As children, many of us often played a game that entailed keeping secrets. But it seemed as if those secrets had a short lifespan. If they lasted ten minutes, they were a real secret.
When asked about her age, the renowned author and speaker Erma Bombeck always had a great comeback. “Can you keep a secret?” she would ask. “So can I.”
Being privy to a secret seems to hold a sense of self-importance, however innocuous the information might be.
The Bible addresses the topic of secrets, as Jesus notes in this verse: For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Ananias and Saphira found out the hard way that keeping secrets from God doesn’t pay (Acts 5:1–11). Ananias sold his land and kept some of the profits for himself, even though he said he gave it all away. When Peter confronted him, Ananias died. Through their example, God taught early believers that truth is a cornerstone of the church.
We all have secrets from our past. The Holy Spirit is specific when asking us to deal with an issue that has become a roadblock in our effectiveness for Christ. He pinpoints it. It is never some vague feeling of guilt that the Enemy employs at will.
I once wrote a letter to my high school speech professor years after taking his class and confessed that I had plagiarized my final exam speech. The assignment was to speak about an influential person in my life. I copied the eulogy given at my grandfather’s recent funeral and passed it off as my speech. I didn’t drop dead upon my confession, but my pride suffered a severe blow.
Discernment and listening to the still, small voice of the Spirit are essential. God is not asking us to air our dirty laundry. However, he wants to free us from unhealthy secrets that have chained us to the past and block growth in our Christian journey.
Why not pray what King David did, “See if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
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Deborah Payne is an educator in both the public and private sectors. Her passion is mentoring young believers. Deborah lives in Fort Wayne, IN, with her husband Bruce and playful cat Scooter.