What is a Mask? Reclaiming Biblical Identity By Exposing Hidden Kings
A mask is an internalized lie we mistakenly claim as our identity, but is fundamentally external because it does not belong to our true self in Christ.
Scripture for the War:
Joshua 10:16-26: The battle of Makkedah and the subduing of the hidden kings.
Luke 10:19 & Luke 9:1-2: The divine authority given to you to tread over the power of the enemy.
Subconscious Survival: Differentiating Personal Wounds from Covert Distortions
I have spent the greater part of seven years trying to understand this thing that was so completely outside of anything I had ever experienced. As I explain in The Captive's Psalm, I have spent my entire life living as a gardener in a garden, tending and growing good things.
When the spiritual war violently came in 2019, I had nothing to fight with and zero understanding of war strategy.
My masks were entirely different from the masks HD (my ex-husband in The Captive's Psalm) wore. Initially, it was his masks I was facing, that we were both facing. But whatever exposed his hidden wounds would soon disturb the soil covering mine. Ultimately, our deep-seated traumas clashed and crashed into a turmoil our marriage would not survive.
We cannot easily see our own personal distortions, but when we are faced with the crushing weight of another person’s distortions, we must accept that we also carry our own. The beautiful part is that we can absolutely take off what was never truly ours to begin with, if we are simply willing.
The Theology of Makkedah: Exposing the Subconscious Cave
In Joshua 10, the five enemy kings aren't out in the open actively fighting; they run away in fear and hide deep inside the dark cave of Makkedah. Joshua locates them, rolls large stones over the mouth of the cave, and traps them in the dark.
But he doesn't leave them buried alive in the shadows. He commands his men: "Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me." Then, he has his commanders physically put their feet on the necks of those kings before they slay them completely.
This historical account gives us spiritual wisdom for trauma recovery:
The Cave: The deep, subconscious spaces where we hide our raw pain, fear, and shame.
The Hidden Kings: The false, internalized authority figures (like the ruling lies of "unlovable," "broken," or "rejected") governing our automated behaviors from beneath the surface.
The Execution: Bringing those lies out of the dark, exposing them to the light of God's Word and allowing Him to strip off the mask for good.
Taking Off the Mask: Releasing the Hold of Toxic Performance
This is the basic process of taking off the heavy masks handed to us by pain. But to truly take them off, we have to understand exactly where they hide and how they get their power.
A mask is an internalized lie—it feels internal because we have taken ownership of it, but it is entirely external because it doesn't belong to who we are in Christ.
We hide behind false, legalistic structures because we are terrified of the raw vulnerability of our true wounds. But rules, performance, and forced smiles cannot heal what a heart refuses to surrender.
We cannot open our hands to the tools, gifts, and freedom God has placed along our path forward if we refuse to release our tight grip from the old identities we willingly claimed or were forced upon us by others. To step cleanly into the new thing God is doing, we have to bring those hidden kings into the light, strip off the masks, and remember exactly who He says we are.
I know this sounds like an overwhelming, impossible task. Thank God for His grace. We don’t have to be perfect to walk with Him. We can come exactly as we are, with all our heavy baggage and every single mask.
His Presence is entirely enough. As we actively abide in His presence, our hidden kings are exposed, we simply surrender them to Him, asking Him to help us remove these lies we have carried for years. He will slay the kings, and those masks will fall one by one.
Returning to Truth: What God Asks of You
Identities vs. Personality: We all have masks we have worn for so long that they begin to feel like natural parts of our personalities, our stories, and our identities.
Uncovering, Not Changing: God isn't asking you to become someone entirely different, but to uncover the specific person He created you to be before the lies took hold of your life.
Freedom Over Condemnation: His truth is never meant to condemn you, but to free you completely.
Questions to Consider
What mask have I become so comfortable wearing that I am currently mistaking it for my true identity?
What specific wound or relational betrayal first convinced me that those negative labels were true?
What specific truth from God's Word speaks directly against that hidden lie?
Prayer
Father,
Search my heart and reveal every mask I have worn that was never mine to begin with. Give me the courage to bring every hidden king into the light of Your truth. Help me surrender every lie, every wound, and every false identity that keeps me from walking in the freedom You have already purchased for me. Teach me to trust Your voice above every other voice, and remind me each day who I am in Christ. In Jesus' name,
Amen.
