Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5:16
As long as I’ve been a pastor, I can probably count on one hand the number of people who’ve walked into my office and said, “Pastor, I’ve got a sin to confess. I’m a hypocrite!” Some have, but not many. So why is that? Because the main goal of a hypocrite is to cover up, rather than reveal.
One thing I’ve learned to practice in my own spiritual walk is to ask God to search me and remove the veneer and the vestiges of hypocrisy in my own life. That’s because no matter how long we’ve believed or how spiritually mature we are, we’re never too advanced to be hypocrites – people who cover up who they really are.
Now I do talk to people all the time who are afraid of becoming hypocrites by coming to faith. That’s usually because they’re misinformed on what hypocrisy is. They see it as saying one thing and doing something else. But everyone does that. What really makes you a hypocrite is saying one thing, doing something else, then covering up your shortcomings as if they don’t exist.
Transparency is the key to avoiding hypocrisy. So admit your shortcomings. Confess where you fall short. When you’re open and honest about your struggles, you’ll steer completely clear of hypocrisy in your Christian walk.
Avoid hypocrisy by being open and honest about your struggles in the Christian walk.
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready.”
Luke 22:10–12
In his book Prayer, Asking and Receiving, Dr. John Rice told the story of his decision to go to Bible college. Times were hard, and his family had no money to pay for his tuition. After praying for God to meet the need, Dr. Rice rode his horse to a small bank to see if he could borrow the money for the first semester until he could get a job at the school to pay it back. The banker simply asked how long he needed the money and approved the loan. A man standing nearby protested that the banker had just told him he was unable to make six month loans due to the bad economy. The banker explained that John Rice had done him a favor (Dr. Rice had helped him with his peach trees), and he was making the loan.
God knows what we need before we need it, and He knows how those needs will be met. We do not often see His plan revealed ahead of time. Usually it is only in looking back that we are able to see how God arranged every detail to accomplish His purpose and provide for us. God never fails His children. David wrote, “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee” (Psalm 9:10). God has never faced a challenging problem. He already knows the solution even before we seek His help.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Because God has all knowledge and all power, we can fully trust Him in every situation.
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