Isaiah 29:13 – Therefore the LORD said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men

If you lived in the days of Isaiah, you would be wondering what exactly Isaiah meant by this, because the people were going to the temple. The temple was crowded and anytime a sacrifice was offered you would find people there. There was a particular place for the men, a court just for the women, and a court for the Gentiles. So why did God find fault with the people? Because, while they may all have been going to church, they were just going through the motions. Their hearts were not engaged. They could say the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed, but it was not meaningful to them. God said that their hearts were far from Him. For this is the reason He judged them, and that is the reason He is going to judge anyone today. You see, the curse of this world today is called religion. God would like you to get rid of your religion and come wholeheartedly to Christ. Religion is the greatest barrier for many people today. It is not about religion, but it is all about a relationship.

Challenge:

You can say you love God with your words, but deep down in your heart do you really love Him? Do you want more of Him in your life? Jesus said, if you really do love God you will keep His word and seek His plan for you at all times. God not only sees your actions, He equally sees the motivation and attitude behind your actions. He sees the reason you go to church, He knows the reason you talk the way you do and He understands perfectly why you act the way you do. People see the external actions you display but God looks right into your heart to the real you. Your challenge this week is to shorten the gap between who you say you are with your lips and who you really are in your heart. Give God your heart in everything you do and in everything you say, then notice how your actions will follow suit. He longs for you to be honest with Him and stop putting on a false image of who you think He wants you to be. Be truthful with yourself and with the Lord this week and work through anything that may not be genuine by confessing to God how much you need Him. Let’s be the body of Christ that does not remove God from our hearts by acting in an untruthful manner.