Three Seeds of Hypocrisy

Scripture:
"For our exhortation did not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit." 1 Thessalonians 2:3

Observation:
Exhortation is delivering a message of warning or encouragement, designed to motivate persons to action. In short, exhortation is a form of conflict. It is entering the life of another person and warning them about their current behavior, encouraging them when their spirits are down, or motivating them to keep moving. When offering this type of conflict to another believer, Paul gives three things to check before confronting another. Make sure you are right, check your life for impurity, and do not deceive. Failing to do so will allow Satan to plant three seeds guaranteed to produce hypocrisy in my life.

Application:
There was a time in my life that I could not dream of confronting someone with anything. I would just rather sit back and not say anything. It is hard work. There is pain, uncertainty, and fear that all work against me speaking out to another person. Over the years, I have gotten much better at it. This has not come easy as it has taken a lot of work on my part. I still have a long way to go but I am feeling stronger. The three things Paul lists here are essential for me to keep in mind.

Being right is definitely the best place to start. There is no worse feeling than to start an argument only to realize that I am wrong. I hate that feeling. I open my mouth only to realize the person I am confronting does not have a problem, I do. Ouch, it really hurts. Sometimes, my pride still kicks in and I try in vain to defend something that I know to not be true. Foolishness. It is much easier on me when I start in prayer and make sure that I am understanding what it is that God is saying. As He frees my thinking from wrong thoughts and emotions, I am better able to see the truth of what is taking place.

Being free from impurity is a tough one. We often project our sins onto another person. It is easier to deal with them there than it is to deal with them in our own life. I had to address this with someone yesterday. I spent an hour listening to him blast people he worked with for their behavior and way of thinking. The funny thing to me was that he was behaving in the same way. He just could not see it. He was totally oblivious to it. I do the same thing. God tries to bring my attention to something and I make the mistake of addressing it in the life of another person before I have spent time dealing with it in my own life.

Being without deceit is the toughest. Most of the time I blow right past this warning. I would never willingly and knowingly mislead another person. Never. Especially when it comes to spiritual matters. There is just no way I would do that to someone. That said, it is possible for me to be deceived and then lead people out of my own deceit. I remember a season in life that I was deceived into thinking that I could pray a certain way and get anything that I wanted; I encouraged others to do the same. I remember a time in my life that I believed excluding certain things from my life was being legalistic; I encouraged others to do the same. The trouble with being deceived is that you do not know you are deceived. It is a blind spot. Something that you literally do not know is wrong. To overcome this one requires a voice from the outside. Most of the time, this voice comes in the form of another brother. It is hard to do, but one of the more crucial steps in confronting someone is to talk it over with another person who will speak the truth to me.

Prayer:
Exhortation is a skill in which You have allowed me to experience great growth. As I look back this morning I realize just how far You have brought me. As far as You have brought me, I have much further still to go. Help me enter relationships and be free from error. I need a perfect picture of You, Your teaching, and Your nature. Help me avoid being wrong in my assumptions about what is taking place. I ask that You also allow my life to be pure before You. I never want to be caught living a life that is opposite of my teaching. Help me to own my own faults before I attempt to help others own theirs. Most of all, I pray to be free of deceit. This is my greatest fear. Speak truth to me from Your word and from others You have placed in my life. Allow me the humility to hear this truth and the courage to embrace it even when I do not see things the same way. Let my heart remain free from these three seeds of hypocrisy.