How to Find Freedom From Your Secret Sins
There is frost on the once-lavender heads of the Canada thistle today. I sit at the window with intentions to soak in God’s restorative presence, but what settles upon me sends a chill down the nape of my neck, like frost on a clear winter dawn. The chill is my body’s response to the reality that the secret sins of my life are not hidden from the One who paints the dawn with shimmering ice.
Most of us have them—those secret sins we don’t mention at the prayer gatherings, burying them deeper and speaking of more socially acceptable sins like yelling at our kids or filling our schedules to the brim.
Your secret sin is the one you know you should quit, but every time you try to give it up, you fail.
It doesn’t seem to directly hurt anyone.
It’s satisfying in a very palpable way.
And so you indulge again. You tell yourself you’ll do better next week or next month or tomorrow, but in your heart, you haven’t quite committed to walk away just yet.
Feeling Bound by Your Secret Sins
Your secret sin might be your addiction to online shopping or gossiping.
It might involve something you eat, something you drink, or something you imagine.
It might involve a slightly trashy TV series you can’t seem to resist, chasing applause on social media, or grabbing onto something that’s good in moderation but destructive in excess.
We all need space to let God speak into our secret sins, and the truth of the matter is that he doesn’t speak into these areas of our lives to steal our fun or take away our comforts; quite the opposite, he speaks into our secret sins because he wants us to live in freedom, joy, and abundance.
As I stare at the sleeping landscape, frozen beneath fingers of crystallized sky, I take an honest look at a habit that’s gone too far.
It’s not nearly as scandalous as the sins of my younger days, but it’s a distraction, nonetheless. It requires my time and attention when my time and attention would be best spent elsewhere.
The First Step for Overcoming Your Secret Sins
The invitation I sense on this frosty morning is simple: Walk away from my secret sin for good. Walk away, don’t turn back, and never again indulge—don’t even entertain the idea of indulging.
Friends, this is repentance.
Repentance isn’t merely feeling remorse for our mistakes; repentance is turning away from our sins and turning toward God. Turning toward God includes turning away from even entertaining the idea of how you might indulge.
A wise mentor once told me that when you start making a plan for how you would hypothetically pull off your sin, you are just a breath away from actually falling.
If we’re going to find victory in our lives, we need to put a fence around our minds and refuse to even entertain hypothetical ideas about our temptations. We need to cast down and cast out these temptations because indulging in the hypothetical plan puts you on sin’s doorstep every time.
We need to cast down and cast out these temptations because indulging in the hypothetical plan puts you on sin’s doorstep every time. #overcomingtemptation #sin #repentance Click To Tweet
Don’t Even Entertain the Thought of Pursuing Your Secret Sins
When I look at this sin in my life, the invitation is black and white. I usually embrace clear lines drawn between black and white, but in this area, I’ve been lingering too long in the gray area. I’ve been making excuses and saying it isn’t really a sin.
And here’s the thing about some of our secret sins: Whether we’re stalking real estate listings searching for nicer homes, watching slightly inappropriate movies, or indulging in too much food, what is a sin for one person might not be a sin for someone else.
In my life, God has set boundaries I know I cannot cross.
There are boundaries about the way I eat and drink, what I watch on TV, how much time I spend on social media, places I refuse to allow my mind to go, activities I will not participate in, and more.
For someone else, crossing these lines wouldn’t constitute a sin. But for me, because I have sensed God’s boundaries, crossing these lines is sinful.
My secret sin in this season isn’t a sin for everyone. But it’s something God has asked me to turn from. Despite his gentle conviction, I have continued to entertain thoughts, ideas, and plans.
As I sit with God by the window, I finally make up my mind to obey. I confess my wandering and turn the other way. I also commit to stop making hypothetical plans about the behavior.
This is how we defeat our secret sins: Close the door and refuse to even entertain the idea. #repentance #victory Click To TweetIn an instant, a wave of peace washes over me.
I look over the past weeks and see just how much energy and attention was lost to thoughts about the topic. Closing the door on it all feels like freedom—like a breath of fresh air I didn’t know I needed.
Your Invitation to Overcome Your Secret Sins
Ask God to show you if there is a sin from which he wants to set you free in your life today. Name that sin in the light of his presence. Remember, God will not induce guilt; his desire for you is freedom.
Maybe you’ve been justifying a certain behavior in your life. In the deepest part of you, you know it isn’t pleasing to God. It’s not always easy to turn away from these sins, but the first step is acknowledging the need for change.
Take the first step today.
Confess the sin to God. If you have received Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, your sin is forgiven. Receive this forgiveness.
Now, ask God to help change your desires regarding this sin. Imagine yourself turning away from the sin as you turn toward God (this turning is the act of repentance).
Finally, follow where you sense him leading. Tell a friend. Make an appointment with a counselor or pastor. Throw away the object of temptation. Set a boundary.
Is God asking you to stop making plans to pursue this behavior? Where is he leading you?
Talk to him about what you are sensing. Commit to follow where he is leading.
Conclude with a time of thanking him for his desire to set you free. Thank him for his immense love for you.
Thank Jesus for paying the price for this sin when he died on the cross for you. Not only do we find forgiveness at the cross; we also find the power of the Incarnate Christ, who provides us everything we need to turn away from temptation and live godly lives. Thank him that though you are weak in this area of sin, his power is made perfect in your weakest places.
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