Most of us have had a physical examination as an annual check-up, for employment purposes, or to find out if we have a potential health issue. Does God require us to have a spiritual examination?

A physical health examination is the process by which a doctor examines the body of a patient for signs of disease. A routine physical will check common measures of a healthy body: your personal and family medical history, lifestyle behaviors, vital signs, and other factors.

A recent study verifies what many have observed over the last couple decades in Europe: that “Christianity as a default, as a norm, is gone, and probably gone for good—or at least for the next 100 years” (The Guardian, March 20, 2018).

Today there is growing animosity between Russia and the West—Europe, Britain and the United States. Some experts note that “China, Russia, India, Turkey, Iran, and others are seeking to carve out a new space for themselves in the newly emerging international system, as the United States is struggling to redefine its place and identity in the new world” (Oxford Research Group, January 2, 2018). “Although the West continues to possess the power of influence, Western leaders have not been effective in using such power.

The old saying “Truth is a rare commodity” seems truer today than ever before. Truth is always valuable and investing in this commodity is always wise—particularly as it becomes rarer.

Let’s face it: lies, deceits, falsehoods, misrepresentations, omissions, and so-called “spin” are rampant. If we have even a modicum of experience, we have grown rightly skeptical of all claims, no matter the source, whether in print, on television, or on the Internet. Nothing, it seems, can be trusted to be factual or accurate. Everything is suspect. The world is full of liars.

As a child, I remember my first “lesson” in chemistry. Somewhere, I obtained a little plastic boat—it probably came in a box of cereal or Cracker Jacks—into which one could put baking soda and vinegar. The chemical reaction propelled the little boat. Little did I know that this chemical reaction is mentioned in the Bible.