Half of it he burns in the fire; over this half he eats meat as he roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He also warms himself and says, "Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire." But the rest of it he makes into a god, his graven image. He falls down before it and worships; he also prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for thou art my god.
Isaiah 44:16-17
Many times the hypocrisy in our lives can be so evident to others, yet so well hidden from our own perception at the same time. Isaiah illustrates this hypocritical blindness in a wood carver who raised and nurtured a tree and used half to roast his meal, while using the other half to carve his idol, and had no second thoughts about his actions.
To the wood carver, there was no significant difference between what he used to satisfy his hunger, and what was used to create an object of worship. We, too, can subtly fall into this same spiritual blindness, when our actions, flowing from the same source, produce two contrasting results. Take the tongue, for example, as James 3:8-1 points out:
But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
Hypocrisy is unveiled when the same source simultaneously produces both good and evil. It can happen in our finances, offering to God what is good, yet tracing our income to decisions which lack integrity. It can happen in our friendships, where we form friendships only to take advantage of others for our selfish demands. It can happen in our marriages, where we take for granted the marriage instituted by God, and live a lifestyle that is inconsistent with the sacred covenant we made to the Him.
Our lives must not reflect such hypocrisy.
There must be consistency between what we believe and how we live. How do we best remove the hypocritical blinders that we are all subject to:
- Be correctable and teachable – Allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to lead and correct you on a daily basis.
- Submit and be accountable – To godly men and women who seek to help you grow and become more Christ-like.
Ask God to help you live a life that reflects nothing but one of consistency in every area of your life—physical, mental, and spiritual.
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