Masks

"Praise the Lord.  I'm blessed.  I'm doing great" - the cliché answers we get or give when asking or being asked how we are doing. I understand the need to be positive. I understand that we are not to live by our feelings. I understand we need to confess what the Word says about us. BUT I also know there are people right in our churches who are broken. They fear saying how they really feel because  that "wouldn't be faith talk." 

 

It is time for the church to become a safe haven; a place where people can reveal in order to heal. Do we camp out on the problem? No. But once we know there is a problem, we can offer the solution. We need to become more sensitive to the inner cries of those around us. We have in us what people need to be free. However, we can't help them if we don't know help is needed. We need to make ourselves available so that God's healing touch can flow through us. 

And remember: Healing is a process. Helping someone who is emotionally broken requires time and a whole lot of patience. Many of us don't want to invest that kind of commitment in the lives of others. We don't like our glass house being disturbed with interruptions and needs of others.  Unfortunately, this leaves us with churches full of people putting on their “church face” and never being real with one another. Is this what “church” is supposed to be all about?

“The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity” Luke 4:18

 

All that’s hidden

 

 Must be revealed

Nothing gets past Your eyes

You know the darkness underneath

You know the inner cries

 

You want to peel the mask away

And erase all of the fakeness

You are not pleased with the lies

You’ve come to expose the weakness

 

You desire that all of Your children

Would have oneness with each other

But these walls are such a hindrance

Of us being real to one another

 

You know everything about us

The reasons we are insecure

Only You have the answer

To release us from this fear

 

It can’t be done in our own strength

The supply comes from only You

Deliver us from this bondage, Lord

Make us a people who walk in truth

Drop the Cape

Many of us carry a "superman" persona where we feel less of a person if we need others. Being weak is not always a bad thing. It pushes us to look at our humanness that is not wired to carry things alone. We were created to need both God and people.  Why would God send us the Holy Spirit, our Comforter? Why would He tell us to bear one another's burdens? Why did Jesus send the disciples out 2 by 2? Because we need help! We need support.  We need encouragement.  God wants us to experience His love not only from Him through the Word and time spent alone with Him, but from Him through His people.  Time to drop our capes! It's ok, really! :)

(John 14:26, Galatians 6:2, Mark 6:7, 1 Corinthians 12:20-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Repentance

Oftentimes we are so driven to a life of perfection and self willpower that our "repentance" becomes a method. It becomes about us; OUR feeling "a clean slate," OUR feeling "right," OUR success driven thinking to personally have victory over sin. In doing so, we miss the real point of repentance,  An opportunity to connect with the very One whose heart we grieved.  A time to reflect on Who enables us to overcome.  A moment of embrace. A beautiful occasion to hear, “You and I are okay.”

Transparency

 

 

 

Why is it that you hide from Me

As if I do not see?

Why do you remain silent

When your very thoughts I read?

You want to feel My presence

But you can’t see past the walls

that hardness of heart built over the years

When will they ever fall?

I need you to be transparent

Speak to Me what you feel

If you want to build a relationship

You’re going to have to be real

I’m not looking for fancy speeches

Don’t waste your time trying to impress

I just need you to begin to speak to Me

And allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest

Share with Me your struggles

No matter how shameful they may be

I already know the temptations you face

I’m the One to set you free

You fear the thought of surrender

Afraid I will strip everything from you

Do you really think I will do you harm?

I only want what is best for you

There’s freedom in your surrender

Time to give up the fight

Your heart will never find the rest it needs

Until you and I are right

Be open to Me – and be transparent

No more excuses to not even try

I can see you snuggled behind your “comfortable” walls

So why even try and hide?

Worship

 

 

 

"You've been married FIVE times, are living with a man, and engaging in sex before marriage." 

 

Words of condemnation?  Was this Jesus' way of telling the woman she was unclean and needed to repent? OR were these words of compassion spoken from Love Himself?  He knew her.  He knew her past.  He knew her pain.  He knew her present.   At that very moment Jesus became the face of the Father that loves us no matter how stained and soiled we are.    Right smack dab in the middle of her mess, He initiates a relationship with her. 

 

This woman knew all about religion and the law.  I am sure her family taught her all  the rules and traditions of what "worship" was to look like.  Yet her heart still ached.  There was a void that wasn't being filled by knowing all the right things to say and do.  She probably mastered the "art" of appearing religious while maintaining a hidden lifestyle.   She grew to understand that acceptance and love are only given when you act a certain way, maintain a certain look.  And yet Jesus comes along and shows her another way.  He didn't want her "punch in the time clock" worship of singing a few songs at church, learning the right Christian lingo, speaking properly and politely, standing up straight...   He wanted to show her that worship is about Him having all of her and her having all of Him.  True worship is birthed out of relationship. 

 

He says, "I want you to understand My heart toward you.  I want you to know that I love you regardless of yourself.  I know all of your weaknesses and sin struggles and I still love you.  I already know that apart from My Spirit you cannot fix it yourself.  It  is out of a love relationship with Me where your true freedom is found.  Stop trying.  Stop beating yourself up because you keep messing up.  The more you drink of  My life giving water, you will learn how to just be.  It won't be striving anymore for you.  The only "doing" you need is to stay close to Me.   Staying close to Me is what worship is all about.  As I pour into you, who I've created you to be will come out naturally."

 

 

Drawing from a source

That is only temporary

A thirst never quenched

Issues only buried

 

A desire that is craved

But you never truly get

No matter how much you have

The need is never met

Come see what I have to offer

You will never again thirst

It will become a well within you

In which eternal life is birthed

 

If I told you all your secrets

And counted your failed tries

Would you draw from My well

Where you’ll finally be satisfied?

(John 4)

Spills

"I need ALL of you" I heard the Lord speak. ALL of me. He wants the good, the bad, and the ugly. He wants the things I am ashamed of. He wants the pains, the struggles, the frustrations, the questions. ALL. 

Notice He didn't say He "wants." Though He does want all of us, in order to work in us, He NEEDS our cooperation.

We have to quit shoving things under the rug with God. It's impossible to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul, body, and strength - as we claim we do, if we don't give Him all of it. Just as an earthly relationship with secrets, it's those very things that destroy the intimacy and damage the relationship. We need to expose to Him the things He already sees - which in turn grants Him permission to heal, mend, and adjust our mindsets so we can be all we are called to be in Him.

Anything unrevealed will not be healed; will not be cleaned or made whole. If I spill something on the floor and leave it undealt with or carelessly spot clean, the damage remains. It may be visible damage or it may be damage that is only seen when the carpet is removed. In order to restore or fix the "spills" in our lives, we have to confront them head on by allowing God in. We must allow Him to shine His healing presence on the condition. When our "free will" chooses to let God in, He then has something to work with.

Upon opening the door to Him in ALL areas, we then need to trust Him. Trust Him that whatever He tells us is for our benefit and the benefit of others. Trust Him that even if what He tells us is painful at the moment, it's always for our greater good. He may require you to rip out the carpet to get to the spill. You may be, along with God, restoring the floor. Not an easy task. Not a joy ride... but His purpose is always greater... It's always to get you to the other side - to the side of His will - because He knows that it is in His perfect will, in His presence, joy and fulfillment are found.

I challenge myself - I challenge  you - to surrender your ALL. Expect Him to do some rearranging because He will. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts... He won't always do what we are comfortable with. The process isn't always a quick work because anything rushed is rarely done well.

Quiet yourself. Wait on Him. His voice is calling out, "Give Me ALL of you."

 

(Matthew 22:37, Isaiah 55:9, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 139:23, Psalm 51:10-12, Isaiah 53:4-5, Psalm 30:11, Jeremiah 29:11, Jeremiah 18:4)

Secret Place

 

 

 

 

 

Pour upon me

Your anointing

Fill me up

to overflowing

Flood my soul

with Your presence

A healing touch

straight from Heaven

Your presence

is so amazing

Your love, oh Lord

is unchanging

You put life within me

once again

Your faithfulness

never ends

The veil’s been torn

I can enter in

to that secret

and holy place

I want to be

where Your presence dwells

Where I can see You

face to face