It’s easy to deceive ourself. I’ve done it myself too many times. I convinced myself that I was doing the right thing for the right reason. But actually I had selfish motives. But for awhile I really believed what I was telling myself.
It’s kind of like those people who audition for American Idol who think they can sing, but everyone knows they can’t. All the positive thinking in the world can’t make a bad singer good. And all the optimism and good self image can’t make us any better than we actually are. As a matter of fact, we might be worse.
Because of our inflated ego, most of us are worse than we think we are. I’ve encountered too many people who think their life is going fine, when it’s about ready to come unraveled. We convince ourself that we’re okay, when the truth is we’re not okay.
Sin can easily deceive you. It will convince you that it’s not so bad. You won’t get caught.You can always stop if it ever does get out of control. You can always ask forgiveness. So, often we continue in a pattern of destruction without reflection on where we are headed.
We are often told to follow our ‘heart’ or listen to our ‘heart.’ But the Bible tells us that our “heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure” (Jeremiah 17:9). Your own heart can so easily deceive you, convincing you that your walk is your talk, that you actually live what you profess. We can begin to drift in a bad direction, but convince ourself that we’re still going in the right direction.
Too often I don’t live my faith. But I really want to shorten the distance between what I believe and profess and how I actually live. And I bet you do too. No gaps between our ‘talk’ and our ‘walk.’
No one wants to be known as a hypocrite, but are we possibly showing hypocrisy in the way we live out our faith? If I can easily be deceived by sin and my heart, how do I know if I really am who I think I am?
A great exercise in personal accountability is to ask yourself personal questions. Back in the 1700s, Pastor John Wesley came up with several questions. He did it as a kind of self evaluation test. These questions are are very good. Be honest to yourself as you answer them…
- Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I’m a better person than I really am?
- Do I laugh at the mistakes of others, reveling in their errors and misfortunes?
- Do I insist on having my own way?
- Is there a tendency for me to put others down so that I’ll be thought of more highly?
- Do I pass on to others what is told to me in confidence?
- Am I thoughtful in expressing ‘thanks’ to people for what they’ve done for me, no matter how insignificant it seems?
- Am I a slave to dress, a slave to friends and their opinions, a slave to work or habits?
- Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
- Did the Bible live in me yesterday?
- Did I disobey God in anything yesterday?
- Did I insist on doing something about which my conscious was uneasy?
- Did I handle discouragement well or did I have to be coddled?
- Am I enjoying prayer?
- When did I last speak to someone about Christ?
- Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize or hold resentment toward?
- If so, what am I doing about it? Is Christ real to me?
So, what do you do now? Do you notice a gap between what your walk and your talk? Do you see where you need to change some areas in your life?
James tells, “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:23-25).
So, here’s the cure for hypocrisy. Spend time with Jesus in prayer and His Word. Recognize where you have not lived up to His standards, and just spend more time with Him. As you do that, you will discover you will change from the inside out to become more like Him.
“No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all.”
You can read some of my similar articles: What are you hiding? How to get the love back, Walk vs. Talk.