I slept in today. 

Despite orders to stay or go, I am weary from my thoughts, opinions, and body being tossed around by the thoughts and opinions of others all for the common good. I needed an extra hour of sleep.

I woke up to an email from a very popular son of a very popular evangelist in my inbox. He posed the question, “Siri, how can I be saved?” He called out to the masses asking about what we think and what we do for those who have been digging through the internet looking for Gospel answers for how to process through a worldwide panic and civil injustices in this world. Where is God in this and how does Jesus save us through it? “Siri, why does God allow this?” “Siri, will God save us?” “Siri….”

I would like to beg a different question. Christian, why are you not staying firm? Or maybe, Christian, why have you not been watching online church, or reading your Bible, or serving some how, or discipling someone, or giving resources, or watchful? But better yet, Christian, are your true secular colors showing?

These questions are heart wrenching and need to be thought about in this point in history because the wheat is surely being separated from the shaft. We are not staying firm in the label we wear on our shoulders. No wonder a non-believer goes to their social devices sitting on their counter tops or resting in their hands instead of their neighbor. Real life people are hypocrites.

As I drove about gathering a few things from my local store yesterday, two of my daughters were in my car. I spoke about the unrest going on, the hearts and minds of people, and the things I have seen and lived through in my life time. I have been decrying for change for a long time. My voice isn’t heard and it seems as if the voice of the masses aren’t either.

When we talked about these things I decided to call myself a hypocrite. Aren’t we all? Every single one of us should be ashamed of the things we say and do verses our hearts and minds. We can mean well and do well, but our minds need to often be flossed out because sin permeates regardless of how hard we try to walk the walk and talk the talk. We need to do better to deplete ourselves of hypocritical thoughts and sins more than anything else that we deal with. Healing starts there and will radiate out.

How do we do this? I know it’s one of the hardest things to overcome. Being grounded in faith and true personal discipleship instead of asking Siri for guidance is the beginning. How are we to lead others and give answers to those seeking when we aren’t feeding ourselves first?

We can start with what people like to focus on the most but never truly embrace: Love.

1 John 4:20 ESV

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

Our hypocriticism has been called out for a long time. There is no better time than to take a hard look in the mirror before going out to stand up and out for truth than right now. If you want to make change and to stand for right, than right yourself first.

The saying: out of the mouth the heart flows, is found in Luke, Matthew, Proverbs, Psalms, etc. in some form or another. Even nonbelievers see this statement as truth. If we can stop and look at this statement and check ourselves, maybe we would be at least a few steps further in healing than the setbacks we keep facing in an increasingly hostile society.

James 1:26 

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

I call for us to pause, even for just one moment, and do a heart check. Is my heart saying something different than my mouth? Is my mouth saying something different than my faith? Is my walk causing the seeker to stumble? Am I staying true to the faith that I claim?

It all starts with us. It starts with me. I want to be steady and the Lord keeps me so. But in that, I have to be diligent and intentional. We have lost those things and they are calling for us to come back. Stand with me and grab on to the God and His truth. He will see us through. It’s not a clique.