TAKING OFF THE MASK


The Lord has been taking me through a stripping process.
It is sometimes very painful. He is taking me behind
the false face of public Christianity, to acknowledge
the things that I really feel in my heart, for whatever
reasons.

FOR THE HEART IS DECIETFULLY WICKED, WHO CAN KNOW IT.

Often times we pretend to love, we pretend to forgive,
we pretend to enjoy the company of others, but we really
don’t feel those ways at all! We try to make our self
“act” right. This stripping process is a wake up call to
the things that are lurking behind the hidden places in
my heart or hiding under the old, thought to have been
healed wounds that are still scar tissue waiting to
respond to a painful pricking. My heart responds one
way, my Christian persona responds in the socially
accepted and taught way. This is a good way to keep the
peace, but is a false way of keeping in God’s peace.
There is a battle going on here! Holy Spirit is signaling
a red alert! This mask must come off. This hidden thing
of my soul is being exposed to the Light of Jesus in my
spirit man. Jesus is saying to me. Take off the mask.
Get at the hidden thing. Destroy it! Lay the axe to its
roots, pull-up every tendril. Place coals of fire from
the Holy altar in the Throne Room upon this impostor to
God’s loving fruit of the Spirit. Burn it up!
This thing is part of the old wineskin that must be
destroyed. I need a new wineskin in order to receive
the new wine. I need a new heart from God, one that
is not ashamed to be “real”. One that is not ashamed
of unloving reactions forced to scurry behind a nice
Christian façade.
This is a new heart of nakedness, of boldness, of honesty
and yet of fruitedness. This is a holy paradox. As the
scars of my old nature are ripped out, the nature of
Jesus begins to blaze forth and even I can tell the
difference.

The New Covenant calls this unmasking deliverance, dying
to self, putting off the old man etc. Some of this involves
casting out demons, old spirits that have been in there
for a long time. Some of them I thought I had gotten rid
of a long time ago, but my reactions proved differently,
because:

THE HEART IS DECEITFULLY WICKED, WHO CAN KNOW IT EXCEPT GOD!
Many Christians like to deceive themselves they have no need
to be delivered from unclean spirits because they are redeemed
and are washed in the blood of Jesus. However, some of our
spots are stubborn. They show up on our garments. They also
cause us to stumble time and time again, even if it is just
in our thought life. AS A MAN THINKETH IN HIS HEART, SO IS HE.
Perhaps it is time for you to look into the mirror of the Holy
Spirit and check out your Christian face. Look carefully.
Be honest. Do you see the face of Jesus looking back at you,
or do you see a cleverly constructed imitation, a false face,
a mask? If you see a mask too, just know that it’s time to
TAKE OFF THE MASK.