“Removing the Masks”
Holy Spirit thru Priscilla Van Sutphin
I had quipped to a friend, a dead man
cannot be offended; something I heard,
that a man spoke on TBN this week. I
have no idea who that black pastor was,
but he was right on in what he had to
say, & I was surprised at his honesty
in all he talked about. And I knew it to
be true So of course this morning, I got
tested on that quip. I had a sure word,
I thought for the church but they would
make no room for hearing it, so I was perturbed.
I felt sad & angry that no one really wants to hear the word of the Lord today unless it is soft, yet what I had, I thought to be an encouraging word. Obviously I was not dead enough. I had to go to the jail to see & pray w someone so I just left early & I pondered all that had happened, worshipped & repented to My Lord. This is what I had seen...
First I saw a mask on a man, not like one of those hard plastic masks, but the kind in the movies where someone actually looks like someone they are not; soft rubber & the Lord's hand was removing it not gently, not really roughly, but firmly & quickly removing it. I believe He is saying " I am removing the pretense off My church"
And since He had been doing this in many of us, I can tell you it is painful, but also necessary. It is His grace & mercy to do so. And the scripture He gave me was from 1 Kings19 where Elijah is running from jezebel's threats, & then come the wind, the earthquake, & the fire.
1 Kings 19:11 NKJV Then He said, "Go out, & stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, & a great & strong wind tore into the mountains & broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; & after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 & after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, & after the fire, a still small voice.
When the purging comes, the voice of the enemy can be louder than the voice of God. It is important to listen for the still small voice. We are tested as by FIRE & the winds will blow away the chaff, but in all of this, we must listen for that familiar, still small voice of TRUTH. Do not let the enemy tell you that God cannot forgive the pretense you have been walking in, or all the sin that is behind it. He died for all of your sins. He is not surprised at your failures.
Apart from HIM we can do NOTHING anyway. It was by grace you were saved & that alone. Otherwise we could boast in our own efforts. And there is the voice of the harsh taskmaster that has been ruling in the church today, prodding the sheep to get it together, but not willing to sacrifice anything of their own lives to help in the process - just impatient that the sheep aren't better.
In this, I have also been guilty. I have at times been tired of the church that is without compassion. Too much in a hurry, & no time to give to people. But then that takes LOVE. Love is able to deny self long enough to give to someone else without compromising our health. But the church is filled with people who have not truly been healed & delivered. All of us are there. I don't care who you think you are.
Someone who is well known in our area had just admitted to a homosexual lifestyle. Religion has been covering for a long time, but God is removing the masks. HE WILL
HAVE A BRIDE WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH & like a friend aptly put it, when God shines His glory on you, you suddenly become more aware of your blemishes, not just the light of His glory.
We cannot serve two masters. The master of deceit is the author of pretense. The Master of the Universe is a God of LOVE who is ready to forgive the one with a contrite heart, no matter where that heart has strayed. Jump into the fire & remember that Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego came out not even smelling of smoke & with them was the Master, in the middle of the fire.
I had spent all afternoon & evening at a deliverance session just north of LA where we had church, as it should be...a hospital, where people get healed & delivered, then as they get free, they are free to minister in prophecy or healing, or whatever the Lord is saying is allowed to come forth, & the body as a whole is participating in the process...It was a place where there was much compassion, & I couldn't help think...why can't it be this way all the time? Where the Spirit is allowed to be in charge of all that goes on, & where each part of the body plays it's part. This is where the Lord wants to take us...but until we get the healing & deliverance we need, we will be living with our own imperfections & must have the forbearance that God has, with us, for each other.”
1-13-2002 Priscilla Van Sutphin
