A Form of Religion Without Power
Jesus said, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Matthew 23:27,28
When we are not abiding in Christ, the enemy is waiting around the corner to release deception into our hearts. It is so easy for flesh to think the best of itself and look down on others and despise them. As the Lord has released a strong conviction in my heart to continually abide in Him through obedience, prayer and His Word, I'm more alert to my behavior and attitude. Those things that don't line up with His Word, I repent and ask God to help me to apply His Word in my life. Now, when I see other believers not abiding in Christ and exhibiting hypocrisy, my heart is saddened and I know it grieves the heart of the Holy Spirit. Instead of me being judgmental and critical, I'm choosing to be forbearing and to pray.
When we lose the power of our Lord Jesus and have a form of religion, souls are not being won, captives are not being set free, the gospel is not being demonstrated in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I say let's drop the pretense, hypocrisy and truly be the salt and light of the earth.