WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY

“General Quarters! All hands, man your battle stations!” On board a Navy vessel, this announcement commands all sailors to report to their duty stations. Whenever a ship prepares for war or war drills, a ship divides into compartments. Each individual area is secured by a steel door hatch that seals to a rubber gasket around the frame of the door. This makes it impossible for water to come into that compartment. Once the steel door is secure, the room becomes watertight. If one area is hit by an enemy torpedo or missile, only that section fills with water. No other compartment fills with water, and the ship is secure from sinking. The Navy calls this “Watertight Integrity.”

Scriptures very plainly declare that Satan works to destroy you: Jesus told Simon Peter that Satan wanted to “sift him as wheat,” Jesus called Satan a thief who comes “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy,” and Peter described him “as a roaring lion, . . . seeking whom he may devour ” (Luke 22:31; John 10:10; I Pet 5:8). Satan tries metaphorically to “sink your ship.” He attacks an area of your life and floods it with guilt, shame, and confusion, causing you to question your integrity. He hopes to continue the damage until each compartment of your life is destroyed.

Whenever a ship takes a hit from an enemy attack, the ship is brought into port. They lift it out of the water and the ship goes into what is called “Dry-Dock.” The area that is damaged will then be repaired. Later, the ship is set back into the water and ready to go to sea. It is once again “Watertight” and ready for service.

There are times Christians need to go into “Dry-Dock.” An area of your life is attacked and you need God to repair the damage to your integrity. Proverbs 28:13 states, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Integrity requires one to take accountability for his own actions. David said, “Against thee, and thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight…” (Psa 51:4). You may say, “But I have confessed and forsaken . . . still, Satan continues to flood my mind with guilt. What more can I do?” The Lord gives us powerful tools called prayer and fasting.

“If my people . . . pray . . . then will I hear . . . forgive . . . and heal . . .” (See II Chronicles 7:14.)

The Lord describes His chosen fast in Isaiah 58:6, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the       heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?”

The Lord first shows the purpose of fasting, but then He describes the benefits in Isaiah 58:8-9,

            Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth   speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He      will say, 'Here I am.'
 
Prayer and fasting can bring integrity back into each compartment of your life. Then, you are ready once again to fulfill a life of service. Your vessel will be one of Watertight Integrity!



- Rev. Gary Carter
Dean of Christian Education/Vice-President 
Texas Bible College
He served in the US Navy from 1973 -1977