Tag: hiding

now covered in Love

Karla Lees

I tend to be a hider by nature.

Which only reinforces what we learned about ourselves in the Garden.

When the going gets tough, we try to hide.

This past week, I had a break through while getting quiet in His Presence one morning.    God revealed to me that i had agreed with a lie in a situation where something was done to me, which i thought had been long ago been put to bed & resolved.

God knew otherwise.

It was a sneaky lie, but one that tied me down in my spirit and hindered my desire to communicate openly.  In fact, it caused me to hide away physically & emotionally as well, and God did not want for me to remain hidden in this way.

God sees it all, the beautiful, the sin, the past, the present, the future.

I had stopped embracing some of how i was made, and settled for a layer of invisibility which covered me in both a fear and a lie at the same time.  It essentially tied part of me to the past in a way which hindered my moving forward into the pastures He is leading me towards.

God called me to trade this cloak in for His covering for me instead.

What a delight to wear a garment custom made for me!

There is a layer of invisibility woven into this must wear clothing too, but one I am so grateful to God He gifts to me.

When I remain in this covering garment, I am safe in His stronghold, my spirit invisible to the enemy’s glance.  I have a love & peace secure in knowing I am with the One who adores me, freed me, restores me, protects me & wants me with Him forever.

He can keep me safe under His wing, essentially causing me to become invisible to all but Him.  He Himself becomes my shield as I trust in Him & wear His cover.

Instead of trying to keep myself hidden out of shame, He keeps me hidden in His heart out of love.

If you too have sin or lies hidden away under layers of invisibility you think God isn’t aware of…..you need to think again.

There is nothing we can hide away that He is unaware of.

There is no place we can go where He won’t meet us there.

There is no lie or sin more powerful than the blood of Jesus!

Today, come out of hiding & hide yourself away in the secret place with Him. Ask Him if there is anything you have layered within you that you may not even be aware of, which needs to come out into the light as He makes the invisible visible. Strip off the lies, be cleansed of the sin. Open yourself to His touch, as He uproots, heals & makes you anew in Him.

Less of me hidden away means more of Him coming alive within me!
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maskheraid

Karla Lees

…the grand facade, so soon will burn….

In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel

For 30+ years now, I have sung this song, one of my faves, especially the delicate remake by Nichole Nordeman.

Today i heard another word in place of ‘grand facade’: ‘masquerade.

And in that split second of awareness that can only come from Godly given insight, I clearly knew God wants me to let go of my mask.

The mask that has been aiding me, hiding me & protecting me from the world around me.

I can relate to a few animals in the animal kingdom.  Fox. Cat. Song Birds.

Unless they are raising young, they tend to be solitary creatures, living mainly lonely existences to the outsider looking in. But they don’t care about what we think, their instinct is to hide when they are afraid.

Unless I lay down my mask, I will end up the same. Except I care too much sometimes what others think about me at times, and I am tired of hiding.

Why I am afraid? I fear that if everyone really knew the real me, they and deep deep down, God, wouldn’t like me.

The mask that was supposed to aid me was in fact an enemy designed cover causing me harm.

That’s right. When we wear masks (not when we are paid actors or acting for a scene in a play, mind you) we align ourselves with the enemy.

That isn’t any good for anyone who is one of God’s children, which we ultimately all are.

God wants us to be who He has made us to be, not hiding behind masks.

I have a few small tattoos that I got several years ago on an impulsive whim. They irked my hubby (the shock of no notice and he doesn’t like the dark black ink color) and so I have covered them up and had them lightened a bit. Masking over what I liked. (Note: Hubby has since said his issue with them doesn’t mean I have to keep them covered up when I am around him.)

Now I am aware of cultural differences, and so in my work settings where it would potentially be offensive, I do not show them off but easily keep them covered under work attire.

I am free to show them, but choose to respect the views of those around me. I am not hiding them out of fear.

In the same way, our masks that hide our true nature need to come down, yet we are to be respectful of those around us while being true to who we are.

I am an artsy writer singer tea lover momma friend who loves God.

As I take my worn mask off, I realize that I can truly not hide who I am anymore. I could only squelch it for moments, maybe even hours, but the mask was never meant to be worn long term like our true identity is.

Stop settling for a second rate version of who God designed you to be, and take a look at yourself through His eyes:

Treasured
Adored
Redeemed
Unique
Image bearer of God

That’s right.

We were made to reveal His image to the world around us.

Wearing a mask cheapens our look and limits our ability to radiate the Son.
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Am i all of a sudden comfortable speaking up for myself in some areas where I have been masquerading?

Not really, to be completely honest. I just emailed someone to make an offer of help who may not receive it well. I followed His lead, and was myself in a way that may make the reader uncomfortable.

But I know the one who will give me the right words to say, reveal the timing of when I am to say them, and prepare the heart of the one i am to speak it to. My part is to stay real before Him. And on the days when I need the reminder, I tell myself:

God loves you.

Just as you are.

Despite your foibles, pimples, quirks, mistakes, impulsiveness and everything in between!

He died for us in an eternal display of grace and love while ripping the mask of religion in two.

The veil was masking God from His people. By destroying it He re-veiled Himself, stripping the mask and shining His true image for the world to see.

I am a little apprehensive and excited all rolled into one as to what my giving up my mask will look like.

However, as I increasingly get to know the God I follow, I am comforted to know that He knows the plans He has for me, plans for blessing, hope and a future beyond what i can see right here, in this now.

I will be able to see His face all the clearer without my mask.

I can feel how much He loves me when I come, just as I am, and let His love wash over me in a river of undeserved but oh so appreciated grace, and see how He will increasingly reveal Himself to and through me as I stop hiding.

How about you?

hideaway

Karla Lees

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No matter where you go, you can never escape God.

He is there.

Psalm 139 is still with me today, reminding me that even if I go as far as the east is from the west, He  is always present.

If I were to go to the deepest depths of the ocean, or I flew to the highest of heights, I could not escape His Presence.

When I try to hide, as Adam & Eve did in the garden, He calls out…. asking where I am.  Not because He doesn’t know, but because He is trying to get me to acknowledge I am hiding.

Hiding from myself leads to trying to his, futile as it may be, from God.

There is only one exception that allows for hiding as a good thing, and that is when danger is imminent….

We all need a safe place to hide from the enemy.

God is that safe place, shelter, refuge.

We can hide in Him, knowing He will keep me even keeled when the waves are rocking my boat.

He keeps my heart full of His love when it is wounded & brokenhearted.

He keeps me peaceful when pain and loss threaten to well up and spill out for all to see.

He keeps His word, never leaving me despite the Judas’ kisses I have been given.

He reminds me who I really am,who He says I am, when the lies of the enemy resonate loudly in the battle.

He is my hiding place.

I made a decision not to hide any longer from God. 

Since He knows me so well, down to every hair & tear, and can see my life from all directions & times (past, present, future, eternal), it really is a waste of time trying to hide from Him.

Its time to hide myself in Him, again…

Every day.
Each moment.
All situations.

Claim your spot next to His Presence, in His arms, close to His heart:

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7 NIV

out of hiding

Karla Lees

Come out of hiding,
you’re safe here with Me 
There’s no need to cover
what I already see 
You’ve got your reasons,
but I hold your peace
You’ve been on lockdown
and I hold the key

Chorus:  Cause I loved
before you knew what was love
And I saw it all, still I chose the cross  And you were the one that I was thinking of when I rose from the grave
Now rid of the shackles
my victory’s yours
I tore the veil for you to come close  There’s no reason to stand at a distance anymore
You’re not far from home 

And I’ll be your lighthouse
when you’re lost at sea
And I will illuminate everything 
No need to be frightened by intimacy Just throw off your fear and come running to me

(Chorus)

Bridge:
And oh as you run, what hindered love Will only become part of the story (Repeat  ….because Jesus)

Baby you’re almost home now 
Please don’t quit now
You’re almost home to me

–Out of Hiding, Steffany Gretzinger

May your day start off with the realization that God is always singing this song to you.
#hopeinHisPresence
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