Behind the Mask

Judges 6:11-12 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord  is  with you, you mighty man of valor!”

Long before we were told that it was necessary to wear masks, some of us were already wearing one. It was that internal mask, that façade we put on so that others think we are something or someone we are not. We expend way too much energy trying to convince ourselves, and others, to believe we are who we are not. God approached Gideon and called him a "mighty man of valor", while he was busy hiding from his enemies, in fear. Jesus called Peter a stone, when He knew that Peter would one day deny him like a coward. Why did God refer to these two men by a name or title that did not match who they were at that moment? Well, because God deals with us in terms of who He is going to transform us into, by the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit working in us, and not by who we are, or pretend to be, now. However, in order for Him to effectively do this, we must take off the internal masks we have put on, and be honest before God about who we really are. In case you did not know, I will let you in on a little secret. God already knows who we are behind the masks we have put on. We need to be honest with God, and ourselves, and just let God show us who it is He wants us to be in Christ Jesus. Oh, and by the way, note that in Gideon's life, God not only showed Gideon that he was a "mighty man of valor", but He did it in such a way that only God could get the glory. Are we ready to see who we are through God's eyes? Then take off the mask...

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).