Hypocrite: 1: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion 2: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings Hypocrisy: 1: an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction 2: insincerity by virtue of pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not really have

Am I hypocritical, God? I am sometimes. I hope it's not intentional; I want it to be accidental. I want my intentional behavior to be glorifying You, not myself. But the concept of hypocrisy... once I start really thinking about it, I just get more and more mystified by my own behavior.

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. (Galatians 6:3-5)

"If people can be educated to see the lowly side of their own natures, it may be hoped that they will also learn to understand and to love their fellow men better. A little less hypocrisy and a little more tolerance towards oneself can only have good results in respect for our neighbor; for we are all too prone to transfer to our fellows the injustice and violence we inflict upon our own natures." -Carl Jung

Could it be that I don't love and honor myself as I am? I don't accept my own iniquities and sin. I think I should be without flaw. And if I'm not, I should pretend, and that will make it so. Who am I kidding? Not You. Why is it I can forgive my brothers and sisters, but I can't forgive myself? If You can forgive me, doesn't that mean I am placing my own judgment before You? Forgive me, Lord.

Heavenly Father, help me to accept myself for who I am...human failings and all. If I can accept myself, I won't feel the subconscious need to be someone else in front of others. Help me to live and act and accept in a way that glorifies You. Help me to remember that You are the Mighty One, the One who forgives all, not me. Help me to remember that it was Your Son who died for my sins, not my pride, not my reputation, not my appearance.

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There was one thing in Jesus' life that really angered him. It wasn't the tax collectors or the prostitutes. It wasn't the thieves or the idol worshipers. It was the hypocrites, mainly the Pharisees that claimed to be righteous in all things, but did not act upon their own beliefs. In Matthew 23:1-36, Jesus is speaking to a crowd of people about Scribes and Pharisees and the marks that they've missed (7 marks to be exact). Unfortunately, there are many Christians today that act in this same manner. I, personally, am guilty of this same sin. I act as the mouth of Christ (preaching the truth) but I don't show Christ in my actions. I act "Christian enough" so that I look good, but my insides are dead; only focused on myself.

Being a Christ-follower is a lot easier said than done. Perhaps that's why it is so easy to just tell people what to do and not do it ourselves. Unfortunately this is bad for our relationship with Christ and also bad for the people around us who look up to us as models for our faith. If a non-believer sees a Christian acting against their religion, but claims to be righteous, the non-believer sees nothing but a lie and thus assumes that Christians in general are liars. This behavior is not Christian but has become a common thing among Christians. Not to say that all Christians are sinless, for that's a lie in itself, but as Christians we should be giving all we've got to engrain the characteristics of Jesus Christ into our lives. In other words, if we find ourselves being hypocritical, we should do all in our power to fix the problem. That will set the right example for the non-believers who are expecting you to represent your faith.

Pray to God for an awareness of these actions in your life so that you can recognize when you "talk the talk but don't walk the walk". He loves you and if you are willing to let Him help you, He will lead you all the way.

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Many accuse Christians of hypocrisy, and, rightly so. Almost on a daily basis, we witness politicians claiming to be deeply religious one day and are scandalized the next. We know that Jesus despised hypocrisy as evidenced in Matthew 23. Jesus warned his disciples and the multitude that had gathered about the Pharisees, for they did not "practice what they preached." This example also shows that hypocrisy and religion have been entwined for thousands of years. Why is this so, and how can we possibly eradicate this tumor that has infected Christianity for so long?

The short, simple answer to "why" is that we are human, and human nature compels us to screw things up. Power, greed, jealousy eat away at our good intentions and infest us with the desire to be above others. We compartmentalize, institutionalize, and rationalize Christianity into regulations that create a hierarchy of who is more pious and, therefore, closer to God.

However, there is another reason for the accusations of hypocrisy. God did create rules to live by. The Ten Commandments tell us, among other things, not to kill, covet, or steal. Some may feel that God should not subject His people to laws He knows they will not keep. It has never been God's intention to trap His children into an unrealistic--hypocritical--existence. God's rules are guidelines on how to live the best possible life. If a Christian "breaks the rules," he isn't a hypocrite; he is forgiven by God and given another chance. Others may feel that religion should not have rules--the rules themselves are a form of hypocrisy. However, humans must have rules to live by; they are a basic necessity of life. A child cannot grow up to be a productive person without a parent teaching him right and wrong. The problem then becomes who decides what is right and wrong. Some will interpret God's teachings one way while others choose another explanation. This explains why there are so many denominations just within the Protestant faith.

We never will completely purge the hypocrisy because, once again, good old human nature compels us to screw things up. If we can get beyond tearing others down to build ourselves up, we may shed the unpleasant image we often project. If we don't read the Bible, we are solely relying on someone to tell us what is right or wrong, and we fall into the human nature trap again. We also need to accept the fact that there are rules and we need to follow them even though we dislike being commanded. The good news is that Jesus made it simple; He condensed them into two commandments: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22 37-39.

He probably kept it simple because He knew that if He didn't, we would be compelled to screw it up.

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We are all a bunch of hypocrites. We have fake smiles and selfish intentions. Belonging to a church is like belonging to a very exclusive fraternity. Now, before you stop reading this, let me explain. This is how the non-Christian world views us - like it or not.. I can say this with some certainty; having come from a non-Christian background, this is exactly what I used to think. I have, however, found none of this to be true, and it was my ignorance that lead my opinions of the Christian world. So how do we change this perception, do we go out and have one to one interventions with the nay-Sayers of the world. The answer is, of course, no. So here is what I suggest, change yourself, work on yourself. We do this by watching our language, by being slow to anger and quick to love, in short, set a positive example.

My suggestion is in how we witness to the non-Christians of the world. First you must ask yourself if you witness at all, and if so, have you been successful in that quest. I have to constantly remind myself of how to properly bring people to Jesus. We must remember that if a person is walking around in the dark and have been doing so for some time, we cannot enter their lives and shine the Holy Light of Jesus upon them. A person who is in the dark will only be blinded by the hastened introduction to the light, and will quickly turn away from that light. Because of our aggression, we may actually push that person further from the truth, and make it that much harder to get them to hear. Isn't saving one person worth the time it would take to earn their trust?

Ask yourself this: was the last couple or person that you invited over to dinner for fellowship someone who needs to hear the word, or someone in your church or family. We tend to hang out with like-minded individuals. Witnessing is hard, but well worth the effort. If you take that leap, and have someone over for dinner, lunch, or a coffee, remember the old Chinese proverb - A fool chatters while the wise man listens. If you lend an ear first to those who need to hear, you will find that they will tell you in their conversation what they are missing from their lives. Then you can slowly, gently, tell them about Jesus Christ. If they resist, back off a little, and give them the time they need.

'Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.' (James 1:19-21)

And from the way I see it, it can save others as well. Now GO.

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Thinking about hypocrisy is a scary thing. It's intimidating and overwhelming.

Are you the same person all the time? Are your words and your actions completely compatible 100% of the time?

When we realize what we are asked to be, it is easy to feel a little bit scared. "How can I possibly do that? How can I even begin to say and do exactly what I mean to do every minute of every day?"

When we come to this realization--the realization that it is hard to manage this--we're closer than ever.

When we ask ourselves, "How do I do this?" we're on the brink of the answer. I cannot do this.

Heavenly Father, You know firsthand how messed up I am. I am a mess. I don't do what I want to do, and I do not do the things that I want to do. I am weak and helpless. I need Your help. I will never do exactly as my heart wants to do as long as I lean on my own strength. My heart wants to show You to the world all the time....but all I show them is myself. All they see is this messed up person. Help me to put myself aside and bring You to the front in everything that I do.

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