God Doesn’t Like Fakers

Posted by Melissa

I DON’T LIKE PEOPLE WHO act like something or someone they aren’t. Most people call them fakers; the Bible calls them hypocrites. You see it all the time. You know people who try to be something they aren’t. They’re always trying to impress everyone or somehow be better than everyone else. You don’t really like to be around that kind of person. It feels tiring and pointless.

And when you’re absolutely honest with yourself, you’ve been that person at least once in your life.

Read Isaiah 29:13-16 and focus on verse 13.
 
What did God not like about the way the people were worshiping Him?
 
Think over the phrases God used, like “man-made rules” and “lip service.” What do those mean? How have you seen them play out in your life?
 
What are the results when people offer lip service to God?
 
What do these verses teach you about God’s attitude toward worship?
 
What are you allowing to distract you from truly worshiping God?

When God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to the Israelites, He didn’t have a lot of good things to say. He told them that they’d made worshiping Him into something meaningless. They did all the right things, but their hearts weren’t in the right place. Outwardly, they looked like perfect followers of God, but it was all fake. They’d watered down faith into a long list of rules. They said all the right things but didn’t mean them.

God doesn’t want us to be fakers—not in our lives or in our worship to Him. But many times, we’re guilty of just that. We can’t see God work if our worship is focused on us and not on Him. He wants us to come to Him with absolute honesty, without hidden motives. He wants to have a relationship with us through Jesus—not watch us follow a long list of rules. Be real with God. Come to Him with honesty when things are going well and when they’re not. Worship Him with every moment of your life, when it’s easy and when it’s not. It’s what He wants.

Posted in Devotions, Girls | Tagged Camp Crestridge for Girls, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Devotion, Isaiah, Weekly Devotions