What’s Behind MY Mask?
Change your ways. If Jesus Christ is in you, you can do it. That is his point. You cannot go on living like everybody else if Jesus Christ lives in you. Let’s take off our Masks.
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
By the power of the indwelling Spirit, Christians can be truly free if they so choose to be…free from self, free from expectation, free from circumstances and free from Satan’s control.
* “…and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”2 Corinthians 3:17
God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalm 63:1-2;6.
How important it is to have your own personal revelation of God through His word speaking to you. Not just to rely on what someone else has told you or what you read in a book or even what you heard in church.
All that may be good, but it’s not sufficient. There must come a time *when you’ve seen God for yourself, *when you’ve come to know Him first-hand.
* When you’ve had such a revelation of God that nothing else can ever satisfy you but God Himself.
David had that kind of revelation. (Psalm 63). He said, “I’ve seen You in the sanctuary. I’ve beheld Your power and Your glory and now I’m in a dry and thirsty land, but my soul longs for You more than it does for water. And even when I lie in bed at night my meditation is of You. You fill my heart and my mind, my imagination, my longing. All the day through I’m taken up with You, my God.”
There’s no other source of true satisfaction. My soul doesn’t find rest in any other way. I’ve seen You and known You in a way that I can never forget and that has determined the course of my life. It determines my attitudes, my actions, the things that I choose, and the way I walk, and so it needs to be in each one of our lives.
The purpose of the church(the Body) is to worship and witness. Some will go and some will send, but all are called to the work of spreading the gospel. This is not a suggestion; it is a command.
Matthew 28:19 Therefore GO and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them…… .
* Believers living in God’s will are all to be involved in missionary work.
If Christ tells me to do something or to be something, then there is no limit to my ability to do or be it, because He will provide the Power.
* But in myself, trying to do anything depending on my gifts, I will accomplish nothing of any value in God’s sight.
Now that is the mark of a true servant of Christ!
One of the ways you can test the false apostles of our day is to listen carefully to what they say about themselves. Look what’s behind the Mask.
* Do they claim anything is coming from them?
* Do they claim to be remarkable people of remarkable ability, or are they talking about the power coming from Christ?
That is the big difference.
*Have you ever wrestled with the events of life, feeling that God has deserted you?
*Have you been honest with God?
*God is the kind of Father who is willing to have those difficult conversations.
*God won’t always change things, but His purposes will be accomplished and peace will come if you trust.
*Trust Him this day with those things that are most difficult.
God will began to replace the pain and disappointment with an inner joy that only His grace can provide, once you Trust in Him to show you All he wants for your Life.
*Psalms 56:3 When I am afraid,
I trust in you.
*Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.
*Lamentations 3:25 The Lord is good to those who trust in him, to the one who seeks him.
God is faithful and his love never fails!
We are not responsible to change our negative feelings. Our responsibility is to put “in charge” the only Person who can change them, and that Person is God.
* “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”Psalm 37:5
If we are honest, we all know that there is sometimes a big difference in what we want people to think about us and what we really are. Behind the perpetual comedian may be a truly sad face and a painful heart. The boastful man may be hiding a serious lack of self confidence etc..
*It is often easy to see behind the masks of others. It is easy to label them “hypocrites” when you catch a glimpse of their lives without the mask.
*But I had to ask myself: what is under my Mask???
*” You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
Lord as I pray, before you this Day I reach my hands to my face and grab the mask I am wearing. I take it off and stand before You–Jesus- exposed completely to You. Lord I say to You, deep from my heart, “Lord You are all I need; I can depend on You.”
Thank You Lord for removing my mask for Today’s joy and thank You- Jesus that You see behind my mask and love me anyway. Thank You Lord for the Hope which is something I need for tomorrow and for Your unconditional Love which is forever and for Faith which is within.
Thank you Lord that: ” I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me”. Phil. 4:13.
Amen