Would you ever admit to duplicity? {no…not talking about the movie here!} Probably not, I would venture to say. Here is the definition, please take special note of the second definition:
Duplicity:noun:
1 : contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action; especially : the belying of one’s true intentions by deceptive words or action
2 : the quality or state of being double or twofold
2 : the quality or state of being double or twofold
You know when you were in highschool and the biggest put down was to be called “two-faced?” That is basically what I am getting at. In America, this is a problem among Christians, we are “two-faced” and our lives are not reflective completely and wholeheartedly to what we say we believe. I was hit in my “two faced” forehead with this when I bounced the definition of duplicity off of Jeremiah 32:38-39:
They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them.
Please know that I am pointing my finger right back at myself with this post. But, I just want to challenge my fellow Christians to think about our lives. Do you compartmentalize your faith to just your Christian friends, Sunday morning or Wendesday night Life Groups? Here is some data from Pew Research that perfectly illustrates what I am talking about:
25% of Americans (in general) believe in Astrology while 23% of Christians do as well! (Pew Research)
Um…hello…do we see what is wrong with this picture?
You say you have conservative values…
But how did you vote in the last election (if you voted at all)?
You say want to live a pure and holy life as taught in the Bible and at church last sunday…
But, what do you fill your mind with while surfing the web or flipping the channels?
You say you believe in Jesus as your Savior…
But, is your life really changed by your beliefs?
Like I said, no condemnation here from me. These are some of the very things I have worked through in my own life. Did you notice in the verse above that God promises He will give us singleness of heart AND action? It is ours for the taking. period. I think this lifestyle of duplicity can be tiresome. Most of us know deep in our heart that our actions don’t match up with what we profess and it slowly eats away at our conscience. God doesn’t want us to live with this burden, but He does expect us to take the actions to live a whole hearted, sold out faith in Him. This takes work, trust me, I know. I have evaluated and re-evaluted my choices and actions over the years and I will continue to do so.
So for today, I encourage you to take time with the Lord asking Him to show you where you act “two-faced.” He will not hit you over the head or wag a heavenly finger at your in condemnation, but He will show you where to start in your journey toward single-minded faith.
Stay tuned to more thoughts on this… about how our life of single minded focus benefits us and the people around us! {don’t want to bogg you down to much in this one post! ha!}
Excellent post girl. And so true. So many christians live one way with other christians and another with non-believers. It is sad. I admit there have been times when I did the same. But age is really growing on me…both spiritually aging and physically aging…I am learning I care less what others think and more what Christ thinks. Great thoughts!!!