Am I Living Authentically?

Speaker A00:00:00

Have you ever looked at your life and just wondered, am I really living as the person God created me to be? I'm not talking about the person people expect, not the version that keeps everybody comfortable, not that role you've learned to play to survive.Not just that image you show the world, but the real you, the honest you, the surrendered you. That you that stands before God without the mask. Because sometimes we're just hiding from people, sometimes we're also hiding from God.And that takes us all the way back to the beginning. In Genesis, chapter three, after Adam and Eve sinned, they covered themselves and hid from the presence of the Lord.And God asked a question that still echoes in our lives today. Where are you now? It wasn't because God didn't know where they were, but because they needed to recognize where they were.They were covered, they were ashamed. They were disconnected. And yes, they were hiding. And maybe that's the question God is asking some of us today. Where are you?I'm talking about where are you really?Not where people think you are, not what image you're presenting, not what title you carry, not how your life looks from the outside, but where is your heart? Are you living in truth? Are you walking in obedience? Are you performing for people?Are you hiding behind busyness, success, ministry, relationships, or even reputation? So in today's Truth Unveiled, we're asking a deeply personal question. Am I living authentically?But we're not defining authenticity the way the world often defines it. We're not going to be talking about just follow your heart. Because Scripture tells us the heart can be deceptive.We're not talking about do whatever feels right, because a way that seems right to a person and still ends in destruction. We're talking about biblical authenticity. I'm talking about the kind that says, lord, search me. Create in me a clean heart.Transform me by the renewing of my mind. Let my yes be yes and my no be no, and make me who you called me to be. Because the truth is this. You can impress people and still be far from God.You can look put together and still be spiritually disconnected. You can be accepted by everyone else and still know deep down that you're not walking in truth. So today we're pulling back the curtain.We're pulling back the curtain on performance, people pleasing, false identity, fear hiding, self deception. And we're asking God to show us the truth. Because authenticity isn't just about being real with people. It begins with being real before God.Today's episode is called Am I living Authentically? And I want to say this right from the beginning. Biblical authenticity is not self worship. It's not making yourself the center of the world.It's not saying, this is just who I am and using that as an excuse to stay the same. It's not baptizing your personality and calling obedience true. Biblical authenticity is about living truthfully before God.It is about becoming the person he created, the person he redeemed, and that person he called you to be in the very beginning. Genesis tells us we were made in the image of God. Psalm 139 tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made.The book of Ephesians says we are God's workmanship. Second Corinthians says that in Christ we are a new creation. And Galatians says we've been crucified with Christ.So when I ask you, am I living authentically? What I'm really asking you is this. Am I living as someone made in God's image? Am I living as someone redeemed by Christ?Am I living according to truth or am I living according to fear? Am I being transformed or am I conforming? And probably the hardest one, am I obeying God or am I just performing for people?Now, the book of Romans, chapter 12 says, not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. And that tells us something. That means that biblical authenticity is not simply discovering yourself, it's surrendering yourself.It's letting God renew you. It's let God refine you. It's letting God correct you, and it's letting him reveal what you are in him.And today, more than any other time, it matters because so many people are tired. I'm not talking about just being physically tired. That's going on as well. But so many people are spiritually tired. They're emotionally tired.They're tired of pretending. They're tired of smiling while breaking on the inside. They're tired of saying yes when God is saying no.They're tired from living for applause, and they're tired from trying to be accepted by people who only love the version of that which you perform. Galatians, chapter 1, verse 10 asks a very piercing question. It says, am I trying to please people or am I trying to please God?And that is a really hard question. Because if our lives are built around pleasing people, we can't fully live as servants of Christ. And that's where we have to begin today.We're not starting from a place of shame. We're not starting from a place of condemnation. But we're going to start with an honest examination of where we really are.Let's look at the Book of Psalms, chapter 139, 23, 24. This is what David prayed. He said, search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts.See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Well, friend, that's the posture of this episode. Lord, search me. Show me where I'm hiding. Show me where I'm performing.Show me where I'm compromising. Show me where I'm afraid. And Lord, show me where I've built an identity you never gave me. And lead me in a way everlasting.Now, I want to frame this struggle a little bit today because it's a little deep, what we're talking about today. The world says authenticity means be your true self. We've heard that so many times. Be authentic to yourself. Be your true self. Be who you want to be.But if we're going to be honest, Scripture calls us to something deeper than that. Scripture is telling us to be truthful before God. And there's a huge difference. Because being true to yourself can be dangerous.I'm talking about really dangerous if yourself is not surrendered to God in the first place. Look at what Jeremiah says. Jeremiah says, the heart can be deceitful. Proverbs says, don't lean on your own understanding.Jesus goes on to say, abide in me. And Paul puts it off and says, put off the old self and put on the new. So biblical authenticity is not blindly following every feeling.It's bringing every feeling, every desire, every fear, every motive, every single decision before God and saying, lord, is this really you? Am I operating from wisdom? Am I operating from fear? Lord, is this conviction or is this pride? Is this obedience or is it just people pleasing?Is it calling or is it comparison? Is this the Spirit or is this my flesh? Again, biblical authenticity is truth plus surrender. It's that honesty with God and obedience to God.And that means authenticity isn't about protecting the old version of yourself, but it is about allowing God to strip away what is false. Now, I want to get right into the teaching. Right now. I want to start off by talking about what is biblical authenticity. I want to define it clearly.Biblical authenticity doesn't say, I am who I am and I don't need to change. A lot of people take that approach. I am who I am. I'm not going to change anything. But that's not what the Bible says.Biblical authenticity says God created Me. Christ redeemed me. The Holy Spirit is transforming me. And. And I refuse to keep living behind a mask. Are you living behind a mask?Jesus said that if we abide in his word, we will know the truth. And what is he going to say? And the truth will set us free. What does that tell us? That tells us that freedom is connected to truth.Not some image, not some performance, not pretending, not denial, but truth. And what has Jesus himself said? He said he is the truth. So at its very nature, real authenticity can't be separated from Christ.We don't find our truest selves apart from him. We find our truest selves in Him. The book of Colossians, chapter three tells us to put off the old self and put on the new.Ephesians 4 says, to be renewed in the spirit of our minds and put on the new self created after the likeness of God. That is biblical authenticity.Not defending sin and calling it personality, not refusing growth and calling it honesty and not staying bound and calling it self expression. True biblical authenticity says, this is who I am in Christ, and I want every single thing false in me exposed and surrendered.Well, let's talk about those masks we wear. We gotta talk about that. Because many people think hypocrisy only means intentionally deceiving others. But sometimes hypocrisy grows slowly.It happens when we become more concerned with appearance than truth.And Jesus himself confronted this in Matthew 23 when he rebuked the religious leaders for looking clean on the outside while corruption remained within. And friend, that's sobering today because it tells us this. It means you can appear spiritual and still be hiding.You can appear disciplined and still be disconnected. You can appear strong and still be avoiding surrender. And yes, you can appear righteous and still be full of pride, fear, resentment, and compromise.Jesus also said that some people honor God with their lips while their hearts are far from him. And that's one of the clearest pictures of inauthentic living lips.Close heart, far you got the words, they're saying the right thing, but your life is telling another story. And that's where we got to be super careful. Because it's possible to know church language but still not be honest with God.Sure, it's possible to say I trust God, but you're still living under the control of fear. It's possible to say I forgive out loud, but you still feed that bitterness inside. It's possible to say, I'm fine, but you're spiritually dry.And yes, it's possible to serve publicly while you're resisting privately. In the book of Hebrews, it says the word of God discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. What does that tell us?That means Scripture doesn't just inform us, it exposes us. And that can be super uncomfortable. So here's the question we all need to ask. I want to challenge you. Ask yourself this.Where am I more committed to looking right than being right with God? Because that mask you're wearing, it might fool a lot of people, but it doesn't fool God.Sure, people look at that outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. And thank God for that, because there's grace in that.Because the God who sees the truth, the ugly, the pride, the resentful, that same God invites us to come. He sees our fear. He sees the wounds. He sees those motives of the flesh. He sees the compromise, he sees the ache.He sees those hidden places you think he's not seeing. But what does he still say? He still says, come. Authenticity before God is not presenting yourself as flawless. Guess what, friend? You're not flawless.I'm not flawless. But it is coming. Honestly. Now I want to pivot a little bit. I want to talk about people pleasing and the fear of man.One of the greatest enemies of authentic living is people pleasing. You know who I'm talking about? Maybe I'm talking about you right now. Proverbs says, the fear of man lays a snare. What's a snare? A snare is a trap.That means when your life is controlled by people's opinions, you're not free. You're trapped. You're trapped by their expectations. You're trapped by their reactions. You're trapped by their approval.You're trapped by their disappointment. And you're trapped by this fear of being misunderstood. And so many people have built their entire lives inside that trap.When I was preparing for it today, I started thinking through these questions. And man, so many of these hit me. You start asking this, what will they think if I do this? What are they going to think of me? What you are?What are they going to say? Are they still going to like me? Are they going to support me? Are they going to leave if I change? Are they going to be disappointed if I obey God?But Galatians 1:10 asks us directly, are we seeking the approval of people or of God? And that's a question that's uncomfortable. Because sometimes the answer is obvious.If we're being truthful with ourselves, we already know we're not making decisions from obedience. We're making them from fear. And fear wears many masks. There's fear of conflict, there's fear of rejection. There's fear of criticism.There's fear of losing status, fear of disappointing family, and fear of being called different. Those are all legitimate fears. I have those same fears. But friend, you can't fully obey God while being controlled by human approval.At some point your obedience to God is going to disappoint somebody. At some point, living in truth is going to require courage.At some point, following Christ is going to mean that not everybody understands what you're doing. What did Jesus say himself? He said that anyone who wants to follow him has got to deny themselves, take up their cross and then follow Him.That's not language of performance, but that is language of surrender. And Jesus modeled it perfectly. Think back to what Jesus did. He didn't build his life around crowd approval.He didn't adjust his truth to keep popularity. He didn't abandon the Father's will to keep people comfortable. Think about the Garden of Gethsemane. What did he pray? He knew where he was going.He was going to be crucified. And what does he pray to God? Not my will, but yours be done. That, my friend, is the deepest form of authenticity.Not my will at all costs, but God's will above all. So when we ask am I living authentically? We've got to ask am I living surrendered? Because there are people who are bold and still not surrendered.There are people who are expressive and still not obedient. And there's a person that who is honest about their feelings, but they're still refusing God's correction.That biblical authenticity is not just self expression. It's Christ centered surrender. Now let's get real practical. I want to talk about some signs that you might not be living authentically before God.How do you know something's off? Here's the first thing I'm going to encourage you to think about. You might know things are off if you're exhausted from performing.You ever feel like you're living in performance mode? I see that a lot on Sundays when I go to church. But Jesus invites the weary and the burden to come to him. Why do you think that is?But so many of us are weary because we're carrying a yoke God never gave us. We're carrying a yoke of proving. We're carrying a yoke of pretending. We're carrying a yoke of perfectionism.And we're carrying a yoke of being everything to everyone. This yoke of maintaining an image. Let's look at Matthew, chapter 11, verses 28 to 30.Again, Matthew 11:28 38 says, Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. So as you think about this, what you're going through right now, ask yourself, did God put this on me or did I put it on myself to stay accepted?Here's another warning sign. You keep saying yes when God is telling you no. Jesus was very bold. He said, let your yes be yes and your no be no.But so many people say yes out of guilt, and they say yes out of pressure, and they say yes out of fear, and they say yes out of obligation. And we resent it, we complain about it, and we go britter through it. A dishonest yes is still dishonest.Sometimes the most obedient thing you can say is no. As I get older, I was one of those people pleasers.I was one of those people that one that didn't want to stir up anybody, didn't want to upset the apple cart. So I would say yes, even though I knew right at that moment God was telling me, no, Ralph, no.So if you want to live in obedience, the thing you can say is no. You can say no. God hasn't called me to that. No, I need to honor the boundary that I set.And no, I can't compete participating in what is unhealthy for me. Here's a third thing to watch out for. You care more about appearance than obedience. Jesus said it.Jesus warned us against doing spiritual things just to be seen. You know the person I'm talking about. Maybe you're that person. I've been that person at times. Am I doing spiritual things just so people can see me?Am I doing this for God, or am I doing it for validation from other people? Am I serving from a place of love or some image I've constructed? Am I sharing because I'm led, because I want to be noticed?And that one hits close to home for me. I think about that as I prepare and I do this show. Am I doing this from a place of leading because I. I want to be noticed?Or am I trying to let people hear the word of God? I pray every moment that that's my goal. And ask yourself, am I praying to commune with God or just to do it to be spiritual? Jesus called himself.He said, think about the empty prayers of the Pharisees at the time. Those empty, was that communion, was that prayer? Or was that just spiritual appeal to other people? So they got pure spiritual friend.Whatever we do, we are to do it for the glory of God, because the motive matters. Here's the fourth thing to consider. You're hiding your sin instead of bringing it to the light. If we claim we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.What's the Bible tell us? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory. If you claim that you don't sin, you're lying to yourself. But if you confess that sin.And I was talking to somebody this very week about this. They asked me a question. They said, ralph, I don't understand how this forgiveness goes. I said, I don't know that I understand it either.But the Bible is very clear that if we confess our sins, he forgives us and he cleanses us. I don't know how that works, but man, I am sure great to be living in the grace of God in that case. But when you keep hiding, it keeps you bound.And that confession finally opens up the door to healing. And I believe you confess to God yourself. You don't need some intermediary. You don't need to go see somebody.Just get on your knees and say to the Lord, I am so sorry God, that authenticity before God requires confession. It's not time to spin it. Oh Lord, I did this because he don't want to hear that. He doesn't want your excuses. He doesn't want your denial.He wants something simple, just your confession. What do you need to confess to God right now? Here's another sign. You might be living in trouble. You feel double minded.If you're listening, you're watching right now you're probably thinking, double minded, man, you just checked the box. Ralph James says that double minded person is unstable. That double mindedness looks like trying to live in two directions at once.You're trying to live this one version that wants God. You want another one that wants approval. You're living in one that wants holiness. And at the same time you want comfort.You want truth, but you want your image. You want obedience, but you want control. This is not about perfection. You will never find perfection. But it is about direction.It's about where is your heart turned. Here's another thing to be concerned about, and this one is really scary. And that you no longer recognize who you are becoming.And I firmly believe this is why scripture calls us to self examination. All throughout scripture it talks about examining Yourself, testing your ways, asking God to search you.Now, this isn't some obsession, isn't constant condemnation, it's examination. It's simply saying, lord, show me what is true.And when he shows you what is true, and when he points out the sin, you say to him, lord, I confess that right now. Help me to turn from that. Now. I want to introduce something new this week.I've been asking about people sending in if you've been saved or if you decide to make that decision. We received a letter from a listener, and I want to share it. So this week's Listener Spotlight says this, and this is a message we got.It says, I feel like everyone thinks I'm doing great, Ralph. I've got a stable job, I'm in a great relationship. I got friends, and I got a routine.On paper, my life makes sense, but I feel disconnected from God and from myself. And I don't know if I chose this life because it was God's will or because it made people proud of me.Ralph, how do I know what is really me and what is really God? And I was so humbled when I got that question, because it's such an honest question.It's a question I've thought through in my own life so many times. And I want to say this carefully, and I want to say this lovingly. Sometimes we confuse. Life makes sense, but life is surrendered.See, you can have a path that looks responsible. All the things you talked about in your message look responsible. But that might still not be God's assignment for your life.And sure, you can make a choice that impresses people, but it can still be rooted in fear. You can have that relationship that looks good publicly, and when the doors are closed, it's still unhealthy.And yes, you can have a routine that's productive and still leave zero intimacy with God. So right now, if that's you, I don't want you to panic. I want you to begin with prayer. Just ask God for wisdom. Ask him to reveal your true motives.Ask him to show you what is from him and what is from fear. And then examine the fruit. It's not something we talk about a lot, but Jesus said it himself. He says, we know a tree by its fruit.Ask yourself, what fruit is this life producing in me? You might not like the answer. Is it producing love? Is it producing joy? Is it producing peace? Do you have patience? Are you living in kindness?Is there goodness about faithfulness, gentleness or self control? Those are all good things. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness, and yes, self control.But now we gotta look at the other side of that. Or is the life you're living producing anxiety, resentment, pride, bitterness, secrecy, and spiritual dryness?When you look at the fruit, the fruit reveals the roots of where that's coming from. But then you gotta pivot to peace. I'm not talking about comfort, I'm talking about peace.Because sometimes obedience is hard and still carries the peace of God. Sometimes comfort is feels easy and still has no peace in it.Ask yourself this, am I walking in the peace of Christ or am I simply avoiding discomfort? But remember this, you don't have to blow up your whole life overnight. But you need to stop ignoring that conviction.That conviction that you're feeling in your heart is telling you there's a problem. Don't blow up your whole life. But when God begins to reveal truth in your life, listen to me, don't cover it back up, just bring it to him.Say, lord, I don't understand this. Pray we don't do this often anymore, but fast.If you need to get to a point of fasting, go find wise counsel, test everything by scripture, and then ask yourself, lord, what does this obedience look like? Now, I'm not talking about wait until next year. Not when everyone approves and not when the fear disappears. Now, because here's the problem.Delayed obedience can turn into dressed up disobedience. Now I also want to introduce another part of the show today. It's what I'm going to call the fact check corner. So now it's time for that.And the whole point of this is we're going to challenge ideas that sound true. I hear these all the time from people as I'm out in the public talking.We're going to challenge ideas that sound true, but honestly, they don't hold up under scripture. Let's get to the first one. Myth number one, and this one hits home today because of what we're talking about. And have you heard this one?Authenticity means following your heart. We kind of talked about that on the show a couple weeks ago. If I'm living authentic, that means I'm following my heart. Well, that's not biblical.The Bible says the heart can be deceitful. Trusting your own heart without surrendering to God is foolish. Biblical authenticity is not saying, God, approve everything I feel.God's not going to approve everything you feel because he's already told you your heart can be deceitful. But it is this. It's saying, God, cleanse my heart and lead me in truth. Let's look at myth number two. Authenticity means I never have to change.If I want to live authentic, I don't have to change at all. That's false. That's not authenticity, my friend. That is stubbornness. Guilty of that myself at times. Romans chapter 12 calls us to transformation.Second Corinthians says we are being changed from glory to glory. And Philippians tells us God is still completing his work in us.So when you hear someone say, and maybe you've said this yourself, oh, this is just who I am. The real question is this, Is this who God is calling you to remain? Let's get to myth number three, and I've heard this one all the time.If people disagree with my choices, I must be wrong. Not necessarily that obedience to God will not always be understood. Just think about this. Think about Noah. Here's Noah building this ark.People around him no doubt were going, what is Noah doing? No one understood. He was understood. But what did he do? He did what God told him to do. Abraham left what was familiar to him.Mary carried a calling people could easily misread. The apostles said they must obey God rather than men. If you disagree with people, that's not automatic proof you're wrong.But at the same time, it's also not automatic proof that you're right. And that's why we need prayer. We need scripture, we need wise counsel, we need wisdom, and we need the Holy Spirit. Here's another myth.Authenticity means saying everything I feel. You know that person well, I feel this and I feel that that's false. Also. We are called to speak the truth in love, not just everything we feel.That does mean the truth matters. But timing matters as well. Wisdom matters. Self control matters. And yes, love matters. Biblical authenticity is not some emotional dumping ground.It's truth surrendered to the Spirit. Here's another myth. Living authentically means choosing myself first. I'm just going to tell you. Not exactly. The Bible says it very clearly.It says it calls us to deny ourselves and follow Christ. Now, denying yourself isn't the same as erasing yourself for people. Jesus wasn't selfish, but he also wasn't controlled by everyone's demands.I love this about when I read his Bible stories. Jesus withdrew to pray. He left the crowds. Yeah. He could have helped other people. What did he do? He went to pray.Jesus obeyed the Father in all things. He set boundaries with crowds. And that can be our model. Not selfishness, not people pleasing. What did Jesus do? He surrendered to the Father.Now, I want to walk you through what I'm calling a biblical performance audit. And I'm not saying this to condemn you, the Bible says there's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.What I'm going to talk about now is about light. If you've listened to me before, you know I say this. When things are exposed by the light, they become visible. So I want to examine four areas.Because right now you're probably thinking, man, I've got a lot to overcome here, Ralph. Me too. But let's examine four areas. The first area, is this your relationship with God?Ask yourself this, Am I close to God privately or only publicly spiritual? Do I pray when no one sees me praying? Do I seek God's will, or am I just asking him to bless my will?Do I read the word of God to be transformed or just informed? Am I abiding Christ? Am I only visiting him, enduring those crisis moments? Am I worshiping in spirit and in truth?Friend, you can't live authentically in public if you're avoiding God in private. So that's the first one. Second thing, your relationships with people. These are some tough ones. But ask yourself, who gets the real me?Who gets the unedited me? Where am I saying yes out of fear? Where am I avoiding truth to keep peace? Am I speaking truth in love?Am I carrying that bitterness inside me while pretending everything is fine on the outside? Am I forgiving as Christ forgave me? Am I setting healthy boundaries or calling fear, kindness? And here's the big one.Am I trying to be everyone's savior when only Jesus can be that? Some of you are exhausted because they're carrying burdens God never assigned you to carry. Let's talk about your purpose and calling.No more questions to ask yourself. A lot of questions today, but if we're going to get to authenticity, we got to be willing to challenge these questions.Ask yourself, am I using the gifts God gave me? I'll go back to today's listener question. Ask yourself, am I using the gifts that God gave me? Or am I just performing?Or am I hiding my gift because I'm so scared of someone not approving it or someone objecting to that? Am I comparing my calling to someone else's? Am I seeking first the kingdom? Am I working unto the Lord or for approval?And am I walking in good works God prepared for me? Friend, purpose isn't always public. Calling is not always a platform.Sometimes your authentic assignment is faithfulness in a hidden place that the world will never see. Which leads me to number four, your inner life. This is going to get uncomfortable. But you've got to ask yourself, what am I hiding from God?He already sees it. Friend, what am I afraid to confess? You need to confess it. What are those desires that I have that need to be surrendered? Surrender those things.What wound needs healing? So many of us are walking around with wounds that need healing. And guess what?All you've got to do is say to God right now, lord, help me heal these wounds. And he'll do it. And finally, what lie have I believed about myself? What are the lies that you tell yourself?And once you get past that, come back to what God says. What does God tell us? He says we are made in his image. He tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are his workmanship.Friend, in Christ you're a new creation. You're chosen, you're loved, you're not condemned. In Christ, you're God's child. You're complete in him.So right now, if you're living in shame or rejection or comparison or fear, you may be living a false identity. Biblical authenticity requires agreeing with God about who you are. That's not about arrogance, that's agreement. That's not about pride.That's about faith. And it's not about self exaltation. It's ultimately about surrendering your identity. But how do you start living more authentically with God?How do we begin this? How do we move from that performance to authenticity? I'm going to give you a couple ideas. Number one thing, you got to come out of hiding.Go back to the garden. After sin, what happened? Humanity hid. But friends, because of Christ, you don't have to hide anymore.He tells us to come honestly say to this, lord, I'm tired, Lord, I'm afraid. I've been performing. I've been chasing approval. I've been ashamed. Lord, I just need you. God isn't intimidated by honesty.The Psalms prove that authenticity begins when the hiding ends. Second thing, you got to repent. Where performance has become disobedience, people get hung up on this. Repentance is not just feeling bad.It's one thing to say to God, I feel bad about what I did, but then to keep on sinning. No, repentance in its truest nature. I never forget I had an argument with my wife one time and man, it was a blow up.And I called the pastor at the time and he came over to my office and he could see it in my face. He says, ralph, he says, I know you're sorry, but are you really repentant? And I asked Him. I said, dude, I'm sorry.He goes, no, no, no, you don't understand what I'm saying. Are you willing to turn from what you're doing? You see the difference there? So right now, if God's revealing people pleasing, repent from that.If he's revealing hypocrisy in your life, repent from that. If he's revealing pride or fear or bitterness or compromise, friend, it's time to repent.Not because he wants to shame you, because he wants to set you free. And you got to renew your mind. The Bible talks about this transformation happens through the renewing of the mind.That means you can't live authentically while feeding on those lies. You got to get those out of your mind. If you feed on comparison, guess what? You're going to live insecure.If you feed on fear, you're going to live this guarded life. If you feed on approval, you're going to live enslaved. If you feed on God's word, you will live grounded. Let Scripture correct your identity.Let Scripture confront your motives. And let Scripture renew your thoughts. And I know this is a lot, but you can start to do this in small, honest steps.Authenticity isn't proven only by how you feel. It's proven by obedience. I've said that word probably 15 times today. It's proven by obedience. Maybe your next step is just telling the truth.Maybe it's setting that boundary. Maybe it's confessing that sin. Maybe it's apologizing. Maybe it's finally forgiving that sin from somebody else you never said you could forgive.Maybe it's saying yes to God, and maybe it's saying no to things, pulling you away from Him. The Bible says, don't despise small beginnings. Small obedience can break long cycles of your life. But you got to stop living for human applause.Would you still do what you're doing if no one clapped? Now that's a tough one. Would you still obey if no one understood what you were obeying?Would you still serve in that ministry or whatever you're doing if nobody noticed you? Here's a tough one. Would you still follow God if it cost you popularity? So many people want truth until it costs them their approval.But, friend, obedience is worth more than applause. But it comes down to this. You got to abide in Christ. I'm going to say something very strong here, but I believe this with all of my heart.Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. Ultimately, biblical authenticity isn't something you can manufacture. I can't make it work. No one Else can. It grows out of a connection to Christ.When you abide in him, that fruit we talked about will grow. And when you remain connected, that truth becomes stronger than performance. So stay near to him. Pray and worship.Read the word, rest, listen, confess in return. Because the goal isn't just to be authentic. The goal is to be more like Christ.Let's talk about some of the cost to perform, because I don't think people think about how much performing actually cost you. What does that performance cost you as you think about it right now? Has it cost you your peace? Has it cost you your intimacy with God?Maybe it's cost you honest relationships. Maybe right now it's costing you rest, it's costing you joy. Maybe it's costing your voice because you're afraid to speak up.Maybe it's cost you obedience. Maybe it's cost you the courage to walk in your calling that you know God is calling you to.Jesus said, what profit is it a person to gain the whole world and lose their soul? And that question reaches deeper than people realize. What does it profit you to gain approval and lose peace?What does it profit to gain applause and lose obedience? Or what does it profit to gain image and lose that intimacy with God? And what does it profit to gain acceptance and lose truth?So many people have tried to gain the world's approval while slowly starving their spirit. But Jesus offers a better way. Now, I'm not going to tell you there's no cost here because the cost of following him is real.But it's still higher than the cost of living a lie. Because that lie is going to drain you. That mask is going to exhaust you. That performance is going to trap you. But truth brings freedom.Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.Not freedom to stay false, freedom to come into the light, freedom to stop hiding, freedom to be transformed and freedom to become who God called you to be. Here's my truth unveiled moment for today. Sometimes we're not confused because God hasn't spoken.Sometimes we're confused because obedience will cost us the version of life we built without Him. Sometimes we say, I don't know what to do, when deep down God's already been revealing it. We know the relationship that's pulling us away from Him.We know that bitterness that needs to be surrendered. We know the sin that's hidden that needs to be confessed. We know those gifts he's given us that need to be used.We know those boundaries that need to be set. We know the fear of people has been louder than the fear of the Lord. And we know we've been conforming when God called us to be transformed.And instead of calling it disobedience, we've called it confusion. But friend, God isn't the author of confusion. So maybe the prayer today is this, lord, give me courage to obey what you've already revealed.Because friend, authenticity isn't just knowing the truth, it's actually walking in it. If we choose to walk in light, we have fellowship. Walking in light doesn't mean we stop protecting the darkness. We stop defending the mask.We got to stop negotiating with conviction. We got to stop pretending we can have freedom while hiding from the truth and the truth unveiled.Truth is we were never created to perform for people. We were created to glorify God. Your life wasn't meant to be built around image. It was meant to be built around his glory.And when your life is surrendered to him, you don't have to keep pretending. You can live in truth. You can walk in freedom and you can become who he called you to be.Now I want to speak to the person listening right now who knows this goes deeper than some please people pleasing moment or performance. Because maybe the real issue is this. You've been trying to build that identity without surrendering your life to Jesus in the first place.You've tried to clean up the outside without letting him transform the inside. But friends, salvation is not about becoming more polished. You're never going to polish it. It's about being made new. And I've got great news.The good news is that Jesus Christ died for your sins. He rose again. And he offers forgiveness. He offers restoration and he offers a new life. And the best part is you don't have to fix yourself first.You don't have to pretend anymore. You don't have to become impressive. You come as you are.And your raise right now, if this is speaking to your heart, if you want to finally surrender your life to Jesus, pray this with me, won't you? Just a simple prayer. Just say it to yourself. Say it out loud.Jesus, I come to you right now and Lord, I confess that I have sinned and I need your mercy. I know you died for me. I know you rose again. So forgive me Lord. Wash me clean and make me new. I surrender my life to you. Be my Savior and be my Lord.Teach me to follow you. Fill me with your spirit and lead me in truth. And I ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Friend.If you prayed that from your heart, that's not the end of the story. It's just the beginning. But I want to slow down and ask yourself some honest questions. Not with fear, not with shame, but with surrender.Am I living for God's approval or human approval? Am I being transformed or am I conforming? Am I walking in the light or protecting hidden things? Am I abiding in Christ or just appearing spiritual?Am I using the gifts God gave me or burying them out of fear? Am I speaking truth in love? Or am I avoiding truth to keep peace? Am I carrying that yoke Jesus never gave me? Am I seeking first his kingdom?Am I allowing God to search my heart? And those questions aren't meant to crush you. They're meant to bring you into the light. Because, friend, the enemy wants you hidden.He always wants you to perform. He wants you to be ashamed. He wants you to be exhausted.He wants you chasing that approval because he wants you disconnected from the ones who are in Christ. But Jesus came to set the captives free. And whom the Son sets free is free indeed. That's right from the book.So maybe today is the day you stop hiding. Maybe today is the day you say, lord, I finally want truth. I want freedom. I want to stop performing. I want to be the one who you created me to be.So, Lord, I surrender the mask. I surrender this false identity. I surrender the need for approval. Make me authentic before you.Because friend, biblical authenticity isn't about being louder. It's not about becoming rebellious. It's not doing whatever you want. It's about becoming truthful, surrendered and transformed.In the end, it's about living as someone who belongs to Christ. So this week I want to encourage you spend some time with the three passages that we talked about.Psalm 139, 23 and 24, Romans 12:1 2 and Galatians 1:10 and Journal five questions for me. Just think through these this week. Where am I performing instead of obeying? Where am I hiding instead of confessing?Where am I pleasing people instead of pleasing God? Where am I conforming instead of being transformed? And what is one act of obedience God is asking of me this week? Then do just one thing.Just one obedient thing. Maybe it's time to have that conversation. Maybe it's time to set that back boundary. Maybe it's time to confess that sin, ask for prayer.Maybe it's time to return to God, use that gift, Tell the truth. Say no. Say yes. Forgive, repent, or begin again not to prove yourself. Because, friend, you already belong to him.How about we pray together as we close out today? Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before you honestly. Search our hearts Lord. Reveal where we've been hiding. Reveal where we've been performing.Reveal where we've been living for approval instead of obedience. And reveal where fear has been louder than faith.And Lord, forgive us for those times we've honored you with our lips while our hearts were completely away from you. Forgive us for pretending, forgive us for people pleasing. Forgive us for conforming to the world instead of being transformed by your word.Lord, create in us clean hearts, renew right spirits within us. Teach us to walk in truth, teach us to abide in Christ. Teach us to speak truth in love and teach us to obey even when it's uncomfortable.Lord, remove those masks that keep us from intimacy with you. Remind us who we are in Christ. We're your workmanship. We're new creations. We're chosen, we're loved, we're not condemned.We are called for your glory, Lord, let our lives reflect true truth. Let our choices reflect surrender. And let our identity be rooted in you and lead us in a way everlasting in Jesus name. Amen.Thank you so much for joining me today on Truth Unveiled. I know I got a little deep today, but this authenticity message was so important for me to convey.So I thank you for hanging on to the end of this and I just want to say to you, God bless you this week and hope to see you again next week. Take care.