The Naked Truth

Let there be light. That’s my story. I was floating in a deep void filled with darkness and then… the Word appeared.
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” Genesis 1:2-3
He told me to be honest and confess. I was an alcoholic and adulterer. A drug user and abuser. A mess. The crazy thing is, is that to the world around me, I was a Christian!
You see, I was living under the “fig leaf”.
“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:7-8
I knew I was naked and running from God, but I was okay because I had a cover for anything and everything that ever popped up. I could weave and knit a little story to get out of anything. Well in November of 2014 I realized there was no more running. My cousin’s wife confronted me about some things she heard and my heart in fear gathered the “what to do next”, while I cried out in the lonely night. That’s when it happened. I was called out to by God.
“And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” Genesis 3:9-11
The Light appeared. He showed me that He had not been my God, but that I was hiding from a woman, being confronted by a woman, and that I had let addiction and adultery consume me. These things were who I served. They were my idols. So, I sent an incriminating text to my wife and began to call on Jesus for the next 24 hours as I anxiously sweat the conversation to come.
This part is the hard part, but I’m here to tell you it’s the part that matters. There is no avoiding it. It’s biblical, but it is so often side-stepped because it is hard. You don’t do it alone when you do it, though. Trust He is with you, because He is. You have to get naked by the truth.
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21
The covering I received from God was Christ, the true sacrifice, but there was this moment where I wasn’t under my fig leaf anymore, and not yet under the blood. The leap of faith. The first step. Stepping into the Light. Our pastors have been talking about this and I am here to tell you it is true! Don’t wait. Don’t get caught, come clean. After 4 years, my marriage is totally restored and my wife is madly in love with Jesus and me! Two people can be worlds apart, but if they set their eyes on One thing, they eventually come together as they walk. That’s what Jesus did for me, but I had to commit, come clean, I had to confess my sin. It wasn’t easy. I was so bad at telling the truth that I lied while doing it. The Lord and my wife showed me so much grace and mercy as I walked the road of life that is repentance. He will make you an honest person if you will listen and respond. He will fill you with His Spirit. I got re-baptized! I did it at a young age, but my wife mentioned doing it and how glad I am I did it for real. Looking back it makes sense. If amazing Jesus can humble Himself to step out and be baptized, so can pitiful Caleb! Amen and hallelujah! If the Holy Spirit has been tugging on your heart, don’t wait. He’s got a recovery plan for you and He is ready to begin implementing it. Trust Him. Trust Him. Trust me, you can trust Him.
Here is a song about four men who trusted Him. They all lived “the naked truth” lives. We read their flaws and failures in the Word, that is why I am open about my failures. I have no strength in myself. I’d rather the world see my failures and His power making up for all that I lack, than to wear a fig leaf that just won’t last. This song is about Peter (John 21), David (2 Samuel 6), Adam (Genesis 3), and me.
The Lord bless you in your endeavor of truth. Amen.