Skip to main content

Take Off the Mask

           During our family vacation to New York we attended the Broadway production, “The Phantom of the Opera.”  It is the longest running play in history on Broadway.

            The Phantom, who is known as the Opera Ghost, terrorizes the Paris Opera House and lives in the sewers beneath the streets.  This mysterious individual is no ghost, but a musical genius who dwells in the shadows and wears a mask.

            The purpose of the mask is to cover a deformity from birth.  He wears this mask to hide his disfigured face from the cruel stares of others.  Like this Phantom many wear masks today.  It is not a physical mask, but we mask insecurities, failures, and our own insufficiencies. 

            Many times in the New Testament Church we wear a religious mask.  We cover up what really needs to be uncovered in our lives.  When God uncovers something in our lives it is never to harm us, but to bring restoration and healing.

            The altars of our churches should be places of healing and hope.  We should as the Body of Christ be able to come to the altar of the Lord and receive healing and deliverance for those things that hold us in bondage.  The altar should be a safe place to share in confidence those things that need healing in our lives.

            Sadly, that is not the case.  Most of us would be reluctant to share what is really in our hearts today for fear of betrayal, criticism and gossip.  What will others think?  What will others say about what I share and submit for prayer? 

            What prevents us?  We are wearing a mask.  What is the purpose of this mask?  To give the illusion that everything in our lives is under control.  What kind of mask are you wearing today?  What are you covering?

            Proverbs 28:13 reveals, “He that covers His sin shall not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”  It is time to allow the Holy Spirit to unmask those things in our lives that keep us from realizing God’s highest will and purpose. 

            Hebrews 12:1 reads, “..let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”  May we allow the precious Holy Spirit to uncover those things that would trip us up in our walk of faith and hinder our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rebuilding the Broken Altar of Prayer

In Matthew 21: 12-13 , “ Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” Jesus made this declaration, “My house shall be called a house of prayer!”  I believe that God is calling us back to the altar of prayer.  For several weeks the Lord has dealt with me about rebuilding the broken altar of prayer in our personal and corporate lives.  If we are going to see spiritual breakthrough in our churches and communities then we must rebuild and return to the altar of prayer. Wayman Rogers writes, “The ministry of prayer is the most important of all ministries in the church.  Prayer creates the atmosphere and binds the powers of darkness so the gospel of Jesus can go forward and the church can prosper....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shout of a King is Among Them

Numbers 23:21 - “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God  is  with him, And the shout of a King  is  among them.” In this passage of Scripture, the king of Moab had hired the prophet Balaam to speak a curse over the children of Israel.   He saw Israel as a threat to his kingdom.   Numbers 22:2-3 – “Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel.” When the enemy sees the people of God rising up in faith, he becomes very concerned and moves to keep us from fulfilling our assignment.   We learn in Numbers, Balaam could only speak what the Lord gave him to speak.   Instead of a curse he speaks a blessing. The enemy seeks our destruction, but God!   Listen to the conversation between God and Satan in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

They Turned Back in the Day of Battle

Psalms 78:9 – “ “The children of Ephraim, being armed, and carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle.”             Ephraim was the younger of two sons of Joseph.   His first born was Manasseh.   It was Ephraim that received the blessing of Jacob.   The tribe of Ephraim became the largest of the ten northern tribes of Israel.   Many times the Bible used the name Ephraim to represent the whole nation of Israel.             In verse 9 they are armed and carrying bows.   They are dressed, equipped, and ready to battle.   Yet we learn that they turned back in the day of battle.   The Bible identifies this as sin.   To turn back in the day of battle was displeasing to God.               To be armed meant that they were equipped with armor, a sword, and a shield. ...
Post a Comment
Read more