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SOLEMN WHISPER DEVOTIONAL

Wednesday, 27th May, 2020

NOT LEAVEN - HE MEANT HYPOCRISY

(Mat 16:5-12; Luke 12:1-5)

MEMORY VERSE: "In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." (Luke  12:1 - KJV)

Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case. Leaven is a substance - typically yeast, that is used in dough or otherwise bread to make it rise. Actually, Jesus was saying that you should beware of things that make you give a high opinion or impression of yourself than you should. You will be tried by the false standards you set to impress men. When you fall short of such standards, you make mockery of yourself.

Consider that someone thinks to be more spiritual than others; they are a hypocrite, because the one who is spiritual is 'dead to comparison' and anything that encourages the flesh. The danger of hypocrisy is that it always ends up in disgrace.

In Jesus' days, the ego of the Pharisees and Sadducees was brought to naught because they were claiming to live above their standard (Mathew 23:25-28).

One of the ways to deal with hypocrisy is to open up oneself to the accurate knowledge of the Lord. The problem the pharisees had, which many Christians still have today is that they claimed to know the Lord, but they didn't know him for real.

The disciples of Jesus encountered a similar problem too. Jesus asked them in Mathew 16:15, "But who do you say that I am?" Do you really know the Lord or you just recited the sinner's prayer like a ritual and go about your life like that? Who is the Lord to you? The word, "Lord" means Master. Is Jesus actually your Master? Don't be quick to say yes, because if indeed He is your master, then it should reflect in your actions.

When it comes to making critical decisions about your life, do you decide and then tell Him or do you tell Him and let Him decide? Total surrender is the language of one who has Jesus as their master. When Jesus is indeed your master, being a hypocrite won't be a thing to reckon with. You may be mistaken by men, but when they see your light \u2013 the genuineness of your faith, they will be convinced by your rising (Isaiah 60:3).

The fear and the Love of God are the strongest antidotes to hypocrisy. When you love someone genuinely, say your spouse, you try to be real with them, especially when you know that the person knows all there is to know about you. There is no need to pretend! You don't have to try hard to impress them by giving a high opinion of yourself. Therefore, you don't need all that in your relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Finally, many believers  become hypocritical because they don't have any intimacy with the Holy Spirit. The Best way to establish a relationship, that intimacy is to be intentional with your knees in the secret place, not because you want to show someone that you can spend hours with God but to show the Lord that you Love him enough to spend that length of time in His presence. When the whole reason of being a Christian is to escape hell then they are a spiritual fraud and a hypocrite. for no hypocrite will make Heaven because Hypocrisy is synonimous with lying.

PRAYER: Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to love you for real and to be intentional about living for you. In Jesus' name Amen.

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Ebuka Emmanuel Nnamani