Prayer Warrior Ministries - Masks, those are the things that we wear sometimes to hide from other people, and sometimes we wear them to hide from ourselves.

If you are a stay at home mother, then that is probably the mask you wear most of the time.
If you are the "bread-winner", you wear that mask quite a bit, then you try to remove it when you come home, and put on the spouse one, or the parent one, which sometimes is a hard task to accomplish.
No matter who you are, you probably wear a mask most of the time.

Sometimes we wear so many masks that when we take one off, there is another one right behind it.
Often times, we have so many different masks, that we don't really know who we are.

We become that which we wear.

These masks can become something we hide behind, simply so that we don't have to show our real faces to anyone.
I hear it all the time in conversations, someone will ask, "How are you?" and the reply is usually, "Fine, thanks."
That person may not be alright, but the mask is on, so they must pretend all is ok, for if they were to tell the other person the truth, what would the other person think?

I remember a quote I read years ago, taken from the book,"Always Daddys' Girl."
This particular woman being interviewed said, " I am afraid to show you who I really am, because you might not like me, and then I would have nothing else to give you."
How sad that we feel that need to impress others, sometimes even trying to impress God.
How sad that we think we need the masks in order to gain acceptance, and love.

There are times when we even go to the throne of God with our masks on.
We try to convince God that we are spectacular, that we are so strong, that yes, we love Him, but just look at what I did,God!

Then we wonder why we feel a distance from God.

God is not impressed with our antics.

He is searching the hearts of mankind, seeking anyone who will simply obey Him, not one who is waiting for a pat on the back for doing what He asks.

He cannot use our strengths.
He uses our weaknesses, for His Word tells us that "in our weakness, His strength is made perfect."

"O God," we think, "I have this wonderful speaking voice, so surely You must have this huge ministry ready for me!" Or maybe this is what is thought, "Yes, I have this marvelous singing voice, so, God must want me to use that!"

Reading the story of Moses, we find that it was the "weakness" that God used, not the strength.
His eyes run to and fro across the earth searching for a people who will humble their hearts, and have a contrite spirit, for those are the ones that He can really use.

When we come to God with our masks on, we are only keeping ourselves from becoming what God has planned for us. We are denying that we are in need of a saviour, we are denying that we are weak, and need Jesus.
We only hurt ourselves, by delaying what God wants to do in us.

When we come to worship the Lord, that is what we are there to do, worship our Lord.
We have to take that mask off, and come to Him open hearted, with nothing in the way.
There are no amount of "tricks" or works we can do to make Him love us more, to cause Him to be dazzled by us.

Sometimes we may have a fear about removing that mask, afraid that God will not like us without it.
Let me assure you that God loves you.
He loves you for who you are, not what you can do.
He knows you inside and out, and loves you, His creation, and desires to fulfill His will in you.

There comes a time when we must remove the mask, and stand bare faced in front of God.

Are you ready to take the mask off?
God is waiting to see you, His child!

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