You Might Be a Hypocrite If…
Are you a hypocrite?
You might be a hypocrite if:
- You expect God to forgive you, but you can’t forgive others.
- You point out the others’ sins while ignoring your own.
- You have people you hate.
- You don’t think you’re as bad as __________.
- If that log in your eye never keeps you from seeing the speck in someone else’s eye.
- Or…
♥ If you’re human!
The truth is, everyone occasionally gives in to hypocritical thinking.
Jesus said…
“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
Matthew 7:1–3
We want to believe we’re the ones with specks while the people around us are walking around with log-impaired vision.
Turn on the news or scroll through social media, and it seems like fault-finding and finger-pointing have become national pastimes. But the problem is, our hypocritical judgement of others ruins our witness. Although we may sin differently, we all sin!
Christians and non-Christians all fail to live perfect lives.
Please know that I’m not finger-pointing. I’m writing this for myself. Although we all struggle with hypocrisy, Jesus’ followers can do better, with God’s help.
Things God Uses to Help Transform a Hypocrite
1. Quickly confess every hypocritical moment and ask God for help.
It’s easy to see other people’s faults and harder to admit our own. That’s why confession is the perfect place to start.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (ESV)
2. Ask God to fill you with humility and love.
Humbly ask God to help you live with faith-filled gratitude for His grace, mercy, and love, then ask Him to help you show His love to others.
Do not be shaped by this world; instead, be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect.
Romans 12:2
3. Be kind, caring, and compassionate to everyone… even with your thoughts.
This requires a lot of prayer and intentional submission to God’s will. But with the Spirit’s help, we can resist temptation and transform our thinking to become more like Jesus.
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
Ephesians 4:2
4. Show God’s love more than you preach His commands.
I’m going to keep talking about Him, and I hope you are too. But our actions and attitudes speak loudly. So, I pray that we will humbly share His love more than we criticize and complain about others’ failures and flaws.
We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.
1 Thessalonians 2:8
Let’s pray…
A Prayer for Hypocrites
Father, I am a hypocritical sinner in need of Your forgiveness. I want to honor You through faith and obedience, but I know I fall short of Your will every day. I want to show Your love and kindness to everyone, but I’m prone to impatience and being judgmental of others.
We, Your children, often excuse the sins we commit ourselves … things like gossip, gluttony, pride, and envy, but loudly condemn sexual immorality and abortion.
We are all sinners in need of Your forgiveness. Thank you for sending Jesus to save us. Thank you for inviting me to KNOW, TRUST, and LOVE You.
Father, please help me OBEY You, trusting that Your way is best. Help me remove the plank in my eye before I even consider the speck in anyone else’s.
And when You open a door for me to speak Your TRUTH, please help me do so humbly with gentleness and respect. Help me shine the Light of Your Love and glorify You with all my life. In the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen.
God is Good!
Scripture tells us God is good because:
- He is perfect love and righteousness – that is who He is.
- He is loving, forgiving, and compassionate – that is what He does.
God balances righteousness and love. He sees hearts. He knows motives. He understands the beginning and the end. He knows what’s best!
You and I don’t. It’s that simple.
We are to share Jesus’ love gently and respectfully…
If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.
1 Peter 3:15-16a
We don’t need to shout the loudest or type in all CAPS to express God’s truth. We just need to love God with all we’ve got and love others as He leads us.
One more thing…
This is not an attempt to call what God calls sin—okay. If God says something is a sin, we need to believe Him.
But we need to stop ranking sins. Christians often go on and on about abortion and homosexuality while remaining silent on things like gossip, envy, and selfishness.
Yes, we’re hypocrites. But God graciously forgives every humble, repentant heart. And with His help, we can do better for the countless souls around the world who need to see and know the message of His love.
Will you join me and reject your inner hypocrite? Kick your self-righteousness to the curb and surrender to God’s righteousness and love.
At the end of the day, the only thing that can transform hypocrites is love. God’s love.
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Our pastor preached on this very subject a week ago, Deb. Yes, hypocrisy is a sure-fire way to turn others away from the Christian faith because they perceive us to be judgmental and holier-than-thou. Lord, please help us all to repent of our sins and love others as you love us. Blessings!
My gracious!! This is really a lot to ponder. How I love some of the things you pointed out. Ruining our witness really caught my attention. It makes me think of people who don’t have to even say they are Christian. They show it in the way they conduct themselves and in the way they treat others. I have a couple of people like that in my mind and heart. Thankful for their witness. I also love the four things you suggested to practice. Number three and four especially. All of the suggestions are wonderful. I will save this post as a reminder. I don’t want to be a hypocrite, but I do know that at times, more often than I want to admit, I am. I pray and ask God our Father to help me with this and to always seek to do His will and to follow the example of Jesus.
Thank you so much for this post. You always seem to really hit home.
God bless you with a wonderful and safe week! ALWAYS!
“Do not be shaped by this world;- instead, be changed within by a new way of thinking.” … God’s will be done! Be still and know! God’s will be done!… everywhere in the universe!!. Thanks Deb, for your warm, wise, inspiring words of encouragement!. May God bless you with Love and Kindness, Care and Compassion!. Love our dear father God with all our might, and Love each other!!.