Come Out of Hiding
by Joanne Ellison
02.19.18
02.19.18

Good morning, Making Space for God friends. I always enjoy our time together on Making Space Mondays, unpacking topics that impact our spiritual growth. Recently I have been working on preparing notes for a retreat entitled, “Come Out of Hiding,” and as the Lord often does, I sensed the Holy Spirit working in me, exposing areas where I need to take off my mask and deal with something. The false-self rises up and does his happy dance when we make choices to hide our real lives consisting of real stuff like guilt, shame, stress, unforgiveness, etc. No one wants to expose those things. Better to keep those skeletons in the closet.

But God…. so loved the world that He sent His only Son to bring us life eternal and freedom. No masks allowed in the kingdom of freedom. In preparation for the retreat, I kept tripping up on my fear of being found out. My imperfect life exposed before all of these women who are coming to me for wisdom on how to come out of hiding. I recognized “old red legs” who kept whispering his lies that I am a hypocrite.

But God… with His Truth spoke to me through His Word:

My grace is sufficient for you and my power is made available through your weakness; for your weakness is my strength. 

Now talk about freedom. The cross meets the place of my weakness, my own unforgiveness, or stress or shame. The cross intersects my powerless life and gives me the power to be transformed by the renewing of my mind through God’s Word. My imperfect life exposed under the transforming power of God’s Truth would enable those who were hiding to come out of hiding; those who were dealing with issues stuffed down deep to come clean.

Friends, all of us have issues and areas where God is not finished with us. All of us have real lives with real problems.

But God… is ever ready to take our places of hiding and bring them into the light for our freedom.

Would love to hear from you how God has done this in your life. Let us be a community of Making Space for God folks who are willing to take off our masks and surrender to the work of God in us. Whew… now doesn’t that sound amazing? It’s truth that truly sets us free.

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2 Comments

  1. Cynthia

    Joanne thank you for this grace filled message. I have recently begun to confess hidden sin with a trusted friend and it has been freeing. The enemy would like us to stay stuck and unmoved especially when God has spoken for us to move. I have been meditating on Isaiah 30:15, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and confidence is your strength.”
    This verse leads me back to the cross daily sometimes hourly as I work out my salvation with fear and trembling. When I do turn to him, the Lord strengthens me to rise and carry on like the soldier that I am.

    Reply
    • joanneellison

      Isaiah 30:15 is one of my favorite Scriptures Cynthia! Keep pressing into Jesus and the power of the cross. Joanne

      Reply

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