And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. Matthew 6:5
Contextually, Jesus cautions against praying to be seen.
But hypocrisy encompasses much more.
Webster defines a hypocrite as “someone who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.”
If I pray Our Father, but show Him neither respect nor intimate love,
If I pray for His name to be hallowed but I misuse it,
If I pray for His kingdom to come but my actions and attitudes don’t point anyone to Jesus,
If I pray for God’s will to be done, when in reality I want my way,
If I pray for my needs to be met, but I cling to self-sufficiency,
If I pray for forgiveness but I don’t believe I need it,
If I pray for deliverance, but walk right back into sin,
If I pray the kingdom, power and glory forever are His, but my heart and mind are somewhere else,
I am a hypocrite.
