Fruitful Living
Integrity in daily living
LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue; Nor does evil to his neighbour, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised. But he honours those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change; He who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved – Psalm 15 (New King James).
INTRODUCTION
Although we often hear this word integrity in personal and professional contexts, its meaning can be tricky to sum up. So here is a practical definition and some helpful examples of integrity in action. The convictions of a person of integrity determine what they will say and do at any given time. They intentionally direct their conduct according to their understanding of what is right and wrong. Authenticity marks the heart of integrity. Their internal character remains consistent regardless of external conditions.
Integrity includes the quality of being honest, but honesty does not always demonstrate integrity. The difference is the inner commitment to being trustworthy and communicating the truth without deception. An integrated person lives without duplicity and hypocrisy.
A person of integrity does not claim to be perfect. Instead, they are quick to acknowledge their own mistakes and faults. Their sincerity comes from a pure motivation to do what is right even when it might be inconvenient. Times of crisis particularly test a person’s integrity. What would it take for you to compromise your resolve to do what you believe is right?
Psalm 15 has several criteria for assessing our character. Significantly, almost all the marks of integrity listed in Psalm 15 relate to workplace issues. The qualities mentioned in the same Psalm extend to personal issues of integrity and honesty, our relationships with others and the way we handle our money. Our worship of God should not only be in terms of our inward, personal needs but also in light of our outward, public responsibilities. After all religion is a matter of character as well as conduct. Our walk must match our talk.
INVENTORY OF INTEGRITY
A person of Integrity is someone who:
1. WALKS UPRIGHTLY: – someone whose character is above reproach.
What about you? What is your basic ethical commitment? Are you out to honour the Lord or to serve yourself?
2. WORKS RIGHTEOUSNESS: – someone who does what is right all the time.
What is the end result of your work? Is your work self-serving or do you work to promote good in the nation? Do you make your light shine where you have been put in spite of difficulties and challenges or are you the complaining type, never satisfied with what you are being given?
3. TELLS THE TRUTH: – someone for whom truth-telling is second-nature.
Are you in the habit of telling lies – what you consider to be “little white lies” when it is necessary or convenient? Or do you tell the truth even when doing so is costly.
4. DOES NOT BACKBITE: – someone who does not slander others.
Do you tear down others behind their backs? Are you one of those who think that they can progress by destroying, tearing down others? Verbal murder is as serious as physical murder.
5. DOES NO EVIL TO A NEIGHBOUR: – someone who does not deliberately work against his colleagues
What is your policy on office politics? Do you do unto others what you would like done to you? Or do you believe in “doing unto others before they do unto you”?
6. DOES NOT TAKE UP A REPROACH AGAINST A FRIEND: – someone who stands by those he claims to be friends with.
What is the level of your loyalty? When people collude to bring down a colleague (even when the person has done no wrong) do you jump on the bandwagon? Or do you seek fair play and offer support to the one who is being unjustly treated.
7. HONOURS THOSE WHO FEAR THE LORD NOT THE UNGODLY: – someone who takes faith in the Lord seriously and shuns ungodly company.
What is the character of your best friends? What is their attitude towards God and the things of the Lord? Do people know your godliness by the type of friends you have?
8. KEEPS HIS WORD EVEN IF IT IS COSTLY: – someone who keeps his promise whatever the cost.
Do your family and friends consider you trustworthy and reliable? Do you keep your word? Are you known as one whose word is his bond? Or do people always wonder whether you will follow through on your promises?
9. DOES NOT PRACTISE USURY: – someone who does not take advantage of those who require their help
Do you make it harder or easier for those in need to gain the resources necessary to support themselves? Or do you take advantage of the poor and to make more profits?
10. DOES NOT TAKE BRIBES: – someone who does not demand money to do the work for which he is paid.
Is it said of you that under no circumstances will you compromise yourself by taking bribes? Can people confidently say of you that you will never take bribes? Or do you accept kickbacks because everybody does it?
SELF ANALYSIS
How do you stand in the light of this integrity inventory? It is said that reputation is what you do when everybody is watching; character is what you do when no one is watching. Do people perceive you as one who has a reputation for integrity when in truth it is all a façade because behind the scenes you are always compromising? Daniel was different. We read in Daniel 1:8: But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Daniel and his three friends made up their minds to stand for godly values even though they lived in the midst of very ungodly they took a stand not to defile themselves.
RESOLVE TO DO THE RIGHT
This is the time in our nation’s history when we all need to reveal our true character. As people of God we have great opportunity to influence those around us through our ethics and morality in our workplaces. We must refuse to go along with what everybody is doing. That is the real challenge of workplace ethics. Occasionally we may struggle to discern the right from the wrong but most of the time, we will have to summon the conviction and the courage to do what we know is right. In the final analysis the truth we know in our hearts – the truth based on Biblical principles – is what we need to do or not do. Like Daniel and his friends we can settle in our hearts to do what is right and carry out our plans with tough-minded resolve.
As we face ethical choices in our workplaces, we can choose to stand for the right. It may be costly, but God will give us the strength to handle whatever consequences come our way. Scripture never encourages us to close our eyes to wrongdoing. Instead we are to “hate what is wrong and stand on the side of the good” – Rom. 12:9(New Living Translation). This may involve speaking out publicly about hidden wrongs with which we are familiar. We need not be afraid in such circumstances for it is better to pursue justice even if it means “blowing the whistle” on some people.
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word – 2 Thess. 2: 16-17.
Stay blessed!
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Email: saltnlightministries@gmail.com
Website: saltandlightministriesgh.org
By Dr Joyce Aryee, the author
The internationally accepted definition (from the UN Palermo Protocol, 2000) identifies three elements:
ACT (What is done), which includes:
• Recruitment, transportation, transfer harbouring, or receipt of persons. How it is Applied:
In Ghana, traffickers recruit children from rural areas under false promises of education or employment.
MEANS (How it is done), which includes:
• Threats
• Coercion
• Deception
• Abuse of vulnerability
How it is applied:
Parents may be deceived into releasing children, or victims may be threatened into silence.
PURPOSE (Why it is done), which includes:
• Sexual exploitation
• Forced labour
• Slavery
• Organ harvesting
Key Insight:
Even if a victim appears to “consent,” such consent is legally irrelevant if coercion or deception is involved.
Islamic legal principles align with this framework by prohibiting exploitation (ẓulm) and unjust enrichment, rendering trafficking morally and legally impermissible (Bawono & Huda, 2025).
Forms and impacts of human trafficking
Human trafficking manifests in several forms:
• Child trafficking → educational deprivation, psychological trauma
• Forced labour → economic exploitation, health risks
• Sexual exploitation → severe physical and emotional harm
• Organ trafficking → life-threatening and ethically egregious
Human trafficking manifests in diverse and interconnected forms. Child trafficking leads to loss of education, long-term psychological trauma, and entrenched poverty.
Forced labour subjects victims to severe economic exploitation and hazardous working conditions, often resulting in deteriorating health. Sexual exploitation inflicts profound physical abuse and emotional damage, alongside social stigma.
Organ trafficking poses life-threatening risks and represents a grave ethical violation. Collectively, these practices undermine human capital, weaken social structures, and hinder sustainable development. These forms collectively erode human capital and social stability.
Legal and Institutional Frameworks
International Legal Instruments
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948)
The UDHR provides the normative foundation for global human rights law:
• Article 1: Affirms equality and freedom of all humans
• Article 4: Explicitly prohibits slavery and servitude
• Article 5: Prohibits torture and degrading treatment
Analytical Insight:
Human trafficking violates all three provisions simultaneously. Victims are deprived of freedom (Article 1), subjected to forced labour (Article 4), and exposed to degrading conditions (Article 5).
These align closely with Islamic prohibitions against oppression and injustice.
Palermo Protocol (2000)
This is the primary international legal instrument addressing trafficking:
• Provides the AMP definition (Act–Means–Purpose)
• Emphasises the 3Ps framework: Prevention, protection, prosecution
• Recognises victim rights and state obligations
Analytical insight:
The Protocol’s emphasis on protection and dignity parallels Islamic legal objectives, particularly the preservation of life and honour. Comparative studies show strong convergence between Islamic law and international anti-trafficking norms (Jamal, 2025).
Regional framework
African charter on human and peoples’ rights
• Article 5: Protects human dignity and prohibits exploitation
• Article 15: Guarantees equitable working conditions
Analytical insight:
The Charter contextualises human rights within African socio-cultural realities, reinforcing communal responsibility an idea that resonates with Islamic communal ethics (ummah).
National framework: Ghana 1992 Constitution of Ghana
• Article 15: Guarantees the dignity of all persons and prohibits torture or degrading treatment
• Article 16: Explicitly prohibits slavery, servitude, and forced labour
• Article 21: Guarantees fundamental human rights and freedoms, including personal liberty, freedom of movement, and constitutional safeguard against human trafficking. In particular, Article 21 affirms the right of individuals to move freely, make autonomous decisions, and live without coercion.
Human trafficking directly contravenes these rights by restricting victims’ movement, subjecting them to confinement, and denying their personal liberty through deception and force. Victims are often transported against their will and held in exploitative conditions, thereby violating their constitutional freedoms.
Consequently, trafficking not only breaches specific prohibitions under Articles 15 and 16 but also fundamentally undermines the broader human rights guarantees freedom from arbitrary restraint.
Human Trafficking Act (Act 694, as amended)
• Criminalises all forms of human trafficking, including recruitment, transportation, harbouring, and exploitation
• Provides for victim protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration through state-supported mechanisms
• Establishes institutional frameworks for investigation, prosecution, and inter-agency collaboration
Critical and normative insight:
The Act reflects Ghana’s commitment to safeguarding human dignity and aligns with international standards. However, enforcement challenges persist due to limited funding, weak institutional coordination, and low public awareness, which hinder effective implementation.
From an Islamic perspective, the provisions of Act 694 resonate strongly with core Sharīʿah principles. Islam unequivocally prohibits all forms of exploitation (ẓulm), coercion, and the commodification of human beings. Human trafficking violates the divinely ordained dignity (karāmah) of individuals, undermines justice (‘adl), and disrupts social balance. By criminalising trafficking and promoting victim protection, the Act indirectly advances the higher objectives of
Islamic law (Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah), particularly the preservation of life, dignity, and wealth. Thus, both Islamic teachings and Ghanaian law converge in condemning trafficking as a grave moral and legal injustice.
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Children’s Act (Act 560)
• Protects children from exploitative labour and harmful practices
• Promotes access to education, welfare, and holistic development
Domestic Violence Act (Act 732)
• Addresses physical, emotional, and psychological abuse often associated with trafficking
• Provides legal remedies, protection orders, and support systems for victims
By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai, Kpone
Katamanso Municipal Chief Imam, Certified
Counsellor and Governance Expert
Jesus teaches, “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Light is not meant to be hidden. In Ephesians 5:8, the Bible says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
This means our faith should be visible in the way we live. Not in a loud or forceful way, but in a consistent and genuine way.
When we choose honesty, kindness, patience, and love, we are shining our light. People may not always listen to what we say, but they will see how we live.
Your Life Should Point Others to God
Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
This is the purpose of being salt and light. It is not about drawing attention to ourselves, but about pointing people to God.
In 1 Peter 2:12, we are encouraged to live such good lives that others may see our actions and glorify God.
Our lives become a testimony. The way we treat people, the way we handle challenges, and the way we walk in love all speak loudly.Through us, others can begin to see the goodness and grace of God.
6. Being Salt and Light Requires a Living Relationship with God
We cannot live this life in our own strength.
In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Without me you can do nothing.” This reminds us that our ability to influence the world comes from our connection with Him.
As we spend time in prayer, study His Word, and walk in obedience, our lives are transformed. From that place, we begin to reflect Him naturally.
It is not about striving. It is about abiding in Him.
A Simple Reflection
To be salt and light means:
² To influence the world with Godly character
² To live differently according to God’s Word
² To shine through your daily actions
² To point others to Christ
² To remain connected to Him at all times
Conclusion
Jesus has already declared who you are. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. The question is whether you are living out that identity.
The world needs your influence. The world needs your light. In your home, your workplace, your church, and your community, God has placed you there for a reason.
As you walk with Him, your life will naturally make an impact. Shine your light,
stay true to His Word and let your life bring glory to God.
By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee
