"unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away [the vanishing splendor which had been upon it]" (2 Corinthians 3:13) [from Amplified Version].

"Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (2 Corinthians 3:16).

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

I believe that God is more concerned with what overcoming does IN us than what it does FOR us. While we are going through the fires of life, on our ordained paths of overcoming, God desires several things to be worked IN us.

Some of them are:

The purifying (testing) of our faith

Being conformed into His image (transformed into the same image from glory to glory).

Affirming our belief of the truth of the Word in our lives by standing against adversity.

The "breaking" of our flesh, our old nature, so that His nature will prevail.

Going through the path of death and resurrection so that death has no more power over us.

The process of wearing out our spiritual enemies, and putting them into an early retirement in the Pit.

Dwelling in the Secret Place with Him so that we know Him intimately.

What is our responsibility?

Perhaps, as the Amplified Bible infers, Moses had an issue with pride regarding how others saw him (I am not sure). We need to take the veil off of our face. We need to be real and open with God. We need to look into the "mirror of His Word" and allow Him to discipline and to train us. In doing so we are repenting from areas of pride, sin, unbelief, rebellion, etc.

When we take the veil off of our face, God takes the veil off of our heart.

"Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (2 Corinthians 3:16).

The result is that we are changed into His image and likeness.

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29).

Larry Chkoreff, March 2001