Hypocrisy and Truth

Jesus came for a number of very key reasons: that we might have Life; to make known the Father; to destroy the works of the devil. Included in these factors restoring our spiritual foundations was His famous declaration that: “You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.”

Simultaneously, at the opposite spectrum of that reality of knowing Truth was the intensity with which Jesus responded to the religious elite of His day in branding them as hypocrites.

Actually the converse of Truth would be lies. However, hypocrisy is something a great deal more. It is the support of misperceptions by ones who ought to be able to discern and know the Truth. It is espousing one standard while living another; or in withholding the access to that criterion from others.

Because it deals with the perception of reality, hypocrisy bleeds into and distorts essential cultural foundations. It is a seduction of the mind that can take on a life of its own. Unchecked, it undermines Truth and can spread darkness like a cancer. Then when Truth is overshadowed, bondage sets in as freedom wanes. Slow, subtle and deadly.

So, knowing the Truth is pivotal. There are specific conditions concerning this premise of “knowing the Truth” so that “the Truth sets you free.” Jesus was speaking to people who already were listening, those dissatisfied with the status quo and traditions of men, who were followers.

Jesus’ condition for the freedom that comes from knowing the Truth is very basic. It is tied to becoming His true disciple. One translation points to this condition as those who “continue in His Word.” Another key translation describes it as those who “abide in His Word.”

Manipulative Voices Distorting Truth
In a world where deception, distortion and clamor challenge not just what is right, but the very value structures upon which free societies find foundation, there have arisen voices very close to those portrayed in George Orwell’s 1950 novel Nineteen Eighty Four. Voices of destruction. Voices that echo the one in the Garden that claimed “…when you partake, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God.”

These are voices dramatically characterizing Big Brother, who rewrite history and serve as thought police. While such dynamics are normally lumped into totalitarian, communistic and socialistic societal settings, these voices, hypocritical distorters of Truth, many who know better or at least should ….are manipulators of truth for their own gain, ones now being found in deep residence in Western culture and even Judeo-Christian settings. Underminers of freedom.

Jesus took this insight into the dynamics linking Truth and freedom further with a glimpse of the future in Matthew 24. In this sequence He described the time of the end as times of great division where hate permeates even the ranks of those who believe …. to the point that it divides families.

History witnessed precursors of such times in Nazi Germany and the Cultural Revolution. It reflects the same spirit that deluded the religious leaders Jesus confronted as being hypocrites.

From the time of the Garden, the gateway distorting Truth and undermining Freedom has been subtle. It represents both the demarcation and the embarkation of knowing God and Faith. It is no accident that wicked King Herod, who tried to convince the three wise men to reveal the location of the baby Jesus, was a Jew. He knew better or least should have. He sold out his heritage for the gain and power he received from the Romans in return for his resetting and undermining the foundations of Biblical culture.

Releasing the Potency in Knowing God
There is nothing new under the sun. Perverting Truth dampens the link to knowing God. The antidote is unblemished communication with God …. generally described as prayer. Yet prayer as perceived in its basic essence is only the tip of the iceberg.

While the potency of this link is multiplied by group and community prayer efforts, there is still more because of what it triggers on earth as well as from on High. Prayer efforts are enhanced when the voices for God, unlike those Jesus ranked as hypocrites, are pure, undefiled and free from corruption as Daniel noted could be expected in the time of the end. It blends with Truth, gains momentum and restores reality. The reality of the realm where God resides.

Then from on High, when God’s people pray, the Lord not only hears but combines the force they release with throne-room power to counteract the wicked as John the Revelator discerned with the angelic activity that combines the prayers of the saints with the fire from the throne-room altar.

And so, what has been in the crosshairs of the wicked since the beginning …. Truth and Freedom …. is given traction …. and in ways beyond our finite understanding, gains momentum, from generation to generation.

Daniel’s glimpse into the time of the end …. is a time when despite the wicked increasing, many will be purified and refined. That purity and refinement comes from an interactive connection and exchange between earth and heaven that undermines the poison being spewed by the hypocrites and the wicked.

We have only gleaned a vague glimpse of the profound, eternal impact being made by intercessors and martyrs. And the “outside of time” connection with that great cloud of witnesses. The momentum of the thrust released from the “birth-pangs” Jesus referred to in His insights into the turbulence that would manifest in the times of the end.

The Atmosphere of Freedom
“You will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” There is no question that freedom is a virtue and a key factor in understanding the unfolding spiritual dynamics of restoration.

Likewise, while freedom releases the thinking of those who believe, when Truth is proclaimed and lived within the context of community, the ripples reshape the spiritual atmosphere. Keep in mind that from Genesis 3 to Revelation, the restoration underway targets the spiritual state Adam and Eve had in the Garden with God before the Fall.

The presumption of the Scribes and Pharisees of being the thought police, the fact-checkers in challenging the depth of Jesus’ teachings, no doubt evoked a level of annoyance from our Lord. It could not have been too different for Peter and John when the council of elders (in Acts 4) attempted to silence them. Yet their profound reply of “whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God you judge, but we cannot but speak the things we have seen and heard” is a model for when the thought police attempt to dampen the anointing.

Which raises the question of what were those things being seen and heard? What is it that causes those being persecuted to refuse to be silent about what they have encountered? What was the spark that triggered the burning in the hearts of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus?

Indeed it was and is His presence, but accompanying His presence, it carries the atmosphere of Freedom …. that defies the bondage and corruption that so permeates the narratives that rewrite history and the distorted reality-perceptions promulgated by Big Brother.

These are just the peripheries of Jesus’ exploits: the impartation of Life; making known the Father; destroying the works of the devil. That we would know the Truth and enter this realm of freedom.

Carriers of His Presence
What distinguished New Testament believers from the digressions of faith in generations of pew-sitters that followed ….. was the focus, the mind-set, the activity that resulted in those who believed in becoming carriers of His presence. That represents the dividing asunder that separates the Big-Brother traditions of men and the Reality that invades the impossible.

It’s found in the reach that takes you beyond tradition and into the atmosphere and reality of the freedom Jesus came to impart. It’s holding on to the glimmers until they become the gateways into this reality.

Incorporated in this dynamic is the clue found in Jesus’ purpose in coming “that we might have Life.” As I reflect over the years, those I have been most drawn to, those I have become closest to are those who might be described as being “bigger than life.”

In other words, their outlook, their approach to life pushes the envelope. The hypocrites and thought police foster containment and conformity, discourages risk, while the freedom that comes from Truth escapes the boundaries …. oozing, overcoming ….. by touching the hem of His garment, grasping and then imparting the overflow of Life from truly knowing the Father.

Faith, Risk and the Boundaries
Faith and risk go hand in hand. Escaping the boundaries of death and distortion lies in the realm of considering nothing to be impossible. And then being willing to venture into the unknown. It is because of the One who defines our identity, Who will never leave us.

The perspective is “out of the box.” Isaiah’s glimpse beyond the realm of time into God’s response into the character of Cyrus was largely due to Cyrus’ grasp of reality …. in refusing to recognize the boundaries of the impossible. And his propensity for righteousness.

Regardless of the setting; the mandate …. again gleaned by Isaiah ….. is to arise and shine. The strategy is that of being game-changers, who breach the impossible to seize opportunity …. reflective of being bigger than life …. the process that releases that Light that shines before men. True revival happens in the world in which we live, in the marketplaces, in the lives we live, in the leadership of the righteous that bleeds into the economies and communities where we abide.

That premise …. all tied to freedom ….. enlightens darkness despite the generation to generation cultural intentions of Big Brother, the thought police and the hypocrites who attempt to rewrite history and reality.

John poses a parallel in the Book of Revelation unveiling characteristics of distinct segments of God’s people during the time of the end. That parallel describes key groups of global believers ranging from the covenant forerunners, incorporated in Israel ….. to those embattled by persecution and corruption in the dark places of the earth …. to those being given the wings of an eagle to find their abode and setting in a safe place.

Each is the target of the hot-breath of evil. Again, at the apex is Israel. Since the days of Enoch, Noah and Abraham, God’s covenant people have been forerunners, paving the way in this struggle for Truth and Freedom. With Israel at the pinnacle, we also have the role of the persecuted church connected to the believers who live in the shadows of deep darkness and corruption ….. and then those being given the wings of eagles to abide beyond the standard reach of darkness in safe places.

For each, scripture indicates them overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Yet, due to technology advancements and the ease and access of instantaneous global communications …. a bridge is being birthed, intertwining the function and destinies of these segments.

An intertwining of communication that fosters concerted corporate prayer that comes before the throne of God. Again, Daniel discerned that during such times as this that “many would be purified and refined, but the wicked would do wickedly and none of the wicked would understand. But the wise would understand.”

So it is, that due to the concerted corporate prayers of the saints; and the change resulting from the efforts and heart-cries of each of these segments blends in triggering a time of alignment that will impede the amassing of wickedness, despite the efforts of Big Brother in the blind leading the blind.

As the glimpses gleaned by John, Daniel, Ezekiel and others manifest …. there will come the dynamic developments of the woman with the two wings of a great eagle establishing a safe place …. and shadow of protection; of the two witnesses who become standard bearers and forebearers of those who loved not their lives unto death; and of the turning to the Lord in Israel that triggers the Ezekiel 38 response from on High that startles all the earth …. and more.

Never underestimate the potency of the glimmers. As these glimmers amass into the turbulent birth-pangs Jesus described in Matthew 24, there will come a momentum in the fight for freedom because of being locked in faith in our response to the Truth. What we are giving focus to is what is already starting to manifest.

So it is that we need to have eyes to see and ears to hear what is playing out around us …. with the key role of serious prayer in pushing back against the hypocritical forces of darkness to sustain the momentum of Truth and Freedom.

Jesus made the role of the Holy Spirit very clear. As the Spirit of Truth, we are to abide in and draw wisdom from His presence and power. From that and His word will come the framework from which the focus of our thrust will gain traction. From being carriers of His presence, the unity of abiding that stands against hypocrisy will give birth to the amassing of the Creative that restores and builds, bringing order out of chaos.

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Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner of the Joseph-calling and God’s economy message, being an international voice for the higher dimensions of spiritual game-changers and intercessors since the mid-90s. As founder of Global Initiatives Foundation, the Strategic Intercession Global Network [SIGN] and designer of the God’s Economy Entrepreneurial Equippers Program and the Jewish Business Secrets YouTube series, Mr. Ruddick’s messages equip leaders and economic community builders with strategy where God’s light is dim in diverse regions around the globe.

He is author of “The Joseph-Daniel Calling;” “Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;” “The Heart of a King;” “Something More;” “Righteous Power in a Corrupt World;” “Leadership by Anointing;” and “Mantle of Fire,” which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders with destinies to impact their communities. They are available in print and e-versions from www.Amazon.com, www.apple.com/ibooks and www.BarnesandNoble.com.

Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts mobilize economic community builders imparting influence and the blessings of God. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives and mailed to 3838 South Wabash Street, Denver CO 80237 or by credit card at https://strategic-initiatives.org/donate/

Since early 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors and leaders committed to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global basis. For more information go to https://strategic-initiatives.org

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