Authenticity Part 2

 

Authenticity

Part 2

        An example of authenticity to reminisce is the story of King Saul and David who simply walked with God. When integrity and authenticity, with humility stands before pride and deception,   something breaks;  and the atmosphere shifts. It was very obvious that Saul wasn’t willing to wait for Samuel; and he did not trust and waited for God.

And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.” “And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering;1 Sam. 13: 8-9.

       Whereas, David waited on God throughout his time in the wilderness; (Ref. Psa. 42). This  demonstrates David’s trust in God and Saul’s lack of trust in God.

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God; Psa. 42: 1-2.

        Authenticity is God’s way of stripping those illusions apart; one’s insecurity, and brokenness forces the person to see themselves, which they had avoided too long. The peace the authentic personalities carry is a threat to chaos for someone who does not live in truth. The character, the emptiness inside, and the counterfeit identity person projected will be stripped away.

        Authentic person’s clarity, humility, honesty, emotional sincerity, and spiritual alignment parts fear around those who want to manipulate to twist their script differently against the truth.

Neuroscience on authenticity

Authentic conversations activate the brain’s reward system. When we engage in genuine dialogue, the ventral striatum, responsible for feelings of pleasure, lights up. Think of the warm rush you feel when someone truly understands you. That’s dopamine flooding your brain. This natural “high” is why authentic interactions are so satisfying. Now consider the opposite. You’re in a meeting where the dialogue feels forced, like everyone is just ticking boxes. Your amygdala, the brain’s fear center, senses the disconnect. It triggers a stress response, releasing cortisol, the stress hormone. Over time, these inauthentic interactions can leave you drained, anxious, and even distrustful.[i]  

        There is real battle between authenticity and the one who lives in deception, pride, and hide behind various masks. The battle between The Truth of God and Deception is scriptural.

Remember this: Satan tried to manipulate and control Jesus, but Jesus went by what is written in God’s word. Pharisees and their deeds of darkness evaporated before Jesus Christ, who is the Truth Himself. 

Understanding the neural basis of human honesty and deception has enormous potential scientific and practical value. In particular, by separating and capturing distinct adaptive problems facing signal senders and receivers, signaling games provide a framework to organize the complex set of cognitive processes associated with honest and deceptive behavior. Recent meta-analyses have further shown that lying was associated with greater activation in regions including dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior insula and superior frontal lobule.[ii]      

Jesus: Honors the Father; Jn. 8: 49; seeks God’s glory, not His own; Jn. 8: 50; offers freedom through the truth.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free; Jn. 8: 32.

Pharisees: Dishonor Jesus with slander; Jn. 8: 48; Seek to protect position and prestige; Jn. 11: 48; Remain enslaved to sin despite heritage claims.

      Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin; Jn. 8: 34.

       In this world where Pharisees lived in varied masks, Jesus The Authentic Son of God, who became man becomes their mirror, and makes it very clear that hiding is very impossible. Christ’s Authenticity strips the ability to guilt trip, gas light, and twist the reality and The Truth.

       Clinging to traditions and rituals without truth, and not willing to learn can breed hostility toward God’s revelation. False accusations, without proper checking the truth and gas lighting often masks deeper resistance to divine authority. Jesus’ unwavering commitment to truth, and his obedience to God, His Father in heaven invites believers to stand firm, even when misrepresented.

        Authentic people in Christ live from inside out. To worship in truth means, one should worship according to the whole counsel of God’s word. This is keeping ourselves in the light of the New Testament revelation; based on what is written and given to us.

        It also means that we should come to God in truth, not in pretense or a mere display of spirituality. To worship in spirit means we should concern ourselves with spiritual realities. This does not concern so much with places, outward sacrifices, proclaiming charity to everyone, cleansings, and trappings.

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth;1 Jn. 3:18. 

“Here is a test of this love; if we do not divide our bread with the hungry, we certainly would not lay down our life for him. Whatever love we may pretend to mankind, if we are not charitable and benevolent, we give the lie to our profession.”(Clarke)

          The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy; Prov.  12:22. 

       Our God is Truth Himself. He loves humans to speak the truth and regards the lips that spread lies as offensive, an abomination.

Strong's Hebrew: 7563. רָשָׁע (rasha) -- Wicked, evil, guilty

The Hebrew noun רָשָׁע (Strong’s 7563) designates a person who is morally wrong, hostile to God’s standards, and liable to divine …[iii]

The sense of the Hebrew for desperately wicked seems to have sickness more than depravity in mind. “Unregenerate human nature is in a desperate condition without divine grace, described by the term gravely ill in verse 9 (RSV desperately corrupt, NEB desperately sick).” (Harrison)

           Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind; 1 Pet. 2: 1.

       Peter has just demonstrated the glory and eternal character of God’s word; which is full of The Truth. In the light of what is written and given to us, we should receive the word and receive it with a humble hearts. This is because the matter of the heart is heart itself! Dying to self is not a quick process: standing alone without dependence on man, without praise; obeying without applauding; and depending only on God brings freedom, and this terrifies darkness.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jer. 17: 9.

“The pravity and perversity of the man’s heart, full of harlotry and creature confidence, deceiving and being deceived, is here plainly and plentifully described; and oh that it were duly and deeply considered.” (Trapp)

      Humility is the fertile ground on which the tree of righteousness grows and yield the fruit of the Spirit. Many problems in both individual Christian lives and in congregations is mainly they failed, to desire or to receive this pure milk; The Ultimate Truth.

“The sickly condition of so many Christians sets forth a lamentable complaint of the food with which they are supplied. To say nothing of strong meat, they do not even get milk. Hence the Church of God too much resembles the wards of a children’s hospital.” (Meyer)

 

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[i] Brainz Magazinehttps://www.brainzmagazine.com › post › the-neuroscienc…

The Neuroscience of Authentic Communication and its …

Jan 28, 2025 · Neuroscience confirms that authentic interactions activate the prefrontal cortex, the area of …

[ii] ScienceDirect

https://www.sciencedirect.com › science › article › pii

Cognitive neuroscience of honesty and deception: a signaling framework

Oct 1, 2016 · Figure 1. Neural correlates of honesty and deception. (a, b) Previous meta-analysis results of neural correlates of truth … 

[iii] hebrew word for wicked - Search

Authenticity Part 1

 

Authenticity

Part 1

Strong's Greek: 831. αὐθεντέω (authenteó) -- To have authority, to ...

Classical Greek employs cognate nouns for a “master” or “perpetrator.” By the Hellenistic and early Roman eras, verbs in this word[i] 

In contemporary Greek, αυθεντικός is the most common term for "authentic," used to describe something that is genuine, original, or trustworthy, such as authentic food, documents, or experiences….[ii] 

AUTHENTICITY Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

The meaning of AUTHENTICITY is the quality of being authentic : the quality of being authoritative, valid, true, real, or genuine[iii]

            Authentic people are those who strive to align their actions with their core values and beliefs. Biblically this means someone who base their standard on what is written in God’s word with regarding to their character, especially exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit of God in their lives. This is with  the hope of discovering, and then acting in sync with, their true selves. These individuals when they act in ways that violate their self-concept, and their core values they may experience negative feelings, ranging from mild discomfort to heavy guilt.

“To do the truth is at any rate to live up to what one knows; to live an honest, conscientious life.” (Dods)

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth; Jn. 4: 24. 

       The Spirit of  God in a Christian soul recognizes the spirit in another. When a person has the Spirit of God, another spirit filled person recognizes and leaps within to hear the other person speak. A good example will be when Mary met her cousin Elisabeth at the mountain.

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb; Lk. 1: 41-42.

      When a person’s spirit is not aligned with the Spirit of God and meets a person aligned in God’s Spirit something very powerful can happen.

Deep moral and spiritual darkness

Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly;  Mk. 6: 20. 

       Authenticity is the force of the Spirit of God. This person’s identity is anchored in truth and shaped by God. Not controlled by fear, flattery or approval from others. Authenticity exposed what darkness hides over time; and destabilizes manipulation and evil.

 “More weak than cruel, Herod listened to John with an undeniable fascination. John’s word left him perplexed, and in anguish. Yet he found a strange pleasure in the authoritative preaching of this holy man, whose stringent life gave added power to his probing word. Too weak to follow John’s counsel, he nevertheless had to listen.” (Lane)

 

      Breaking through to authenticity is not a one-time decision; it’s a daily practice with much effort. This requires our own self-awareness, vulnerability, weaknesses, some times our child hood practices in life for survival to varied difficult situations. This indeed requires courage to embrace both our strengths and imperfections boldly wanting to move to moral and spiritual wellness. One had to remember some of the  messy chapters of past life to start with. This is exactly where the greatest breakthroughs had to happen.

 

When you commit to authentic communication, you’re rewiring your brain for connection, empathy, and resilience. You’re creating a ripple effect that can transform your relationships, your community, and ultimately, your life.[iv] 

      Authenticity carries light, which reveals everything around. Truth cannot blend with pretense; but exposes one’s emotional distortions, the hidden web of charms disguised in as spiritual camouflage.  

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved; Jn. 3: 20.

“They chose to walk in the darkness, that they might do the works of darkness-they broke the Divine law, refused the mercy offered to them, are arrested by Divine justice, convicted, condemned, and punished. Whence, then, does their damnation proceed? From THEMSELVES.” (Clarke)

      Authenticity destroys one’s illusion of control: confusion as one’s shield, manipulation the language, emotional de-stability, false perceptions, mixed signals, guilt tripping, strategic charms applied to keep people off the balance, doing long charming prayers in front of people to hide who they really are, and the identity one builds on false ground.  Good example is the contrast between Jesus and the Pharisees who are spiritually abusing the people; Reference Matthew 23.

“There is another kind of slavery than social or economic slavery. Sin is a slave-master, and it is possible even for people who think of themselves as free to be enslaved in sin.” (Bruce)

Neuroscience of deception

Your brain is architecturally equipped for deception, not because you lack integrity, but because lying recruits a coordinated network of prefrontal suppression, anterior cingulate conflict monitoring, and limbic threat calculation that evolved long before moral philosophy. Dr. Sydney Ceruto has observed over 26 years that the most consequential form of deception is rarely the lie told to others. It is the lie the brain tells itself: the motivated reasoning that rewrites memory, filters perception, and constructs narratives that protect the self-concept at the expense of accurate reality testing.[v]

      Authenticity is God’s way of stripping those illusions apart; one’s insecurity, brokenness, and forces the person to see themselves, which they had avoided too long. The peace the authentic personality carries is a threat to chaos for someone who does not live in truth. The character, the emptiness inside, and the counterfeit identity person projected will be stripped away.

   Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin;  Jn. 8: 34.

“We should not minimize the force of ‘bondservant’. It does not mean a person who is paid wages and who has a considerable area of freedom. It means a slave.” (Morris)

                                                                    (To be continued in Part 2)

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[i] Greek word for authentic - Search

[ii] I.bid.; Greek word…

[iii] Merriam Webster https://www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › authenticity

[iv]The Neuroscience of Authentic Communication and its Impact on Our Brain and Relationships

[v] mindlabneuroscience.com https://mindlabneuroscience.com › lying-exploring-the-neuroscience-behind-it

Neuroscience Of Lying: How It Rewires The Brain | Mind LAB Sep 5, 2026 · Each lie dampens the amygdala's alarm, making the next one easier. A neuroscientist maps the four-region brain …

 

God Speaks today!

 

God Speaks today!

        God speaks always, and He speaks to men in the language the man understands! Spoke to wise men through a star, shepherds through an angel, Joseph in a dream, Herod through wisemen, Mary through Gabriel, Jews through the infant, scribes through the law, pharisees as a Son of Man, and the Roman soldiers as God’s Son’s human body!

      God spoke to humanity in a variety of ways in the Old Testament: spoke to Moses by a burning bush; Exo. 3;  to Elijah by a still, small voice; 1 Kin. 19: 12; to Isaiah by a heavenly vision; Isa. 1: 9;  to Hosea by his family crisis; Hos.1: 2;  and to Amos by a basket of fruit; Amo.8:1.

         For thousands of years, mankind has tried to explain the colourful lights that dance across the sky in northern climes. Scientists now know about this breathtaking northern lights, the swirling colorful ribbons as the result of electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with gasses in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

There are many different Indigenous groups living under the auroral oval, the area around Earth's geomagnetic north pole where auroral activity is most frequently visible. Each group has its own myths and legends. There are lots of myths and legends associated with the aurora, "I grew up with the Cree legend that the aurora is our departed ancestors dancing in the sky, but each legend and myth about the aurora is tied to renewal and spirituality." Perhaps that is why viewing an aurora and hearing the legends associated with it is such a profoundly moving experience.[i]  

        God speaks still today to all of us as the Son of God. He meets every one of us at different levels of our faith. Two thousand years ago, the Word of God became flesh and speaks to us through the written Word of God. He is alive!

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: Heb. 1: 1-3.

 The Book of Hebrews (for the most part) does not present Jesus speaking of Himself. There is a sense in which the Son does not speak in Hebrews; the Father speaks concerning the Son. The book of Hebrews is God the Father telling us what God the Son is all about. “If men cannot learn about God from the Son, no amount of prophetic voices or actions would convince them.” (Guthrie)

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”  2 Tim. 3:16.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart; 

Heb. 4:12. 

“Deity is not to be explained, but to be adored; and the Sonship of Christ is to be accepted as a truth of revelation, to be apprehended by faith, though it cannot be comprehended by the understanding.” (Spurgeon)

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[i] What the Northern Lights Mean, According to Indigenous Communities in Canada

Vigilance for Imitation

 

Vigilance for Imitation 

The deceptive imitation, easily underscores the need of spiritual vigilance. The enemy hath dainty poisonous sweet to the taste which he administers to God’s people. The main aim is to take the person (all humanity) to his own residency, against what God has intended. 

Strong's Greek: 3402. μιμητής (mimétés) -- Imitator, follower

3402 mimētḗs (the root of the English term, mimic, "one who imitates, emulates") – properly, the positive imitation that arises by admiring the pattern set by someone worthy of emulation, i.e. a …[i]

Strong's Greek: 539. ἀπάτη (apaté) -- Deception, deceit, delusion  Original Word: ἀπάτη Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: apaté Pronunciation: ah-PAH-tay Phonetic Spelling: (ap-at'-ay) KJV: deceit(-ful, -fulness), deceivableness(-ving) NASB[ii]

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works; 2 Cori. 11:14-15.

       Only few Christians of today want to deal with the fact that there are many false apostles and deceitful workers among Christians. They transform themselves into apostles of Christ. The truth is no one can transform themselves into a true apostle of Jesus; unless they realize the true cost! The true cost is surrendered life in Christ, and continue to marvel at the Cross! This work is of God and not of man.

       We humans can be easily deceived by outward appearances. Often, we  recognize evil only if it openly declares itself as evil. The danger here is we end up embracing Satan, who transforms himself into an angel of light. If Satan were to appear before us, the fallen humanity will be strongly tempted to worship him as almost divine beauty. He is an angel of light.

Poole says, “They were never apostles of Christ, only they put themselves into such a shape and form, that they might have more advantage to deceive.” [iii]

          Jesus warned us one of the signs of end times as deception.

Example: Care should be taken within the churches today; when they hear a narrative to discern carefully for any possible deception between the truth and lies. This happens especially when two individuals narrate a story differently to get help. This can happen in leadership levels, pastoral levels, and it can penetrate to the pews! I pray for leaders to have deep discernment as they have heavy accountability before God, and anyone who reads the Bible know this.

       Often truth is silenced and majority of the people believe the lies, because it often comes form the leadership levels. We often fail to realize that our fig leaf aprons are not sufficient on the day of reckoning!

           And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive; Matt. 24: 4. 

         Satan has three forms under which he tempts men:  The subtle serpent;  The roaring lion;  The angel of light.

He often, as the angel of light, persuades men to do things under the name of religion, which are subversive of it. Hence all the persecutions, faggots, and fires of a certain Church, under pretense of keeping heresy out of the Church; and hence all the horrors and infernalities of the inquisition. In the form of heathen persecution, like a lion he has ravaged the heritage of the Lord. And by means of our senses and passions, as the subtle serpent, he is frequently deceiving us, so that often the workings of corrupt nature are mistaken for the operations of the Spirit of God.” (Clarke)

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ;

2 Cori. 11: 13.

       Angel of light can be easily described as one not meant to describe an authentic heavenly being not aligning with God’s truth. The genuine truth (God’s Pure Word) can be easily counterfeited. The root cause is deception. The deceptive imitation, easily underscores the need of spiritual vigilance. There is terrible condemnation reserved for these false apostles,  to be judged based on their wicked, deceptive deeds! 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour;1 Pet. 5: 8.      

Do not, therefore, indulge the thought, that the main purpose of Satan is to make you miserable. He is pleased with that, but that is not his ultimate end. Sometimes he may even make you happy, for he hath dainty poisons sweet to the taste which he administers to God’s people. If he feels that our destruction can be more readily achieved by sweets than by bitters, he certainly would prefer that which would best effect his end.” (Spurgeon)

         The enemy of our souls tries the beleivers in all possible directions, till he is utterly destroyed. The enemy wants to destroy the beleivers if possible rend the body, and take the person to his own residency, against what God has intended. The enemy in the Garden of Eden (Ref. Gen. 3), still works with deceptive schemes, differently till today.

        But, we do not have to despair. This is because the hand writing that was written against humanity in the Garden of Eden was rewritten on the Cross of Calvary, for redemption and eternal life with God. So, we marvel at this cost, because of one man’s obedience. That is our Lord Jesus Christ! The grace of God is able to, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us.

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you; 1 Pet. 5: 10.

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[i] Bible Hub https://biblehub.com › greek

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimesis#:~:text=Mimesis%20(/,%5B2%5D

[ii] Bible Hub https://biblehub.com › greek

[iii] https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/2-corinthians-11/