fake

Proverbs 27e

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

Worth Reflecting On.

“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.” – Proverbs 27:19 NLT

What’s the state of your heart today? Not the organ that pumps blood through your body, but your inner man. The word “heart” is the Hebrew word leb, and it refers to man’s mind, will, heart, and understanding. It has to do with that inner part of us that drives us, motivates us and determines who we are and what we do. The heart is the seat of our emotions, the center of our decision-making, and the determiner of our actions. That’s why this proverb compares looking into our heart to see who we are really like to looking at our reflection in a calm body of water. It is when we take a long, honest look at out heart – and closely examine our will, choices, loves, decisions, and attitudes, that we will gain a true picture of who we really are. But too often we ignore the condition of the heart, in ourselves and in others. Instead, we judge one another based on externals. We judge based on what we see on the surface. But that can be deceptive and dangerous. We have the capacity to manufacture outward behavior that is designed to influence what others think of us. We can come across as self-confident, happy, successful, with all our proverbial ducks in a row. We can fool others into thinking that we have our act together. But on the inside, we can be a fractured mess. We can be a muddled mix of discontentment, anger, resentment, depression, fear, and anxiety. Our hearts can be far from God, but we have learned to sleep-walk our way through life, going through the motions and faking a form of piety that is purely surface-based, lacking any kind of depth or basis in reality. Others look at us and see us as having it together. But in time, the truth will come out. Our hearts will get exposed.

As believers, we must learn to look at the heart. That is where God focuses His attention. Back when God had sent the prophet Samuel to look for a candidate to replace Saul as king of Israel, He gave Samuel a piece of important advice: “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT). The Lord looks at the heart. He isn’t impressed with outward appearances. He is not swayed by our swagger or blown away by our pious play-acting. He looks right into our hearts and sees what we’re really like. And we need to learn to do the same thing. But to do so is going to require a level of honesty and self-evaluation that is scary. We will have to use the Word of God to expose us for what we truly are. We are going to have to ask God to reveal all the flaws and faults that reside inside us. Rather than make excuses for our behavior, we will have to take the time to see what really motivated us to do what we did or say what we said. Instead of passing blame, we will have to consider the state of our own heart. Because the heart is the key to all that we do. The circumstances of life do not cause our behavior, they simply reveal what’s inside. A man with anger and resentment in his heart does not need much to trigger and release what’s inside. He will explode at the least little provocation. A fearful person does not require much for his fear to find its way to the surface. His fear will leak out at the least little sign of danger. The lustful person will find himself struggling with lust in the most unlikely of scenarios, because his problem is internal, not external.

Taking a long, hard look at the heart is a scary proposition. It requires a degree of honesty and transparency that is unheard of and uncommon in our day. We don’t want to see what’s in there. We don’t want to have to expose the hidden areas inside us that are the true motivator behind our attitudes and actions. We would much rather pass blame, make excuses, and continue our charade of false piety. But God looks at the heart. He examines and exposes its true condition. And He wants to change us from the inside out. So He goes to the source. He deals with the root problem. And so should we.

Father, give me the gumption to take a long, hard look at my heart. Help me see it as You do. I can’t see it without Your help. Open my eyes and help me see its true condition. Then give me the strength to change, through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 21b

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

X-Ray Vision.

“People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.” – Proverbs 21:2 NLT

As human beings we can be the masters of deceit and deception. Over time we can learn the art of spin, controlling what others think about us and manipulating how they perceive us. In fact, how we’re perceived can become far more important to us than reality. Our persona becomes our pseudo-personality. Perception becomes reality. After a while we can even begin to believe our own PR. We can convince ourselves that the facade we’ve erected is real, not imaginary – that the aura we give off is authentic, not self-manufactured and fake.

But while we may fool others and even ourselves with our Academy-Award-winning ways, God remains unconvinced and unimpressed. He looks right past our plastic, fake facade and sees into the very recesses of our heart. He examines our heart. The word used there is a term for measuring, as in a balance scale. He places our heart on one side of the scale and measures its real worth. He doesn’t take into account any of the excess exterior trappings we’ve spent so much time creating. He goes right to the heart of the matter – literally. God takes a look at the condition of our heart and He sees us for who we really are and, if we allow Him, He will expose that rather than being the measure of all things, we are being measured.

God x-rays our hearts and reveals what’s really going on under the shiny surface of our lives. He exposes our pride, anger and arrogance. He shows us our selfishness and self-centeredness. He lets us see our fears, faithlessness, spiritual adultery, and embarrassing weaknesses. But like a doctor examining a patient, God’s goal is not just to expose sickness, He wants to bring about healing. He wants to get us off the surface issues and deal with the hard realities of our hearts. He wants to heal our hearts so that we might truly be what He desires for us to be. “Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor” (Proverbs 21:21 NLT). We can pursue wealth, pleasure, popularity, and a host of other things, but they will never deliver what we need. We can attempt to ignore our hearts and live in a fairy tale land of false identity and fake reality, but we will never find joy, peace, and contentment. So God examines our hearts and He gives us the results. But He also provides us with a prescription and a remedy for healing. He is the Great Physician and He knows how to heal our hearts and restore our souls. But it begins with a thorough examination and a correct, sometimes shocking diagnosis. Once we accept His assessment and place ourselves under His loving, capable hands, the healing can begin. Our heart can be made whole again. The facade can come down, the false identity can be removed and the man or woman God designed us to be can begin to reveal itself – from the inside out.

Father, we are the masters of deceit. We know something is wrong inside, but we don’t know what it is or what to do about it. So we cover it up and act as if everything is fine. We learn to appear as something we’re not. We learn to act a certain way and give off the aura we think others want to see. Make us real Father. Show us the true conditions of our hearts. Change us from the inside out so that we might know what it means to be what You’ve called us to be. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 20b

/ kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

The Danger of Duplicity.

“False weights and unequal measures – the Lord detests double standards of every kind.” – Proverbs 20:10 NLT

God hates hypocrisy, and so should we. Yet the double standard is not only tolerated in our society, it is admired in some cases. It has become an art form. Living the lie and masquerading as something other than what we truly are has become common place – even among Christians. And while we may fool others by our pretense and pretending, we never fool God. He sees all and He knows all. He is not impressed by our outward displays of righteousness or our Oscar-worthy performances that impress the crowds around us. He can spot duplicity and deceit of all kinds – even when we are trying to deceive others that we are truly good. God desires honesty and integrity among His people. He wants us to say what we mean and mean what we say. He wants us to keep our word and to live in such a way that our behavior is a true indication of our hearts. Dishonesty has no place in the life of a follower of Christ. Instead, “the godly walk with integrity” (Proverbs 207 NLT). The Hebrew word for integrity is tom, and it means wholeness or completeness. It can convey the idea of simplicity of mind. It is a mind with no deceit, a mind opposed to mischief and misrepresentation. A life of integrity is a life of wholeness, health and soundness. To live with integrity as a believer is to live your WHOLE life in a holy manner. It is to give God complete control over every area of your life – not just the convenient ones.

When the Proverbs talk about false weights and unequal measures, it is describing a form of double standard that is aimed at others. It is designed to take unfair advantage of another person by deceiving them. It pictures someone selling something to another person, but doing so by use of inaccurate weights and measures that makes the buyer think he is getting more than he is really paying for. It is using deception to gain an advantage. And while you may fool the other person and benefit from your actions, God is watching and He is totally opposed to such actions – especially among His people. And in time, a life of duplicity will be found out. “Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right” (Proverbs 20:11 NLT). As believers we are to have one standard, not two. We are to live according to God’s standard. There is no place for a double-standard in our lives. Yet for many of us, duplicity is a daily companion. We have learned to live the lie, not intending to hurt those around us, but deceiving them all the same. When we act as if all is well and our lives are care-free, yet we are struggling with doubts and troubles of all kinds, we are being duplicitous. We are being dishonest. When we try to impress others with outward displays of spirituality, when on the inside we are wrestling with our beliefs, we are being duplicitous. When we preach to our kids about the importance of God and His Word, but we rarely spend time in it ourselves, we are being hypocrites. And our children are fine-tuned to spot it in our lives. God calls us to be honest, transparent, open and above board in our relationships with one another. No lying, no deceit, no duplicity, no double standards. We are to be a people of integrity. Not faking it for the sake of those around us, but honestly and openly living our lives knowing that “the Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive” (Proverbs 20:27 NLT).

Father, help me live honestly and openly before You and others. Shine Your light into my life and expose the duplicity and any double-standards that may exist. Help me to live a life of integrity, wholeness and soundness before You and others. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org