Are You True?

Are You True?

Glittering gold and a sparkling stone – yes, a fancy ring for an incredibly good price. But is it real? Is it genuine? Not that long ago, peddlers appeared in town offering gold rings at a price that was too good to refuse. The rings were stamped 18 carat gold and closely resembled the real thing. The authorities seized at least 12 of the rings. Testing revealed the rings were 80% copper, 13% zinc with small amounts of lead, tin and iron.

When Jesus came to earth He said: “I am the way, the TRUTH and the life.” John 14:6. He was Truth and everywhere He went He exposed all that was not truth. The fakes became apparent in the presence of truth. The facades, shells and camouflages were exposed in His presence. He saw through those who looked good. He could see their heart and those people squirmed in His presence.

Are you real? If you were put to the test, would you come out as genuine and sincere – a person of integrity? Or is there another side to your life?

One of the severest tests a believer goes through in life is the ongoing war spearheaded by Satan. We know from our Bibles that Satan is engaged in an all-out war against God and all that is good – including Christians. He has a huge, unseen, dark administrative structure to manage his sinister operations.

Left to our own strategies we would quickly be defeated. But Ephesians 6 gives us the solution to survive Satan’s attacks. No Christian needs to be defeated. Full provision has been made to survive the onslaught of such devilish attacks. Check this out:

“…Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Stand therefore,
having fastened on the belt of truth….”

(Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV)

The whole armor of God includes the belt of truth. The ancient warrior used the belt to pull everything together – no loose ends dangling to trip the soldier up when combat was raging. Yes, the truths contained in the Word of God will protect us in the conflict but there is another aspect of truth which is absolutely vital as well and that is your own truthfulness.

Have you ever thought of the belt of truth being just plain old truthfulness in your being and character? The belt was tightened around the waist. At your center, are you sincere and true? Or are you hiding something? Are there two sides to your life? Are you a person of integrity – true to the core? Genuine and authentic? Or have you had to tell lies or act out lies to cover up something in your life?

You could pray eloquently and preach articulately. You could recite Bible verses endlessly and distribute Gospel tracts continuously. But if you are living a double life or if you are not being truthful, your safety in this war is severely compromised. You are extremely vulnerable and it will only be a matter of time until the enemy knocks you down.

King David when confessing his great sin to the Lord recognized that God desires and delights in truth in our inner being. (Psalm 51:6)

Without the belt of truth buckled around the Christian soldier, sooner or later the fall will occur. The soldier will trip and fall on the straggling and dangling lies.

Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.

Warmly in Christ

Peter Ramsay

peter@heaven4sure.com