2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV
[5] Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
To overcome hypocrisy, we must first examine ourselves to determine if we are still in the faith. Am I a God pleaser, or do I run after the applause of men? If I am more concerned about what the people think than what God says, then I am in trouble.
We all must get to the place where pleasing God is more important than any other thing we desire.
James tells us that if we only read the word but don’t do as it says then we deceive ourselves. This was the lifestyle the Pharisees adopted. They knew the laws of God, but they put on an act pretending to observe them, yet their hearts were full of wickedness. Before I point a finger at another, am I careful to obey the word of God, or do I just read it?
What about compassion for others and considering others as better than myself? Is this the reality I live in? Remember when they brought a woman caught in the act of adultery before Jesus? The only person with the authority to condemn her was Jesus, yet he did not. All the others were hypocrites pretending to be holy until Jesus said, let him who has no sin be the first to cast a stone and one by one they put their stone down and walked away.
May this be the prayer of our hearts today;
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Ps 139: 23-24
And when he shows us our sin and offensive ways, my we not give excuses like Saul, rather, may we fall down in repentance and sorrow because of our sin like David.
Reflections.
What is that one area in your life you know you need to stop giving excuses, take responsibility and walk in obedience to the word of God?
What has been holding you back?
Are you willing to take that journey?
