Dealing With Secret Sins Job 31: 27 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
We all have secret things that trouble us. That is, we have things that we lust after or that we think about or have thought about that we don’t want to discuss with others. They are secret. This lesson is on how to deal with those things without disclosing to others what they are. There are a few things that we need to understand about secret faults and sins before we discuss what to do about them.
Secrets reside in your heart – Job 31:26-27 – Job was concerned about being secretly enticed in his heart. The problem with sin starts down in your heart. As a good friend recently said, “If the thinking is bad, you can be sure that the doing is going to be much worse.” Jas 1:14-15 describes the sequence of events leading to sin and eventually to death. You are first drawn away by your own lust, then you are enticed, and then you sin.
Someone else can secretly entice you – Deut 13:6 – if someone entices you to do something secretly, don’t go with them. That is, if you have to do secretly what they are enticing you to do, then don’t do it. The problem is that if you have been secretly thinking about a certain thing and then, suddenly, someone presents you with the opportunity, you’re going to be in trouble [Prov 9:13-18, Prov 9:17 bread eaten in secret is pleasant].
Your secrets aren’t really secret – Ps 44:21 – God knows your secrets. You are kidding yourself if you think you’re hiding them from God. Secret sins are not harmless.
God will judge your secrets – Ecc 12:14 says, “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing… good or evil.” So, you’re not getting away with anything.
The devil knows your secrets, too – Ezek 28:3 – there is no secret hidden from the devil. Thus, he is wise in temptation. He knows your secrets and, therefore, your weakness and he knows how to set you up.
How to deal with your secrets:
Pray for cleansing – Ps 19:12 “cleanse thou me from secret faults.”
- Cleansing by the blood of Jesus – Heb 9:14; 1 Jn 1:9.
- Cleansing by the word of God – Jn 17:17 “sanctify them through thy truth.” Prov 16:6 “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged and by fear of the Lord men depart from evil.” 2 Ki 17:9 the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the Lord their God. They knew they weren’t right but did them anyway. Don’t do that. Obey the truth.
Walk in God’s light – Ps 90:8 “thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.” 1 Jn 1:7 “walk in the light.” Stay in such close fellowship with the Lord that the light of his presence manifests your secrets. His light will keep you from them.
Be attentive and responsive to preaching – 1 Cor 14:24-25 “thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest.” Though the preacher doesn’t know your secrets, his preaching keeps your secrets exposed to lots of light. Be faithful to all the services.
Stay near godly friends [light]; stay away from secret things Eph 5:8-13 “it is a shame even to speak of those things that are done of them in secret.” Keep away from viewing or talking about the things that exacerbate your secret sins. Your godly friends will bolster your desire to live in the light and in righteousness.
Replace bad secret things with good secret things – Matt 6:1-18 don’t just get rid of the secrets but replace them with something that you do in secret for the Lord.
- Matt 6:4 give alms in secret,
- Matt 6:6 pray in secret,
- and Matt 6:18 fast in secret
Conclusion: secret sins are particularly difficult to deal with and these remedies that we have seen in the scripture will help you. Don’t look so much for deliverance; rather look for continual growth toward the things of God and away from your secret sins. If you must discuss your secret sins with someone, make sure he or she is a close confident you can trust and who can provide specific godly counsel and prayer. A parent, a pastor, or a spouse may be helpful.