How authentic are you? Do you act one way at church surrounded by fellow believers and another way at work surrounded by unbelievers?
The Apostle Paul said that he became all things to all people (1 Cor. 9:22 NIV). I think some Christians take that scripture too far. They wear “masks.” I’m not talking about the masks we’ve worn for Covid. I mean some Christians put on a façade—a false front. What they appear to be is not who they are.
Some people wear a mask and pretend to be somebody else because they think that’s cool. (Think back to your high school days.) Others hide behind masks because something happened to them. They try to act as though everything is OK. But inside, they’re hurting.
People have an endless number of reasons for wearing masks to conceal who they really are. But regardless of why they do it, it’s time to take them off. The good news is, they don’t need to hide behind a mask when they know who they are in Christ.
When we are born again, old things pass away and all things become new (2 Cor. 5:17). We become something different. But many of us don’t realize what we possess on the inside.
Let’s purpose not to complain but keep thanking God until we receive from Him.
When God Moves In
Romans 8:11 says that the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us. And we see in First John 4:4 that God, who is in us, is greater than the devil who is in the world.
The Greater One dwells in us! We are no longer ordinary people. Each one of us has become a super-person!
A mask—a façade—can never make anyone a superhero. But Jesus can. How? Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” There isn’t anything we can’t do! Why? Because we serve a God who is more than enough. Our God is greater than adversity. He is greater than any sickness or financial lack we will ever face.
Whenever we encounter issues, we don’t have to put on a mask and act as though everything is OK. We don’t have to try to maintain an “image.”
Have you ever noticed how life can be going good, and BOOM—the devil hits you across the face and puts something on you or pulls you into adversity? When that happens, you have to remember that the Greater One dwells in you. You can look within and say, “Jesus, I need help!”
Do the Math
When something hits me hard, I have a simple math problem I always do. Remember the “greater than” sign we learned in math class as kids? This is what it looks like: >
I apply that symbol to my situation. During all tests and trials, the equation looks like this:
Jesus is > sickness.
Jesus is > financial problems.
Jesus is > _______ (Fill in the blank.)
It doesn’t matter what’s on the other side of the equation. Jesus is always greater!
As we’re going through life and something comes up that looks pretty tough, let’s put it in this equation and see how it stands up against Jesus.
We often worry about things we have no business worrying about. We see ourselves as natural human beings and don’t realize what’s in us. We’re too busy wearing a mask and pretending to be somebody else. But it’s not about hiding who we are; it’s about knowing who we are in Christ.
The New Testament is filled with scriptures that tell us our identity in Christ. As we study these verses, we’ll discover that we are not ordinary people. We are superheroes—not in our own strength, power, or might, but through Christ. In Him, we are overcomers!
Author
Craig W. Hagin
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One Comment on “Take the Mask Off & Be Who You Really Are”
thank you for the article