Pretenders

Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:9 (KJV)

This verse says a lot, but we may be thrown off by the word dissimulation. It is saying that our love is to be sincere and without hypocrisy. The New Living Translation says it well.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Romans 12:9 (NLT)

We are to be genuine in our relationships, not pretenders. Pretenders don’t truly love people- they manipulate them. Their motives are selfish. Love is never selfish; it gives. If we are using deception in any form in our relationships, we need to repent immediately. Deception is never condoned by God. He does not make exceptions and say it is okay to lie in certain situations, because it is not. The world may tell us that white lies are okay, but a lie can never be called white as lies are never pure in any way, shape, or form.

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the despicable, the murderers, the perverts, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all deceivers, they will find their place in the lake of fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 (The Passion Translation, TPT)

The Lord takes deception and manipulation very seriously. We must be honest and true in our relationships. Our love must be genuine, birthed out of a real relationship with God. We need to examine ourselves regularly to check our motives and our love walk. It is imperative we avoid becoming pretenders, because, according to the Word, liars and manipulators do not have a bright future, to say the least.