The Truth You Need to Know About Hypocrisy

It's important to know what causes hypocrisy if we want to avoid it. Take this closer look at the temptation that prompts it and the only way to avoid it. #Hypocrisy #Pride #BibleStudy #CountingMyBlessings #BlessingBloggers #WWGGG

Do you ever worry about being a hypocrite?

I think it’s healthy to question our own hypocrisy.

Recently my morning devotion challenged me to remember that temptation often comes after spiritual victory. You see the enemy of our souls knows that its easy for a spiritual victory to turn into pride; and well, to quote Solomon:

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18

And Jesus paused in today’s reading to challenge the Pharisees with their prideful hypocrisy. They were constantly worried about how they were perceived because they were focused on power, position, and popularity.

Their pride caused them to worry more about their reputations than their character. And Jesus called them out by quoting Isaiah…

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Mark 7:6b

And then He cautioned His followers by telling them:

“For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts…”
Mark 7:21a

And evil thoughts become evil actions and attitudes.

Which is why Jesus told His followers to:

Seek the Kingdom of God.
Luke 12:31

I love how the Message says it:

Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

If you and I want to avoid prideful hypocrisy we must…

Remain humbly and consistently aware that victory over temptation requires strength that comes from God alone.

A Prayer to Live Free Prideful Hypocrisy

Will you pray with me?

Father, I need you! The enemy knows my weaknesses and seems to constantly tempt me to give in to them. The world seems to more and more call what You call good / evil and what you call evil / good. And I confess that I can be tempted to judge the attitudes of the world more than I deal with the attitudes in me. Please forgive me of any prideful hypocrisy within me.

Please keep my heart and mind focused humbly on You. Help me to seek, know, and follow Your perfect will. Please help me to faithfully want You more than I want power, position, or popularity. Bless me with the strength and power of Your Spirit and grant me wisdom to discern what I see and hear that my attitudes might be pleasing to You.

I love you, Lord! Give me victory over temptation that I might give You glory. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friend, I think it’s human nature for people to pridefully call out the hypocrisy in others. Just watch the headlines after a Christian is caught in a sin or some form of public scandal.

And we’re all guilty at times. We love feeling victorious and pointing our fingers at those who aren’t.

But today we want to remember . . . if you and I want to avoid hypocrisy we absolutely must remain humble and focused on Jesus. We must fully trust that we can “do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” (Philippians 4:13) But without a doubt, “pride goes . . . before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

On today’s note write:

Humbly focus on Jesus to avoid hypocrisy!

I recommend you read all of Mark 7 to learn more about what Jesus taught about inner purity and His power to heal and deliver.

God bless you today as you focus on Jesus and rely on Him for strength and victory!

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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How to Cure the Hypocrisy You See in Your Life

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.The truth is there is a little bit of hypocrisy in all of us. Maybe it's possible for us to all be a little less hypocritical with these bits of help. #Faith #Hypocrisy #ChristianLiving #BibleStudy #CountingmyBlessings #BlessingBloggers #WWGGG

Matthew 23 is another chapter that makes me squirm . . . and I’d like to tell you why.

Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 23:27b-28

So yep, we’re taking a closer look at hypocrisy today.

You might be a hypocrite if you…

Say one thing and do another. (Matthew 15:7–9)
Preach peace and tolerance but judge those who don’t agree with you. (Ezekiel 13:10)
Judge others for their sins and excuse your own. (Matthew 7:1–5)
Say, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer. (1 John 4:29)
Fail to forgive as you have been forgiven. (Matthew 6:12)
Are human!

Because the truth is . . . there’s a little bit of hypocrisy in all of us. We all sin and we all want others to think we don’t. It’s that simple.

But here’s the thing…

HYPOCRISY RUINS OUR WITNESS!

Even though we sin differently—we all sin!

Christians and non-Christians alike fall short of perfect living. So, before you and I take delight in pointing out the hypocrisy we see in others, this might be the perfect time for us to ask God to help us do a better job of glorifying Him by loving like Jesus, the only truly non-hypocrite who has ever lived.

5 Ways to Cure the Hypocrisy You See in Your Life

1. ADMIT YOU CAN BE A HYPOCRITE AND ASK GOD TO FORGIVE YOU.

2. ASK GOD TO FREE YOU OF HYPOCRISY AND CHANGE YOUR HEART.

3. COMMIT TO BEING LOVING (KIND, CARING, AND COMPASSIONATE).

4. ASK GOD TO HELP YOU TO BE AN EXAMPLE OF FAITH AND OBEDIENCE.

5. SHOW GOD’S LOVE MORE THAN YOU PREACH HIS RULES!

Scripture tells us God is good because:

He is perfect and righteous – it is who He is.
He is kind – it is what He does.

He perfectly balances what is right with what is kind. He sees hearts. He knows motives. He understands the beginning and the end. He knows what’s best!

You don’t. I don’t. That’s why it’s our job to simply tell people about all that God has done for us. Tell them about His healing and transforming power and how He is able to give us peace, hope, joy, and so much more.

Will you please pray with me?

Father, please forgive me for ranking sins by judging others and excusing myself. We ALL have sinned and fallen short of Your glory. (Romans 3:23) I need Your love and forgiveness every single day.

Please help me. I want to consistently follow your commands. I want to love and forgive as You have loved and forgiven me. I want to focus on You and obey Your will for me more without pointing a finger at others.

I want people to see in me the blessings of trusting and following You. I want to point them to Your love and Your Word and allow Your Spirit to convict and transform them. I want to love like Jesus.

Jesus, please cure me of hypocrisy and help me shine the light of your love for Your glory. Amen.

Friend, we’re all guilty of occasional hypocrisy.

But my hypocritical life is covered by God’s grace and mercy. And so is yours.

With God’s help, we can kick our inner hypocrite to the curb. We can reject self-righteousness and open our hearts to God’s goodness (His righteousness and His kindness) and allow Him to fill us until it overflows to the people He puts around us.

On today’s note write:

Jesus is the cure for hypocrisy!

God bless you today as you live forgiven and loved!

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

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Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

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How to Pray About the Things that Make You Uncomfortable

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Knowing God cares about our motives and attitudes makes us uncomfortable. Thankfully, He will help us live with humble love and compassion for His glory. #LovelikeJesus #Faith #Hope #Truth #CountingMyBlessings #WWGGG #BlessingBloggers

What do you do when you read a section of Scripture that makes you uncomfortable?

I knew some parts would be uncomfortable and harder to write about when I committed to reading and writing every chapter of the New Testament this year but I was hoping it would take a little longer.

I’m a first-born, Christian church and school educated, married to a pastor . . . people-pleaser. I’ve spent my life trying REALLY HARD to obey the rules and “do it right,” and I sometimes wonder if that’s how many of the Pharisees got started, too. But the problem with Pharisees is that rather than just worrying about their own obedience they worry about everyone else’s obedience, too.

Oh, and they weren’t just worried about God’s commands . . . they wanted strict compliance to all of their man-made rules and traditions. And that’s why, Jesus, who is able to perfectly discern attitudes and motives . . . challenged them with God’s TRUTH.

The truth that says God cares more about our hearts and minds, our attitudes and motives, our showing His grace, mercy, and love . . . than our strict conformity to traditions and regulations.

Jesus said the following when the Pharisees rebuked His disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath:

“But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
Matthew 12:7–8

Time and again throughout Jesus’ ministry, He told His followers about the importance of showing mercy and compassion . . . and He didn’t just tell them, He modeled it for them.

I believe God wants our obedience but He wants it because it is one of the ways our hearts, our minds, and our actions can respond to His grace, mercy, and love. And because our obedience to loving like Jesus . . . shows His love to a hurting world.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not very good at consistently doing this on my own . . . will you pray with me as I ask God for His Spirit’s help with the things that make me uncomfortable?

How to Pray About the Things that Make You Uncomfortable

Father, please help me. I want to obey with pure motives and attitudes that honor You. But the world is in my face and it’s so easy to fall into a pattern of worrying about what people think. And people are so free with their accusations and criticism. We also struggle with voices who declare good – evil and evil – good. I need Your Spirit’s help.

I love You, Lord. I want to honor You with pure motives and attitudes. I want to show others the same mercy and compassion that You have shown me. I want people to see You through me. By Your grace and with Your Spirit’s help, help me love like Jesus. Amen.

Whenever I see myself in the hard parts of Scripture it makes me feel uncomfortable and convicted. But the Good News is that the Father of grace and mercy forgives and gives me (and you) everything we need to trust and obey even the parts of Scripture that make us squirm.

On today’s post-it note write:

God, help me love like Jesus! Amen.

You can read more of the ways Jesus challenged the Pharisees in Matthew 12.

God bless you today as you focus on His love and compassion.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

And a thank you to BibleGateway.com for sources.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

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Leave your prayer requests…

and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.

I’m so excited to tell you about my new book!

Check out our new Facebook Page/Group – #WWGGG – What Would Give God Glory. We’d love for you to join the movement!

And always remember – I LOVE hearing from you! So, please take a minute to say ‘hi’ by leaving a comment.

If this article blessed or helped you today — would you share it with someone? Send it to a friend, family member, coworker, or share it through the links below…

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