Swimming With Sharks : The Hypocritical Christian

This article addresses the actions of hypocritical Christians.

Swimming With Sharks : The Hypocritical Christian

Enduring the actions and attitudes of a hypocrite reminds me of swimming with sharks. The shark thinks nothing of taking a bite out of someone. In the same respect, the Christian hypocrite thinks nothing of taking bites out of their fellow man.

Have you ever met a Christian whose judgmental actions and attitudes make you cringe?

They're ready to let you know what you've done wrong, yet their own unchristian like ways they are oblivious to.

Luke 6:41

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Instead of being consumed and harping on their fellow man's sins, they should throw all of that energy into taking care of their own sinfulness and shortcomings. But these people NEVER do that. They are much too busy sticking their noses into the business of everyone around them. Jesus called these people hypocrites.

Luke 6:42

Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.

Being Hypo-Critical

critical

marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws; "a critical attitude"

Why do they do it?

I believe that hypocrites suffer from

"Misplaced Introspection"

*I made this name up myself and it describes those who have practiced inspecting everyone else's lives to the neglect of their own*

Introspection means :A looking inward; specifically, the act or process of self-examination

Weighing and judging other people's actions is their way of avoidance. What are they trying to avoid?

The mirror

They would rather avoid taking a good healthy look at the actions and motives of their own heart. So instead, they fix their gaze onto the next best alternative, everyone else's actions and motives.

It never ceases to amaze me how we overlook the sin inside of us that we should be focused on, yet we are all too ready to focus on another's sinful ways. Sometimes the sin that is within ourselves appears to be small and insignificant, but in reality it can be a huge beast of a problem that must be conquered.

Concerning the conduct of others, hypocrites should remain silent much of the time rather than blasting others with their input. Hypocrites attempt to FORCE people to live as they would like them to. God made each and every one of us with a WILL. And nobody can override another's will for any reason. I don't want someone telling me how to live, I choose instead to pick up my bible and read up on how to live well.

The hypocrite who touts Christianity desires shouting out other people's shortcomings and sins from the rooftops but they are lacking in the attributes of long suffering and mercy. They certainly come up short on personal introspection.

This reminds me of an accuser of the brethren.

The only thing that God desires us to do if we are confused and bothered by the actions of others is to PRAY for them and have faith that he will do a work in their lives that will save them from a life of misery before it is too late. Barring this, we are only to speak to them about their sin if we are confident that God has told us to specifically, and even then we are to do so ONLY with love and compassion in our hearts toward them.

Christian Hypocrites Thwart God's Will for Others

If we truly believe that God is able to clean our neighbor's life up and set them on a solid rock and on the path toward everlasting life, then why do we so often offend them and thwart what he is trying to do in their lives by living as a hypocrite?

Why do we get angry when others don't listen to us and live as we encourage them to?

Our anger toward them is not going to change them.

There is an over abundance of unsolicited advice going out from hypocrites.

Instead of blasting them with our opinions, we should tell them the truth *if they ask us* in LOVE and compassion. This is what Jesus did. His anger was stirred at the Pharisees and nobody else, why do you suppose that was?

Because it was the Pharisees who were trying to trap him and trip him up by his words and actions. It was the way of the Pharisees to act pious toward other's. It was the Pharisees who were religious hypocrites!

Christian Hypocrites and Anger

Hypocrites always seem to be mad about something, especially Christian hypocrites. The hypocrites anger comes from living a life that is making them unhappy. Many of them are living by their OWN power and not relying on the power that comes only from the Holy Spirit and truth. This is why they are so puffed up and full of pride. Because they may say they are living their life with God's help but in reality they are not. Hypocrites truly ARE living their life through their OWN power. This leaves them nothing but an empty feeling inside of them and when they see the freedom in Christ that other's enjoy, their anger shows. But you can forget approaching them with this truth. As I said, they are blind to their own faults, yet very aware of the faults of others. They believe they are right on all counts and live so much better than their fellow man.

Those who rely on the power of God to live their lives do NOT have a pride problem. In fact, they are only too aware of their weaknesses and shortcomings and this is why they KNOW that they must rely on God's grace and mercy to help them live this life.

Do as we say and not as we do

Generally, people will not DO what we tell them to do. We will usually butt heads with someone if they attempt to control us. What people will do is notice how we live and notice how we treat others. That is more of a witness than a thousand words will ever be to them. We were never meant to allow another person to control us, God is the one who should have that
privilege.

If we see what appears to be SIN in other's lives, we have all kinds of advice for them that might "help" them. When we see what appears to us to be sinfulness in another, we would do well to pray for them and NEVER do anything that would offend them and turn them away from Christ in any way. Many have been hurt and angered by these hypocritical Christian zealots and very few have been helped by them.

The Christian hypocrite would do well to ponder on the following scripture and put it to work in their own life:

Romans 14:4

Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Drug Addiction: Shattered Dreams and Wasted Lives Pt 4

A drug addict is arrogant, willful and cocky when they have money in their pocket, but they are full of hard luck stories when they are broke.
Many of them only work in order to keep a steady supply of their drug of choice.
When they are broke, they will then seek out those who they can borrow money from to keep their habit going.
If there seems to be nobody who will lend them money, they will then resort to theft and various con-games.
Arrogance and Drug Use
1.Drugs are like a shot of self confidence to those who have little or no self esteem. If the person you love is addicted to drugs, chances are you have not seen the REAL them for a long time. What you have been looking at when you gaze upon their faces is a stranger who seems to have taken over their bodies and minds.
Money In their Pockets
When drug addicts have money in their pockets, they are on top of the world and high as a kite flying in a strong breeze on a clear day. They are self assured, totally in control and seem VERY happy go lucky.
But take away that drug, that little helper of theirs and they are spoiled, tantrum throwing two year olds!
The Drug Abuser and His Job
2. Chronic drug abusers will only work in order to supply their habit. They have no use for a job and they do not take pride in a job well done as non-addicts do. The addict simply does not care about a job or taking pride in his or her accomplishments because to them, a job is only a tool they USE in order to continue courting their only true love, their drug of choice. The drug abusers that I have known will work for a few days, only until they get that paycheck, they then immediately speed to the bank, cash it and then it is straight to their dealers house where they are like a kid in a candy store. When a drug addict starts to habitually lose jobs because of the escalation of his drug use, he will then resort to theft as well as selling drugs. At this point, he is a lot closer to being put behind bars or losing his life or on the more positive side, he may be getting closer to a prodigal son experience.
The Penniless Drug Abuser
3. When a drug abuser is penniless, he is a lot LESS cocky and arrogant. He would flatter anyone and everyone if he thought it would profit him. They will borrow from anyone, no matter if the loved one they hit up for money is having a hard time paying their own bills! You see, the drug addict thinks absolutely nothing about the problems his loved one could be going through, there is only one thing that is utmost in his mind, getting his next fix.
The Drug Abuser As Thief
4. Many chronic addicts that I have known will resort to stealing if that is what it takes to get drugs. Heck, some of them would sell off their own family members without batting an eye, they are so desperate when they run out of drugs that they could care less about any morals. Why do you think drug users are such risk takers? Because they don't care WHAT happens to them or the pain it causes their families because in the grand scheme of things, it's all about getting what they want at any cost to themselves or others who might try to stand in their way. An addict who is penniless can be quite dangerous. They will stop at nothing to keep their drug supply up and to catch that next high. If you live around those you suspect of drug addiction, please lock your doors and protect anything you value. Another danger is that they may attempt to buy drugs on "credit" from the dealer. But someone always has to pay their drug dealer sooner or later.
Master Con Artists and Manipulators:
Drug addicts are masters at manipulation. They have learned this because those who truly love them are continually making an all out effort to persuade them to get clean and to STOP destroying themselves. Although those who love them SEE the obviousness in this, the addict sees the opposite. The addict believes that if you try to separate him from his drug, you are attempting to DESTROY him, therefore in his twisted thinking, you are now his or her sworn enemy. How perverted is this? Very.
I know this is twisted thinking. But in the mind of an addict it is seen this way. You try to split up a relationship between the addict and his lover, (his drug) and you are an enemy to that addict, no matter how you may try to persuade the addict that you CARE about him.
The Spirit of Addiction
I believe that there is a SPIRIT of ADDICTION. There is most certainly a spirit world that we read about in the BIBLE. There are things we can see, and there are things we cannot see. We cannot see into the spirit world as such. Only those who have died or have been given visions or dreams from the Holy Spirit have seen into the spirit world. However, it has been noted by some addicts that when they have been on their "TRIPS", they have seen "demons or other evil spirits or creatures" that have frightened some of them so much that such encounters have persuaded them to stop their drug addiction cold turkey.
When we dabble in drugs, there is a VERY solid chance that we may lose our life. And that is not the worst of it. When we exit this life, we will go to one of only 2 places. Those places are heaven or hell. We are asked of God in the bible to choose life or death. In this respect, when we choose to give our lives over to drugs, we are actively choosing death for as long as we continue our addiction.

Economic Uncertainty and the End Times

This page is my personal opinion and does not reflect on anything that anyone else has said or told to me. Please note that my opinion has not been affected by the recent downturn in any country's profitability and/or financial situations. I have believed for years that our nation would someday suffer an economic breakdown. Those who know me, family and friends know that I have said this for many years. Sometimes it was taken seriously, but most times it was scorned.

It is not always easy to speak your mind, especially when there are many who do not share your point of view to the point of arguing about it. It seems to me that when people feel that their survival or lifestyle could be threatened, as it would IF an economic crisis were to take shape, they don't want to think about it. It is a fearful thing to them and I understand that. This is why so many can be in denial over the current chain of events that are unfolding in relation to our economy. Extensive downsizing, corporate fraud, ect. But as I've said so often on my web site, we do not all have to agree on everything. None of us are right all the time and with that in mind, we can agree to disagree.

With that said, what cannot be neglected has to be mentioned right away. I believe the Bible. The scripture I will first bring up is in the Old Testament.

From Ezekiel 7;19

They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity.

Just what is God trying to tell us in this scripture out of Ezekial 7?

1. That our money, both silver and gold, will be cast into the street as worthless. Our money I believe will lose it's worth in a big way. Think about this and let it sink in really deep. If we believe what God says in his Word, then in the future, our currency will be useless. And when our money becomes useless, if this is the case, how will we be able to pay our bills, buy food, take care of our family and manage the numerous other things that we have depended on currency for to carry us through and make our lives manageable and stable? I believe that in the future, very soon in my own opinion, our money will be as useless as a piece of slag!

In comparison, God tells us in Proverbs 8;10:

Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.

We are told that instruction from God, as well as knowledge that only comes from him is better that silver AND gold.

And another in Proverbs 8;19:

My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

The outcome of serving God and loving him and living a life in which we CHOOSE to live for him, is better than silver AND gold.

Why would an economic crisis happen? And why would GOD allow it?

The reason we will have an economic crisis is simple and is as well found in the word of God.

Ezekiel 7:19:

"because it is the stumbling block of their iniquity"

Who could ever say that money has not been the stumbling block of man's iniquity? In fact, out of all things, we are told in the Bible that "The love of money IS the root of all evil". So we see that the love of money will cause us to stumble into iniquity or sinfulness very quickly. Let's face it, in our days especially, money is the cure-all.

Money can be a huge stumbling block to you personally if you know of someone who is in need yet you choose to look the other way when you COULD help them, you have made your choice NOT to do so.

If people don't have money, they feel as if they simply don't exist! I know that it's seldom ever thought of but even so, it's the truth. This stumbling block causes us to look away when confronted with others in need of our help financially. This is called selfishness. This hurts God and angers him. We have had business men jumping to their death during the great depression. They lost their fortunes when the stock markets headed south and instead of facing it, they were so despondent and depressed, they decided to DIE rather than go on.
Where was their wealth? Jesus said that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". So in conclusion, we know that in Ezekiel 7 and verse 19 that God has already said that our silver and Gold would be changed into meaningless rubbish. And the reason why is because it has become the "stumbling block" of our iniquity".

The Mark and the Beast

Revelation 13:11-18 11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

But there is another reason or two why this will happen. In the book of Revelation, we read about "The Beast". There will be a final great world superpower and this one will consume and take charge over the ENTIRE world! It will be the last one and it is during this time that Christ will return in Glory and Honor. *We can read this as well in the book of Daniel*

This great world government will at some point during it's rule, make it impossible to buy or sell, hold a job, or do ANYTHING that requires money UNLESS you are willing to take a mark, the mark of the BEAST. This will happen. The prophecy given by the Holy Spirit to John on the Isle of Patmos WILL come to pass. Every single human being on the face of the earth must accept a MARK in their right hand or forehead IF they want to buy or sell anything. If they want a job, IF they want to eat, whatever the case may be, if they do not have the MARK, then they can forget it, it's that simple.

16. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

The "He" that John is referring to in verse 16 is the Antichrist.

But we are warned of God in Revelation that whosoever receives this MARK is damned to Hell and will NEVER receive forgiveness but only suffering awaits them.

14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Now I have to tell you that when people start lining up for this mark, it will not be something that is as simple as getting a credit card. I believe there will be some sort of a pledge or a covenant to the Antichrist before or during the acceptance of this mark. There would almost certainly have to be. In the book of Daniel, we can all read about the GREAT IMAGE that Nebuchadnezzar had made and at the sound of the music, he commanded ALL to bow down and worship the IMAGE! This is why Shadrach, Meschak and Abendego were tossed into the fiery furnace. But what happened in the end? God not only saved them from dying, but the very ones who tossed them into the fiery furnace were consumed!

I have always felt as though history would repeat in this matter, not in that there will be another fiery furnace episode, but we know by reading God's word in regards to the IMAGE references both in Daniel AND Revelation, because In Revelation, there is an IMAGE also! And the Antichrist will cause all those to be killed whosoever does NOT worship the beast and his IMAGE.

Remember, the people who choose to take this mark will be under GREAT DECEPTION.

And by the way, what was the FIRST warning that JESUS gave unto his disciples when telling them about the last days? DECEPTION, that's what.

Here is some biblical explanations as to the extent of the DECEPTION that will be so great during those days.

13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

More on the coming Financial Wipe-out

There Has to Be A Financial Collapse Before the New System is Set Up

Under our current monetary system, these things I've mentioned can never come to pass. But if you have read about or seen the recent "Chip People" in the news, you know that these things are not in our FAR future. Under our current financial system, the control capability just is not there yet. The scheme of the Antichrist is all about control. You will be controlled in every imaginable fashion. Simply said, your life will cease to be "Your Life".Think about this, just 50 years ago or less, we didn't know nor did it enter anyone's mind to create a device as small as a grain of rice that could be put "inside" or "underneath" the skin with information about you. Also, if you read up on this, you will soon find out that it is not just for information and for your "security". The ones who opt to have this mark can also be tracked by GPS satellite and other resources.

And finally, some more of my own personal opinions, and that is all they are:

I want you to know that I believe it is not wrong to have "gut feelings" when dealing with matters that affect us and the world around us. So I would like to tell you some things that I feel that God has lain on my heart over the past few years. I would not call these just intuition, gut feelings. I will not be so bold as to say that "God Said" to me these things. I t is enough to say that I TRULY believe that the Holy Spirit has laid these things on my heart and leave it at that.

Around 1991 the belief was and still is in me that some time in our future, an economic downturn would take place. This downturn would be far worse than anything that happened during the Great Depression. In addition, it would not only affect the Markets here, but would be sweeping worldwide. The best way to describe it would be to say that a "blanket" would be covering the land. This "blanket" would cover the face of the entire earth. I remember at the time thinking to myself "But our Nation is a Christian Nation". Though I saw even then how more and more were turning from God and choosing everyone and everything over and above him. I then noticed that certain of those who were representative of the Church were doing things a little different.

Later still, I noticed that those same ones were doing things a LOT different. I could hardly believe the things I would hear when I would tune in to Christian Television. Why do I bring up these things with the Church when talking about economics? Well, the two are intermingled I believe. Truth is the most powerful force there is. Certainly for the Christian. And when the Truth gets stepped on and changed so drastically, we all know what that is called, "The Fall of the Church" as we read in Thessalonians. The possibility of Great Deception is at our doorsteps.

God's judgments will be in the earth. We are told that from scripture. When Jonah was sent to Nineveh, that great city, he was sent there with a message to the people of that city and that message from God was to "REPENT". Nineveh did repent and God turned away his wrath.

What about our free will and choice?

Now I am not saying that all of these things will happen just because God is causing them. Think about us for a moment. The Love of many has waxed VERY cold, just as Jesus said that it would in the last days before his return. So many are out for themselves and not concerned with their fellow man. Now this is OUR doing and OUR choice and this also allows our hearts to be hardened to the point of not even being able to hear God. Yes, our own sins have nudged us on this path. It would be wrong to think otherwise. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins and there has been an abundance of Greed in the past several years.

Please don't feel like I am getting on anyone at all, why I myself have NOT done all I feel that is within my power to do for the kingdom of God. But there is not ONE of us who can make that claim. We are not PERFECT, yet the only time we lose is when we give up! And we're not going to do that! Are we

Nations forgetting God

In the proverbs, we read that "All nations that forget God will be turned into hell".

So the question is, "Has America and/or the other Nations forgotten God? I know that not all of us have, and I do not want to sound like a doomer and gloomer, but much of our Nation HAS forgotten that He is the one that created them, yet he is not even listened to much of the time, not even believed in by SO many.

So What are We to do?

Just as Noah was warned about the great flood and prepared, I honestly believe that if we feel as though we could have an economic collapse, we should prepare as much as we are able to do so.

What do I mean by "prepare"?

Maybe not what you think. The first and by far the most important preparations are the spiritual. We should be taking in the Word of God every day . We should be praying in the Spirit everyday. We should be looking for Jesus's return EVERYDAY.

Now, with the spiritual taken care of, I believe that we should not neglect taking care of the physical. If at all possible, when you go to the grocery store, buy a little extra necessities *only if it is possible*. Remember, we do not know when this will happen. I know that it will in my personal opinion, but not dates. Never a date. Noah did not know when the floods were to be subsided, but God told him to BUILD. And when he was finished, God spoke again and told him to go into the ark after he loaded it with 2 of every kind. So the answer I believe is NOW. We are seeing many things come to pass now in our economy.

And another thing, do not begin to think that all is well if we have a few good market days or if you read a couple of positive newspaper articles stating that the economy is "rebounding". You can thank God for it at the time but PLEASE, do not forgot that the word of God does not change . We are surely going to witness our gold and silver deemed "worthless". That much you can bank on.