to somebody else. If God says you will have something, you will have it. If God says you will not have it and you find a way to have it, you will eventually lose it.
8. A dishonest acquisition has a curse attached to it, which will waste that acquisition.
9. Honesty prospers in every condition of life.
10. It is better to fail than to pass dishonestly, because eventually it will backfire. As you are sitting down there, I would like you to do some deep thinking:

• Is there any falsehood in your life?
• Is there something you are covering that you do not want people to know?
• Are you working with your correct certificate?
• Did you cheat in the exam with the certificate you are using now?
• Did someone sit for the exam for you?
• Do you tell lies at your place of work?
• Are you fighting against the truth? Because in every battle you fight against the truth, you will lose. The truth is very stubborn and never dies. It is lying that is afraid of examination.

People always say, “The truth will always prevail.” Anytime you are going into a place and you find the truth blocking your way, then you are going the wrong way. If you stamp on the truth, it will rise again. The truth will always stand.

Unfortunately, many people do not understand this, and because of that, they put their hands into what they should not.

You know, in Acts 5, there were Ananias and Sapphira. Obviously, they were very good Christians. Nobody asked them to sell their land; they sold their land and brought the money to the apostles. But they were dishonest, and so Peter asked them, “Why has Satan filled your heart to tell lies to the Holy Spirit?’ What Ananias and Sapphira did is what we call a “white lie.”.

A white lie is an untrue statement that appears harmless and important. That is, a lie in which the person is saying he feels justified telling the lie. There is something known as the half truth, which is what Abraham did in the case of Sarah being his sister and his wife. She was Abraham’s sister, all right, but she was also his wife.

Half truth is something partially true with deliberate intention to deceive.

Then there is another kind of lie called deception. You cause something to be accepted as truth, which is intentionally giving a false impression.

But then there are some people who are called pathological liars. It has become a sickness for them. Compulsive lying. Imaginative lying. Lying without any guilt anymore. Lying, the liar may even start to believe his lies. So the heart that will bring 100 folds, 30 folds, and 60 folds is an honest heart.

Do you commit sins in your heart, like fornication? adultery? Masturbation? That is telling you that you have a dishonest heart. Do you lie about anything? Do you exaggerate anything whatsoever?

Do you lose your temper sometimes? Is there somebody you dislike? Is there somebody you hate? Are you actually wishing for the downfall of somebody? Do you sometimes wish that somebody was dead? Is there bitterness of any kind in your heart? Is there an unforgiving spirit within you? Is there somebody you look down on and despise? Do you compare yourself with others in such a way that you think you are better than them? Are you selfish or self-centered? Are you always yearning for attention? Do you feel insulted when credit due to you is given to someone else?

Are you very jealous? Do you have a violent temper? Do you love fame and popularity? If there is any sin in your heart, you cannot bear fruit that will abide. You have to honestly say to the Lord, “Lord, I know there is sin in my heart.” You have to name that sin and then ask the Lord to save you. You must specifically mention what sin it is. There is no general confession of sin, no.

What To Do.

1. Examine yourself.
2. Develop a good heart.
3. Establish accountability. A lot of people do not want to be held accountable for anything. Some will say, “If you give me money, I know how to spend it, but I do not know how to account for it.” Accountability for many is zero.
4. Consciously keep telling the truth, even if you know it is not popular, acceptable, or will hurt you.

Liars are hated by God. Liars bring negative consequences to themselves. Liars will not go unpunished. Liars will be exposed over time. And all liars have a father: the Devil.

5. Let the Holy Spirit in you get into gear before you open your mouth and your mouth begins to speak.

PRAYER POINTS.
[Before Message.]

1. Any negative soul tie with any dead person, break! In the name of Jesus.

[After Message.]
(Say: Father I know that I’ve not been 100% honest. But I know that you can help me. Father, I come before You; save me. Talk to the Lord yourself.)

(Tell the Lord: Anything in my life that is making heaven reject me, no matter how much I love it, take it out.)

1. Blood of Jesus, purge my heart! In the name of Jesus.

MFM H/Q Sermons
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