QUIT BEING A HYPOCRITE

Do you feel as if you've been pretending to be someone else for most of your life? Perhaps it's time to drop some of your masks and deal with your real feelings in an effort to let the Lord work in your life.

To get to the truth of the matter:

Quit pretending. Nothing causes us to see what's really inside us like facing a problem under pressure. You can coast for days, weeks, or months, thinking that you are victorious. But when the pressure is on is when you will see your real character. (E.g. You may think you've mastered your language until one day when you spill coffee on some important papers, and all of a sudden @#!%#!# comes out of your mouth.)

Call it by its name. This kind of cover-up is called hypocrisy. It's defined as pretending to be what one is not. In the Greek theater, a hypocrite was one who wore a mask and played a part. Using this definition, a hypocrite is simply one who wears a mask or acts.

Accept Jesus' love. Jesus never had a problem with a hurting and broken person, or even with a sinner. No wonder people say the church is full of hypocrites. We pretend that everything is great when we are hurting and broken, and we sometimes do it because we're afraid not to pretend.

Take off your mask. As long as you wear a mask you are playing a role of a character. God is not interested in your role-playing. He wants to deal with you - the real you. He wants to know the you who struggles with secret issues of the heart. The you behind the fake smile and pretty clothes. The you that you have to live with every day. The you who wrestles with all sorts of things.

Let God help you. God wants to make you whole. He doesn't want to put a bandage on a broken arm, He wants to reset the bone so there can be proper healing in your life. But for God to minister to you properly, you have to take off your mask and reveal your real needs.

Quit fooling yourself. If you are going to conquer anything in your life you must first confront it. Whether it's your past, a character flaw, a weakness, an area of shame, or some unpleasant little secret - to overcome it you must own up to it.

Face your hidden sins. Part of the real you, because you are human, is a sinful nature. There may be sins in your life that are hidden, that you have masked, that you dare not expose to other Christians, or maybe even to yourself. God wants to set you free of those sins, because you cannot experience His best for you when you are living a double life.

Paula White is co-founder with her husband, Randy, of Without Walls International Church, Tampa Bay, Fla. She ministers to women across the country in churches and conferences.

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