Pretenders Abound

Many people who claim to be born again are attempting to fool others through phony smiles and pretend kindness, but in fact have never been born again. These people can fool others, but they cannot fool God. And, often they cannot fool the discerning believer who walks with God.

Eventually what is really in their heart will come out, they will have no control over the rage that inhabits their heart, it will show itself at the first sign of a perceived threat to their own self righteousness. The anger they have against God and His people can only be contained a little while then it must emerge.

Matthew 15:8
"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."

Many of these people have degrees in theology, they say and do all the things they think will impress others, learning many facts, but they lack the most important thing of all in their hearts and that is the love of God.

Their favorite method for controlling others is intimidation, angry looks and mean words, all the while denying what they do. They cannot tolerate anyone who cannot be manipulated by them.

Matthew 22:36-40
"36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and [a]foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

The pretender looks good on the outside, even has much knowledge about things, but the one thing they lack is the very thing God said was the most important.

These self righteous people feed off of the accolades of others, it is unthinkable to be in the presence of anyone who does not elevate them as special.

2 Timothy 3:7
"Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

The concern of the pretender is more about their own appearances, what they say, what they do and how they look, without concern for their inner man. As long as they appear righteous, they are content to be superficial spiritually.

Matthew 23:27-28
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

These fakers never break the civil laws, they work hard, they say the right things, wear the right cloths, but they disobey God in the most important two commandments of all, the Love of God and the love of the brethren.

These self righteous people only love those who elevate them, there is no love for those who would challenge them to greater holiness, in fact there is nothing but contempt for those who love them through instruction and correction.

Watch out for these people, they will concoct lies to demean and discredit you, because of their contempt for everything you stand for in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 5:13
"But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."

Embrace those who love Christ, who share in your desire for holiness, and run like the wind from those who would continually attempt to undermine truth, they bring no good thing while bringing only drama and strife.

Romans 2:4
"Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"

Pray for those in rebellion to repent, ask the Lord to bring whatever difficulty is necessary to bring them to their knees. No one ever comes to Christ because they have everything they want, but they more often seek God when they are forced to their knees through difficulty.

Revelation 3:19
"'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent."

2 Corinthians 7:1-13
"7 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one.
3 I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together.
4 Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.
5 For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within.
6 But God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus;
7 and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more.
8 For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while—
9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.
10 For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
11 For behold what earnestness this very thing, this [e]godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. 13 For this reason we have been comforted."