Being Deceived

I heard something this morning that helped me do some soul searching; it was very convicting, so I am going to confess this; I have been guilty of being a hypocrite.  My sin was comparing myself with others instead of comparing myself with God and His righteous standard.  I think this is one of the easiest sins we can fall into and be deceived, as believers.  

Let me explain, I always thought I had a very close relationship with the Lord, like so many other believers as new born babes in Christ.  I was always very much convicted over the sins that I committed and I repented very quickly and backed it up with ridding myself of the stumbling block that I felt was causing me to sin.  I would beat myself up, so to speak, and feel horrible about what I had done.  The Lord was blessing my family and I, using us in various ways and I saw, what I would call, many true conversions.  He had delivered me of many things I was in bondage to, and I had heard Him speak to me, in my mind, at least a couple times.  I prayed throughout the day, no matter where I was, and spent lots of time with the Lord in prayer and studying the Word and thanking and praising the Lord and I became an avid reader, like I said, I felt I had a very close relationship with Him. Then, because of what I felt was a very close relationship, I guess I became puffed up and overly proud: I started looking at others as not as good as me in God’s eyes.  This was very easy because I could see their faults but was blinded to my own faults, and not realizing it, I had become a Pharisee and a hypocrite which I am ashamed of.  

Being convicted of some things a while back, I have been on a journey to rediscover the Lord.  In my journey, God has been revealing some things to me that I needed to make right and to repent of, for which I am thankful.

Read what God said to the wicked in Psalms 50:19-22, “You give your mouth to evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes. Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.”

I consider myself a child of God, and not a wicked person, but if I act wickedly, will I escape God’s judgment?  I don’t think so!  I know we hear that God is a loving God, which He is, but He is also a just God and He doesn’t wink at sin, He judges it and He corrects the one who sins.

Read what it says in Hebrews 12:5-11, “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Question: have you ever been critical of others, looking down on them, so to speak, plus using your words to slander them and have you stood in judgment of them?  I know this takes place in the church far too often and God is not pleased with it.  Maybe this happens because God doesn’t always chastise everyone immediately, so it is easy to think we got away with it.  Just because God may not correct us immediately, doesn’t mean that He ever condones sin; He never does.  We need to thank God that He is very merciful, after all He owes us nothing, we owe Him everything.  Think of this, God may be holding deserved punishment to give people time to repent.  Judging others is a very serious sin, because we all stand guilty before a righteous God.

Read what it says about this subject in Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

I truly have been guilty of this and have confessed it and I am truly sorry.  I am thankful for this verse in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Are you guilty of this sin?  If you are, ask the Lord to forgive you and tell Him you are sorry, then try to make it right with the ones that you talked about and ask the Lord to help you not to do this again.  Something to think about!  May God bless you and may you have a great day!!