Read: Genesis 27:19-33

"Confess your trepasses to one another, and pray for one another,

that you may be healed."  James 5:16

When a waitress in Ohio asked to see a customer's driver'slicense, she was shocked when she saw the photo on the I.D.  It was her own picture!  The waitress had lost her driver's license a month earlier, and this young woman was using it so she have "proof" she was old enough to drink alchohol.  The police was called, and the customer was arrested for identity theft.  Trying to gain what she wanted, she pretended to be someone she wasn't.

Jacob, in the Old Testament, did some pretending too.  With his mother Rebekah's help, he fooled his dying father into believing he was his brother Esau so he could gain the blessing meant for the oldest son (Gen 27).  Jacob did get caught after his decietful act, but it was too late for Esau to recieve the blessing.

Pretending goes on in our churches today.  Some people put on a false front.  They use the right "Christian" words, attend church almost every Sunday, and even pray before meals.  They pretend they "have it all together" in order to gain the approval of others.  But inside they're struggling with brokeness, guilt, doubt, or an addiction or other persistent sin.

God placed us in a body of believers to support one another.  Admit that you aren't perfect.  Then seek the counsel of a godly brother or sister in Christ. 

Don't hide your sin and cover up,

Pretending there is nothing wrong;

Instead, confess it and repent,

Then God will fill your heart with song.

Be what God Intends you to Be

Don't Pretend to Be what You're Not.