What Is Fake Worship

Do you know what “fake worship” is? Let Joyce explain.

Joyce Meyer, one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers and New York Times best-selling author, shares encouragement and advice to help us enjoy our daily lives.

With a heart to share Christ and love people, Joyce’s messages help people in all walks of life to grow in their faith, learn to study the Bible, find healing from the wounds of life, get answers to life’s questions and encounter the love of God in a powerful way.

The first thing I wanna talk about is something that the Bible talks about, which we’ll call fake worship.
Isaiah twenty nine thirteen, the lord says, these people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips.
But their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me is based on mere human rules that they have been taught.
Do you know that it’s possible
to be looking at a hymnal reading the words on the pages?
And yet not be paying one bit of attention at all to
what you’re really doing. Today, in so many of
the churches, we have these big overhead screens And it’s so easy to look at those screens and mouth the words and yet be thinking about somebody you’re seeing in the church even judging them for what they’re wearing or something you know about them.
And god says that’s not real worship. It’s fake worship.
When you honor him with your lips, but your heart is far from him.
You could listen to the the preacher, the pastor, the teacher.
And you can smile and Say amen at the right time and yet really not be paying one bit of attention to what they’re saying.
You couldn’t tell anybody three sentences they said when the whole services over.
So we need to learn how to be authentic in our worship of god.
Matthew six seven says, when you pray, don’t use vain repetitions. As the heathen do.
For they think they shall be heard for their much speaking.
You know, you could repeat The Lord’s prayer two hundred times, and it’d be meaningless to you because you’re just mouthing words or you could pray it one time, really with your whole heart into it, meaning every word you say, and that would be much more valuable to god.
Than just talking and talking and talking and talking and talking.
Have you ever caught yourself? I know I’ve done this.
When you’re asked to pray in front of people, praying to impress them rather than actually really talking to god.
See, the people may think that we sound awesome, but if our heart is far from god, then it’s not pleasing to him.
John four twenty three and twenty four says, a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the father in the spirit and in truth.
For these are the kinds of worshipers that the father seeks.
We need to worship him in spirit and in truth.
And, you know, a true worship is not someone who just goes to church on Sunday and sings songs.
But a true worshiper is
someone who lives their life, their everyday life
in a way that is worshiping god in a way that is pleasing to god.
Don’t be the kind of person that just goes to church on Sunday morning to get your went to church this week check mark on your spiritual calendar.
But be the kind of person who lives for god.
I think I said maybe Yesterday if you saw the program, don’t don’t just take Jesus as an add on to the life that you have but make him your life, the center of your life, and do everything that you do with and for him.
The Bible says we’re not to serve god with a divided heart, we’re to be wholehearted.
Matthew twenty two thirty seven, Jesus said The most important commandment is to love the lord your god with all your heart and all your soul and all of your mind.
Give yourself completely to him.
If you have areas in your life that you’re trying to hold back from god or secret places in your heart where you really don’t wanna let god into.
That’s really foolish because he already knows everything about you.
Be open hearted and pure and invite god into every area of your life and let him know if there’s anything in your life that displeases him to please deal with you about it.
Let me tell you something. The world is in a mess. And the devil.
I mean, he is coming on so strong.
And we are gonna be in big trouble, especially in the days that we’re living in.
If we don’t learn how to be authentic and real and really love god with our whole heart and not be phonies, psalm one nineteen ten says I will seek you with all my heart.
Don’t let me stray from your commands. I love the way David prayed.
Let me seek you with my whole heart God and don’t let me stray from your commands.
You see, he knew
that he had the ability
to stray and he didn’t just assume that he wouldn’t.
He asked God to help him and to make sure that he didn’t.
First Chronicles twenty eight nine, and you, my son, Solomon, acknowledge the god of your father and serve him with whole hearted devotion.
Are you serving god with your whole heart?
Or are you just a Sunday morning saint and a Monday morning center?