Presented by Lauren Stibgen

Have you ever thought about the integrity of your faith? I would challenge you with the following questions:

Is the state of your faith whole and undivided? And, how strong and built up is your faith? What is the level of your integrity?

For the sake of our thinking, I want to bring us back to the fairy tale of the three little pigs. Maybe I am dating myself, and I am not sure if younger generations even know of this fable.

Three little pigs set off to build their houses to protect themselves from the bad wolf. The wolf, of course, wanted to eat those three little pigs. The first little pig built his house with straw, the second with sticks, and the third pig used bricks. The wolf easily overcame the first two pigs’ homes made of straw and sticks, and they quickly ran to the third pig’s house made of bricks. Which pig’s house had the most integrity? The one of bricks, of course! Of course this is far from a Bible story, but now let’s consider the integrity of our faith.

Our big bad wolf- Satan, manifests in the world today in so many ways. Inside and outside our houses, at work, everywhere.

In Ephesians 2:1-2, the Word exhorts, As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 

Clearly, those who are not of Jesus are controlled in this world by the power of Satan.

1 Peter 5:8-9a reminds us to be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.

The most poignant example of Satan’s desire to tempt us away from God is the temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness. The three temptations that are offered to Jesus are bread, safety, and power/fame. Satan tests God/Jesus to make bread from rocks, jump off a pinnacle, and worship him and receive all the kingdoms.

Jesus replies in Matthew 4:10b, Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.

Satan tried to tempt the untemptable!

Who is the wolf? Satan. Where is he? Everywhere in the world. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 4:4 the Word tells us, The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God

The world is blinded by Satan. So, what do we do?

First, rest assured, Jesus has overcome this world. We can see this in the account of his temptation. He withstood. He has overcome death and Satan. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior have an armor that withstands the eternal condemnation from Satan.

This does not mean he will not attack. In fact, we are promised he will. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be alert for the devil prowling around to devour. Even Jesus gave us the promise of trouble in John 16:33: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Jesus gives us his teaching because he knows we will have trouble. He also reminds us to “take heart because he has overcome the world!”

Now, back to those three pigs. I want you to think about yourself—your mind, body and soul—as the house that needs to withstand and weather the attacks of Satan in this world.

1 Corinthians 6:19 reminds us that out bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit within us who we have from God. We are not our own.

Mark 3:25 says, And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

You cannot serve both God and this world. What is your faith house made of? Straw, sticks or bricks? What is the integrity of your home. Is it whole and undivided?