Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a sincere heart…..

The word “sincere” actually means honest, true, nothing false.  This Scripture isn’t talking about sincere desire.  It’s referring to living with an honest heart.  There is no intimacy in falsehood.  We simply can’t draw near without raw authenticity.  Love and Truth always go together.

Religious activity is defined by outward behavior that isn’t honest with our inward man.  We become religious when our outside doesn’t line up with our inside.

We’ve spent so much time trying to yell at our own soul’s to behave, trying to discipline our flesh into holiness, trying to act in a way that is becoming to those around us….

And it simply doesn’t work.

It’s cleaning the outside of the cup and getting aggravated when the inside doesn’t fall into line.

When we aren’t honest with ourselves, we become disconnected with our own hearts.  When we’re disconnected with our own hearts, how can we deeply connect with other people, let alone with God?  Authenticity is mandatory for drawing near to the Lord.  He knows the real you, and He doesn’t like it very much when you try to be something different.  It’s not honest.

He likes the real you.

I believe this is why He hated religion so passionately.  Religion breads dishonesty.   Self dishonesty leads to deception.  Deception opens the door for oppression.

Changing our outward behavior is absolutely useless unless we have a devoted heart that draws near to the Lord in raw nakedness. Why do we do it?  How do we find ourselves in these dishonest, performance driven places, loosing touch day by day with our true self?  Why???

Trying….

We’re trying to do something.  Trying to be something.  Trying to earn something.  Trying to learn something, become someone, grow somewhere….

So much trying…

It’s not about duty, it’s about delight.
It’s not about effort, it’s about oneness.
It’s not about perfection, it’s about beauty.

So instead of trying….

Reconnect with your own heart so you can truly delight in Him
Become comfortable with the whole you.

Like who you are – warts and all.
He wants to be with you in truth.
If you’re not the real you, who will God be speaking to?  It sounds like a silly question, but I feel the heart of the Lord in it.  He wants us to be so real, so honest, so raw, that we hide nothing as we stand in His Presence.

He wants to relate to the real you.  He wants to commune with all of you.

So be authentically you.
Be sincerely real.

And draw near.