I believe that one of the things that younger people are looking for today in their leaders is absolute authenticity! They want the “talk” of a person to match the “walk” of a person. Hypocrisy is one of the things most hated by many people. I have never liked a person who told me one thing to my face and then changed or even denied what they said when asked about it later. God has the same distaste for fake Christianity today. Look at this testimony from the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah. “Wherefore the Lord said, ‘Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men’” (Isaiah 29:13).
Notice the description of this person. They draw near God with their mouth. These people make a great deal of religious noise, but that is all it is … noise. The book of Proverbs warns about people who flatter with their lips, but their heart is far from truth. God is not impressed with how loud or how long we sing, or preach, or even witness. He is not looking for a loud voice as much as He is looking for a sincere, honest praise for Him.
They honor God with their speech. These people know all the right religious words to use. They know how to say things that will convince others that they are spiritual. The only problem is that their words are hollow and empty. They are simply a part of the part they are playing in the drama of religious activity. Some today are so busy appearing to be spiritual that they have not driven their stakes deep into the Word of God.
In spite of their voices and their speech, their heart is not near God, but is running away from God. Words can be spoken, but if the heart is cold and indifferent to the things of God, the words are without value and empty. God has always been far more interested in the heart of a person than in the words that the person speaks. I want to be sure that my heart is not only drawn to God, but remains near to the heart of God.
The last description of this person is their apparent fear of God is not genuine, but is learned from following other men. There seems to be an abundance of this empty religious framework without the genuine experience of walking with God in the fear of the Lord. Over and over we are told that God wants us to be happy today. The reality is that God wants us to live holy lives. Happiness will follow that obedience. Without a heart committed to fearing God and following Him, there is no real relationship with God. Be a genuine believer today. God wants that from you and me!