I'm believing more and more that secrets are not good.
That satan loves secrets. That secrets give satan lots of ground.
That secrets destroy.
That Jesus longs to free us from the secrets that bind.
See, when I came to Christ, back in my early teens,
I didn't bring everything to Him. I thought I couldn't bear to.
And so I left the cross with a secret.
For awhile I basked in Jesus' forgiveness and my new birth.
But only for a while....
Satan then took up where he had left off.
Using the ground of unconfessed sin to stand on.
And over the next number of years he built a strong fort there.
Leaving me powerless and without joy.
Add that to the sadness and insecurities that I still carried...
My life was not abundant...overflowing...or even full.
All because of a secret that grew into more secrets.
But because I had never tasted freedom,
I didn't know what I was missing...
Thank God the story doesn't end there.
Thank God for His relentless pursuit of His children.
Thank God for redemption.
Thank God for His leading to freedom...step by step...
Now, looking back, I realize what I thought I couldn't bear to confess,
I really couldn't bear NOT to. What a price I paid...
Years of carrying a backpack of guilt, shame, and fear of discovery.
It fills me with longing...Longing to shout out
DON'T KEEP SECRETS!! IT'S SOO NOT WORTH IT!
I realize that with that longing comes a passion to reach out.
That is called redemption.
If we bring our sin, mistakes, and failure to Jesus,
He can turn it into something useful and beautiful for HIS glory.
Am I proud of who I was or what I've done?
Not in a million. But I don't have to hang my head in shame.
Jesus has taken the shame away.
He has accepted me and He is molding me into His likeness.
And I praise His name, because it's the story of who He is...
Loving, Redemptive, Full of Mercy, All-Powerful,
And He is longing for our hearts to be turned completely to His.
Without secrets.
May you find your rest in Jesus today...
