One of my favorite all time stories is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.

Don’t get too excited. I have not actually “read” the book (at least not in the full unabridged old English adult version), but I have read the student version and have shared a video telling the story with my class.

In case you have no experience with this amazing story line, I’ll give you the quick CliffsNotes version. The main character, Christian, travels from his home to the Celestial City facing many challenges that parallel our faith walk. It is extremely moving once you start to put yourself into the story and realize the journey that we travel with our Savior.

One challenge in Christian’s journey was the walk through Vanity Fair. He came upon this part of his story while traveling with his trusted companion Faithful. These two weary travelers find Vanity Fair full of possibly every temptation known to man. Being pulled toward each of these by the “sellers of these wares”, Christian and Faithful are challenged to embrace them, engage with them and to become part of what is being sold.

This scene reminds me of the challenge we face as Christians. We walk daily into our own version of Vanity Fair. For some of us, that fair is full of positions of status, towers of pride, or roller coasters of possibility. Many will travel secret alleyways of self gratification and personal indulgences. Others travel a path through Vanity Fair full of the newest and best temptations.

For each of us, Vanity Fair will look different and present itself at different points on our journey, but we will all still experience one constant. Every aspect of Vanity Fair comes from the seller of lies, Satan.

In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian and Faithful were pulled and torn to the point that Faithful lost his life for refusing to conform to the ways of Vanity Fair.

In our current culture, there are many things that appear to be right, but when held against the flame of God’s truth are found to be lacking. There are many lies being portrayed as good. There are many of us that have found ourselves lost in Vanity Fair with no real map to regain our correct path.

“We only buy the truth.”- Christian and Faithful

I would encourage you to bring yourself back to the only Map that has the ability to guide you through the pitfalls of life- through your Vanity Fair. Pick up your Bible. Embrace the Word of God. Indulge in the one book of truth that has the answers you need and the route out of Vanity Fair.

As Christian and Faithful responded when pressed, “we will only buy the truth”. We will not buy your lies. We will not buy your trickery. We will not give in to your temptations- even if it means death. We will only buy the truth.

Can you say that about your life today? Have you bought some of the lies of the world? Have you given in to the temptations Satan has laid before you? Have you accepted partial truth (which is really non-truth) into your life?

“We will only buy the truth.”

I will only buy the Truth.