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

A Declaration of Ownership

Psalm 24:1-2 – “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.”               Psalm 24 is the third part of a trilogy with Psalm 22 and 23. David opens Psalm 22 prophetically with the words Jesus would say on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?” Psalm 23 reveals our Lord as the Great Shepherd who cares for His sheep. Psalm 24 reveals the Lord as the King of Glory.  Psalm 24 begins with a declaration of ownership. The Psalmist identifies the Lord as the Creator. Psalm 24:2 says, “He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. Psalm 89:11 says, “The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.”  The beginning of cr...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tent Peg of Jael

Judges 4:21-22 – “Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her  tent,  there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.”             The book of Judges covered a chaotic time in Israel’s history.   A key Scripture for Judges in found in Judges 21:25, “Every man did was right in his own eyes.” There were seven cycles of apostasy, where the covenant children of God would turn away from the principles of the Word of God.             When they had godly leadership they would serve the Lord.   When that leader would die they would turn f...
1 comment
Read more

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