Hidden Hypocrisy

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

HIDDEN HYPOCRISY

Prov 17:20

20 A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.

NIV

Surely this is not speaking to those of the household of faith, but rather giving us insight into the ways of those outside the house. How could someone who professes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have a preserve heart or a deceitful tongue? It must be for us to see what those outside the house are like, for it cannot be written for them, as they are not reading it. But is it possible for us in the household of faith to have a heart bent in some sort of perverse way? Is it possible for us to tell a lie, thus having some form of a deceitful tongue? In the Hebrew that word for preserve implies a false heart, one that is not completely true and thus we have to examine if in fact our heart is completely true. Do we come to church and put on a false front for others, telling them all is well, God is good, and looking like we are “Good Christians” while we are struggling on the inside, even with our faith. Do we try to impress others with our spirituality at church then go home and live as the world does, doing all the same things everyone else does? Do we tell other believers we trust in God then go home and check all our investments in the world? Do we build that façade living without sin while still knowing in our heart we are living with some sort of sin, still addicted to some form disobedience. The real tragedy is if we attempt  to keep all this from God, not admitting to him, not confessing our sin to him, not being open and true to him. He already knows, but if we do not come to him in repentance, even angry with our own failures, confessing, asking for help to overcome, to be empowered to change our condition, we will not prosper spiritually, and we will face trouble. Do we live with hidden hypocrisy?