Religious Hypocrites

“First of all, let’s see the initial mark of religious hypocrites. They make awkward alliances against the truth...they make awkward alliances against the truth. Satan can orchestrate all the forms of his error against the truth. So you may look around the world and look through history and see all kinds of deceived people in all different kinds of religion coming together against the truth. The truth cannot make alliances with error, but error can make alliances against the truth, and you see that here.” John MacArthur

I read an interesting article that Americans dread the holiday season. They dread having to be nice to their family and others during Christmas. They know they are going to go into debt over it. This year is the first year I have not dreaded it. When my parents divorced we went back and forth. My brother and I hated it and it was exhausting physically, and emotionally. My husband and I don’t travel on Christmas anymore because of this. Neither one of us has any problem saying no. Plus traveling just kills me physically. Also, my oldest is in school now, and doesn’t have much time off. We will travel after Christmas, because my husband’s two surviving grandparents have not been well and we need to see them.
Did we ever think that we could say no? I know what you’re thinking; that would hurt our families and our friends. Are we more worried about that over our relationship with Christ? We have forgotten why he was born, and then murdered on a cross; for us. Read Matthew 10:34-36, and we will get a hard dose of reality about why he came.
I like to observe people. I want to see if I can learn things from them by their actions towards another, or how they say something to another. I love to observe the ones that have been in their walk for awhile. One of the main reasons we left our old church was they were turning a blind eye towards situations. They ignore things that are happening out of the fear of telling individuals that have power in the church no. We were becoming pretenders and not true followers. Paul warned us about this in every letter he wrote that is in the bible. If we know individuals that are doing this in our churches they need to be corrected. They are wrong. They are hypocrites and going against God, and his church. The Sermon on the Mount is our example of what a church should be. It was on a rock and it didn’t matter what we gave in money. It was that we listened, became his, and then we became selfless. It doesn’t matter how much we give to the church he will hold our hearts accountable to being a fake follower, or telling others how much they are supposed to give.

Saturday I was out and a woman told her daughter that she was pretty, but needed to put on make-up. I looked at the woman, and around her neck was a cross. I then looked at her daughter and could see the damage done to her heart in her beautiful face. I looked the woman in the eye, and it took every ounce of control not to say something to this woman. I regret not saying something now, but the damage she caused will be proven later when her daughter resents her for it. She said it in a very loving tone. She is damaging her daughter in the pretense of what she thinks a Christian should look like. I don’t care what we like, I care about what is in the individuals heart. That shows to me how petty and pathetic this woman was. She’s selfish, not selfless.

My oldest was on the playground at school, and he had on one his favorite shirts. A little boy was calling him a baby, because he was wearing it. His teacher called me about the incident, and I asked if he was upset. She said actually no I wanted to tell you what he said to the other boy. He told him that in his house we don’t make fun of people that way. The other boy and he played the rest of the time at recess. His heart is more important in this house not his appearance to others. If he does something he has to admit what he did and apologize there are no excuses for that in this house. My boys have long, beautiful hair. I get looks all the time about their hair, or what they are wearing. Who cares, and I dare someone to say something to me about it. I have started to ignore that more now only because it shows their hearts to me. I feel sadness for them, not judgment because they just don’t get it. They have beautiful hearts. My husband and I have helped in that, because they are God’s children.

My husband always looks perfect. He had a beard some time ago that I loved, and I really wish he still had it. He shaved it off because he didn’t look the part of “a professional man.” It made me sad for him that he worried so much about his appearance instead saying; I am a really good man, I work hard and I have a very blessed life. He worries too much about how he looks to others. He doesn’t do that as much anymore. Actually, that was one of our biggest arguments that we had was because he had so much fear in telling people no. He stopped doing that finally and protects his family’s heart. He has no problem telling me what I need to fix. I want him to do that, because then I won’t know how I hurt him, and he is beginning to accept this from me.

I started coloring my hair because the grey hair bothers me. I don’t think I am going to do that anymore. First all of it is a waste money, and it takes money away from our family. I haven’t quite given up the pedicures yet, but I may even do that. I rarely wear make up. I realized telling I was telling myself “I want to feel pretty today, I will put makeup up.” My hair is craziness there is no other way to put it. It drives me nuts. I get compliments all the time on it. I look at people like they are crazy. Thank you for telling me now, because I do have beautiful hair. My oldest has the same hair, and it looks just like it did when I was little. When he stops liking it that way then he can do whatever he wants with it. I am starting to like my heart more now so when I look in mirror I see a very, beautiful woman. I am starting to see what my husband sees and why he married me. I am starting to see what God sees, and why he has been so angry with me all these years. I’m starting get it.

Do we really believe that Jesus walked around in perfect clothes, saying things in perfect pitch to his followers? It angered him that the people of Israel had become the worst kind of sinners; hypocrites. I would love to be in his presence and Paul’s just to hear and witness their incredible pain and frustration of the world around them. I would love to feel their presence of great joy in their trials, and be shown how beautiful God truly is. I am grateful for what they gave up through the persecution of hypocrites.

We are not a Christian nation, so please stop saying that. We have been teaching false doctrine for years, and now none us can cope with what is wrong in our nation. He is taking all of it away, day by day, minute by minute. I celebrate now what is happening in this country because it is forcing most Americans to realize that what they have is what he promised; food, clothing and shelter. God did not promise us money. He said we must work and he will make sure we have those 3 things. If we don’t have a job, but still have food on the table we should be grateful for that.
I am moving into a different place now in my journey. I pray that God removes people from my life that don’t need to be there. It shows me their hearts and what they are willing to do for God. I praise him for the people he is putting my life now, and the friends that have been here the entire journey to call me out on my crap. GOD BLESS THEM. I don’t fear this anymore, because it does not matter to me what others think. If it goes against God and my family’s relationship with him it will be shown for what it is. What a gracious gift we will be given.
“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38 ESV)