Have you ever hidden something? Have you ever done something—had a conversation, viewed something, coveted something, desired something, physically given yourself to something—that you wouldn't want anyone else to know about?
I have.
I would hate for you to see a video of some of my worst moments.
We often try to cover up and hide those worst moments; we don't want anyone to see them. If we keep them covered, we don't have to deal with their gruesome reality.
But sin grows best in the dark.
Sin's power over us is strengthened through darkness and secrecy.
Sin's power over us is strengthened through darkness and secrecy. In the early stages of a sinful addiction, a believer has the gracious voice of conviction from the Holy Spirit inviting him to confess and come clean. But it's easy to turn a deaf ear and block out the sound of conviction. It's easy to hide from the voice of God when your heart longs for sin's offerings more than it longs for God.
If we ignore God, He is gracious enough to bring a few wake-up calls into our lives. Sometimes it's just a gentle rebuke from a song's lyrics or a statement from someone led by the Spirit. Sometimes it's harsh consequences that shake us out of our love affair with sin.
And every now and then, God just graciously rips the covers right off our hidden sin and exposes it for everyone to see.
Recognizing my own sinful ugliness is painful—and it requires some hard choices.
When caught in a cycle of repeated sin, there are really only two ways to respond:
- When convicted about my sin, confess and seek accountability.
- Turn a blind eye and try to cover it so no one sees, which will allow sin's stronghold to grow in my life.
Psalm 32 describes the contrast of covering my sin by hiding it versus allowing God to cover my sin with His redeeming work of forgiveness:
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! (vv. 1–2)
We are blessed when our sin is "covered" by the blood of Christ.
When we run to God, confess our sin, seek His forgiveness and grace to repent—when we ask for grace to love Him more and to hate our sin—then we are blessed. We are blessed when we aren't operating in deception by trying to "cover" our sin by thinking we can hide it from God and others.
I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD;" and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah (v. 5).
But when I'm unwilling to repent, when I want to hang on to my sin—that's true misery for a Christian:
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer (vv. 3–4).
True joy begins when the darkness that is covering our sin is ripped away and we can step into the light of day.
True confession always brings true freedom.
God is a gracious and redeeming God. That's just who He is. True joy begins when the darkness that is covering our sin is ripped away and we can step into the light of day.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart (v. 11).
Are you walking in the light today? Have your sins been covered by the blood that brings forgiveness or by the darkness? As painful as it might be, bring your sins into the light today and find freedom in Christ.
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