Are you blind to the truth and living your life according to what is right in your own eyes ?  Do you spend time in prayer and reading scripture ?  Are you pretending to be what you are not ?   Do you consider yourself to be a Christian ?  These questions my friends, require an honest self-evaluation and deep reflection on who you really are and is at the heart of what being a hypocrite is.

Do these questions make you uncomfortable, difficult to answer and will you even continue to read this article ?  Let me put you at ease by first telling you that I was a hypocrite for over 53 years.  Pretending to be a Christian on the outside while living my own selfish ways on the inside.  The desires of my heart were anything but God’s ways. 

The definition of a hypocrite in the dictionary is someone who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion; a person who acts in contradiction to a stated belief.  In other words; it’s putting on a show externally to show others who you are, but internally it is a false belief and not what you truly feel or believe.  Jesus taught a great deal about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Scribes during His ministry in the four Gospels.

In growing up, I  went to Sunday school and church.  I learned right from wrong, honesty, how to treat others and how to work hard, respect others and how to be a responsible person.  I just didn’t make the internal connection with God in my life; other things simply were more important, namely pursuing the desires of what the world had to offer.  Money, possessions, success and career etc. For whatever reason, I knew about God, but made no effort to get to truly know God.  

As Jesus stated in Matthew 13:13  “ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”  That certainly was where I lived most of my life and could be exactly where you are at with your life as well.  How foolish and ignorant I was.  Read  the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:19-23 to truly find out where your heart lies with your faith and in your love of Christ.

The prophet Isaiah gives a clear picture of what a hypocrite is as found in these two verses.  Isaiah 6:9  And the Lord said “ Go and tell this people:  Keep on hearing, but do not understand;  Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.  Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed.”

 Isaiah 29:13  Therefore the Lord said:  “ Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.”   

Getting to know God is the single most important decision you will ever make in your lifetime.  Make that decision today and your life will take on a whole new level of meaning and purpose.  Never could I have imagined the indescribable joy, love and peace that I am filled with today.  God’s greatest desire is have you in a personal relationship with Him. 

My friends do not ever give up or lose hope with what the power of the Holy Spirit can do.  Many of us want to believe but just aren’t quite willing or ready to totally accept and receive God into our lives.  Spend time in His words on a daily basis and be enlightened and encouraged with His love, truth and mercy 

Let me leave you with this truth as stated by Christ Himself in John 8:32  “ Know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Start today – Don’t delay and change your life - Let the words of God speak to you and be filled with a peace and joy beyond measure.

Sign up below and receive 60 additional scripture messages for free.  Find additional inspiration and encouragement found in our weekly blog and the books “Finding Calm in the Storm of Everyday Living” or “Heart and Soul” either going to Amazon directly or hitting the home page of the store and scrolling down to books.