WHAT LIES BENEATH

Psalm 51:6 (msg) What you're after is truth from the inside out.

    Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life

On the surface, everything may seem right in our lives. We may sound good, look good physically, and we may appear to be “just fine” spiritually. But, what lies beneath all that?

We can be calm on the outside, yet be seething with rage and fear inside. We can act cheerful but, in reality, be miserable.

Almost all of us have “baggage”---unresolved issues. We have hurts and even strongholds that keep us from being all that God wants us to be. These things won’t just go away; we need to deal with them. We do need to dig down and uncover the problems that are there or we’ll never build ourselves up in power---never reach our full potential.

See, the problem is that we wear masks that hide our true identity from others (and sometimes, from ourselves) and we begin to believe the roles we are playing. We fear intimacy because we’re afraid others will see what’s really there. We crave independence because we don’t want to get hurt. We focus on the “bad” things that have happened to us and use it as an excuse to live in distrust, thereby suffering from ‘relationship deficit’.

But, God-given relationships help us reach our goals and fulfill our dreams. We can never make it alone. Mary needed Elizabeth and Elizabeth needed Mary. David needed Jonathon and Jonathon needed David. They had a God-given relationship. They made a covenant that saved David’s life and Jonathon’s offspring. Thank God for those kind of covenants. Of course, the covenant is only good as long as we keep it and walk in it. Covenants are not made to be broken.

It’s impossible to get to know someone when we’re wearing those masks---impossible to have a ‘real’ relationship. It’s also impossible to evaluate our own lives. Take off the mask and get out from behind the wall you’ve built. Look yourself in the eye and see what’s really there---then let God change you into His image. When He does you’ll see it because you are looking!

James 5:16 Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].

    GOD HAS GOOD

 PLANS

 FOR YOUR

FUTURE

know what I'm doing.

 I have it all planned out--

plans to take care of you,

 not abandon you,

plans to give you

the future you hope for.

   "When you call on me,

when you come

and pray to me,

 I'll listen.

Jeremiah 29:11

(Message Bible)