Hidden Agendas: Dropping the Masks that Keep Us Apart (New Growth Press, May 2016)
We like to pretend that hidden agendas are just for self-important bosses or egotistical politicians, but we all have them. Deep down, we all have a secret plan for getting from where we are to where we want to be, even if we refuse to admit it to ourselves.
And if our hidden agendas aren’t enough, we wear masks to obscure the truth even more. We put on these masks—like religion, appearance, power, politics, or protection—to drive our agendas. But all of this leaves us feeling phony, ashamed, guilty, and afraid. It’s killing us and hurting those we love. But for most of us, it will be a cold day in a hot place before we will be fully honest with anyone else.
There is so much more to life than hiding, pretending, and never being loved. In fact, there is already one person who sees behind the masks we wear and the hidden agendas that drive us. It does no good to tell God that you’re sick when you’re drunk, that you love him when you don’t, or that you didn’t steal and eat an apple (with apple juice dripping down your chin). God always recognizes and loves the “you” behind the mask.
So what can we do about the hidden agendas we have and the masks we wear? How can we gather the courage to be real? “Being real” has to start with your relationship with your heavenly Father. God already knows you inside and out. But God doesn’t know you in order to “out” you to your friends. His unconditional love for his own is reason we can pray to our Father without fear of rejection or judgment. Knowing God’s love, knowing that your heavenly Father is for you not against you is the only reason to give up your masks and develop the type of authentic relationships you never thought you could have.
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My Thoughts:
This book was a good and challenging read from Pastor Steve Brown. In the book Brown addresses the masks we tend to wear and how that affects who we are as Christians as well as how it affects others. Wearing these masks that he discusses in his book also hinders in our relationship with Christ an from being who God wants us to be. This book is one that everyone needs to read. It will challenge you to examine the hidden masks you have in your own life. It may not be easy hearing what he has to say but it is worth it.
I was given a copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my review.
Read what other reviewers are saying here – https://litfusegroup.com/author/sbrown
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