The Revealing

A well-made mask clings to the user’s face, thus obscuring his identity completely. So is it with some not wishing us well. Their intentions are carefully hidden. These masks are worn well. Years can pass by with another’s motives well-hidden.  God bestows upon Christians the gift of discernment. It is vital that we wield it to distinguish whether evil or good intentions are meant for us.

The Pharisees were well-versed in the deception of mask making. They presented themselves as upstanding men of their community; worthy of praise. Jesus was quick to expose both their hypocrisy as well as their true motivations:

Matthew 23:23 KJV

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

His words were harsh; full of condemnation. He knew that the Pharisees were misleading the people by placing their focus on rituals, rather than on godly behaviors required by God. Jesus cursed them for their fallen leadership.

Jesus was completely authentic and led by example. Followers of his Way knew he had their best interests at heart:

John 15:15 KJV

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

In these end times, masks will surely fall. What remains beneath, will no doubt, shock us to our core:

Matthew 10:35-38 KJV

³⁵ For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

³⁶ And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Guard your heart. We sometimes assume people want the best for us. Sadly, it rarely works that way. As God says, “Trust no man”. We need to place our faith in him alone.

Carefully constructed masks will begin to slip as the wheat and chaff are separated in these End Times. Eventually, all evil will be exposed by God. Be careful who you associate yourself with because the one you expect least is generally the one with the most elaborate mask.

-Melanie DiLeo