December 21
Scripture focus: Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Psalm 51:6
Yesterday I told you I know about secrets. Here are some things that I've learned about secret keeping:
- When we keep secrets, we live in a constant state of anxiety and fear. We're held hostage to the fear of being found out.
- When we keep secrets, we are alone. No one truly knows us.
- When we keep secrets, our shame flourishes. As it grows, our true God-created identity shrinks. Shame loves to move into our hearts and take up all the space.
- When we keep secrets, people intuitively know that something is not quite right. Secret-keepers often experience a perceived loss of friendships (not because they have no friends, but because they are in hiding and their friends can't find them).
It's hard to become wise when we're living in darkness.
Recommended reading: Ezekiel 14 - 19
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8 comments:
I hate my secrets. But I am too afraid to live in the truth. Because the real me isn't beautiful.
This message has revealed to me that I am becoming more and more secretive, i.e. less and less transparent as time goes on. In spite of my NS community and in spite of all the blessings and successes in my life.
I am very sad today. I don't want to hide, but I'm too afraid to own up to all my faults.
Pray for me, please.
What are you going to do about it?
Christ allows free will to believe or to not believe. He loves it when we choose HIS will and ways.
In my short Christ experience HIS will is for me to engage with other believers, build community, find someone that I respect that has something I want and engage one secret at a time leading to freedom.
I have to make that choice.
Blessings C
I understand where Anonymous is coming from. It is sometimes difficult to be honest with another person for fear that they will judge us.
Since I am an on-line person, I don't have the opportunity to know everyone there. I attend church here regularly, but there have been a lot of changes in our church over the last couple of years and we don't have this program here. Venture to say, I don't think some of our folks would understand this kind of honesty. I am not sure there is anyone here I could be honest with regarding my secrets. Sad state of affairs maybe, but I refuse to let it get me down. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!
Thanks for understanding :)
You know this was a strange experience in sharing. I came here online to my community to share honestly about where I'm at and how I'm struggling with the day's message. I was just saying it's hard. I was taking a risk and sharing with my online community, asking for support and prayer. I kinda felt slammed by "C" and it made me want to go back into my secretive hole and not come out again.
Fortunately, I'm not quite that sensitive and my community is bigger than this one experience. I'm glad to know there is at least one other person who can understand where I'm coming from.
Anonymous, I think we have all been there, done that, and Still do that to this day no matter how long we have been following the Lord or/and in recovery. We would only perfectly tell our secrets if we were perfect!....NOT. Praise God He knows all my secrets, and yours, and died for me anyway.
Some secrets are really only secrets to us and no one else's business anyway imo... I am very selective in who I tell what to. Would like to quote a Scripture here but cannot pull it out of my head, however, it relates to being wise...something we definitely need to do with secret telling...
Yes, Lovetoo said it correctly about being selective who we tell our secrets too, but there is One we can tell all our secrets too, and He will understand and love us even in our sad state of affairs. Sometimes we forget that He is there, always, no matter what time of day or night.
Yes, I too, think it would be nice to be able to sit down and have a cup of coffee with a person I have trust in, but right now I don't know who that would be. But I know He will listen and I can look at His Word and find answers, if only I give Him a chance. Merry Christmas to you all! We are having a blizzard here in Kansas.
Really weird for us!
secrets destroy us. truth telling sets us free. "therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed." (James 5:16)yes, we all must be selective in who we tell our secrets to, but one is not being selective in not selecting. 'afraid to own up to faults' or 'no one else's business anyway'? reasons or excuses? community or isolation? faith or faithless? "if we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:6-9) is there any difference between silence in the company of our spiritual brothers and sisters, and flat out denial? more often than not, He is almost always there through those around us, so look into His eyes through the eyes of those we know right now, and invite someone to share your burden. 'papillon'
Ah, Papillon, a little mercy, a little kindness, a little practicality. "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith , more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ...As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls." (I Peter 1:6-9) Whether just on line or in the flesh at North Star, there are groups that you can join right where you are that are confidential where you can safely open up. AA, NA, SA, OA-secrets almost always involve addictions. These groups are the place where others have gone before you and told their secrets, and are waiting to help you. "a bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not quench." (Isaiah 42:3) dumb canuck
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