Matthew 23:13 – 15
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
One of the things that I’ve come across quite a bit during my time in working with people is the condition of chronic insecurity. Many leaders, and people in general, have it, religious or otherwise. It masks itself in many forms, pride, bullying, anger, cowardice, self-indulgence, hypocrisy, and just about anything else you can imagine. Some are eager for notoriety and want to add to their numbers, building movements after themselves. Others prefer, small, hidden circles, where they get a bigger share of whatever spoils they are seeking. (Organizations like cults and criminal networks tend to prefer smaller.) Sin never stays secret for long; it’s brazen and recruits with enthusiasm. Satan, highly motivated and infused with ungodly motivation, deceived one-third of the angels by offering them a new way. Jesus warns, those that follow the deceived, end off twice as bad.
Scripture is consistent when speaking about sin; it’s lawlessness. There is no rest in it, and the longer one lives in it, the more insecurity sets in the soul. Folks want to have their independence and escape the fruit of their actions, but they can’t. Although conscience communicates avoiding accountability is impossible, they burrow into their sins and create shelters out of lies, encouraging others to follow them. This way of life is what they know, reward, and codify. They offer it as the only solution to what you are seeking out of life, and boast of the promise, power and privilege afforded them by their commitment. What is the reward for such a commitment? Well, one becomes a false authority in the form of a shepherd, prophet, teacher, or any other type of leader. In the end, they become takers, not givers.
Satan is called, “The prince of the power of the air.” Although through God’s providence, the devil empowers such people, he also readily disposes of them. He devours the devourers and preys on the predators when he finds another candidate more suitable for his insatiable, evil aims. One of the marks of these problem people he raises up, is their chronic insecurity. “No rest for the wicked,” is clearly stated in Isaiah. This restlessness increases the paranoia, distrust, and disdain. They rail against anything that challenges them, lie, disrupt, sabotage and kill. They are perpetual barriers to change and prevent progress toward anything that will harm their agenda. This is their bent. As Christians, we must forgive, but we must also not cast our pearls before swine. Being “as gentle as a dove, and as wise as a serpent,” is more relevant now than ever. Paul exhorted us, “to live in peace as far as it depends on us,” but be warned saints, rarely will it depend on us moving forward in the days ahead. Especially those of us with influence.