Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
    but in their hearts they harbor deceit.

Proverbs 26:24

Save me, Lord,
from lying lips
and from deceitful tongues.

Psalm 120:2

As a child, I was afraid of people with hidden faces. Masks, heavy makeup, moustaches, it didn’t matter. If that little boy couldn’t see your bare face, he thought there was something wrong. There was one exception; the first Easter bunny I met was my aunt, so I wasn’t in the least afraid. In spite of the mask, I knew that one of “my people” was there.

Even now, people interacting with me as a character sets me ill at ease. I am aware, of course, so I am able to manage my reaction better. But in other ways, we know and appreciate that instinct. It helps to be aware of people who seek to mislead. Why?

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

Matthew 10:6

The work of the gospel is ultimately persuasion. The things we use for good, some use for evil. We must be on guard not only for our own Spiritual development but for the sake of the Church. A disguise can hide an enemy, so Christians too must present our true face. We cannot take the Lord’s name in vain by wearing the title of “Christian” while behaving in a worldly way.

Ethan Kirl