Friday, July 26, 2013 -- Secrets In The Dark (2)

Sometimes, when it suits our agenda, we make excuses for not telling the truth.  We turn away from guidance in the word of God regarding a particular area of thinking or behaving.  We convince ourselves that no one needs to know about certain things that have happened.  We are afraid of scorn or misunderstanding.  We have certain areas of our past that we are not ready to deal with yet.  Sometimes, we simply want what we think is the best of both worlds.  We may live with secrets simply because we haven’t been caught.  We think we are getting away free.  In society, people say things like “don’t ask, don’t tell” as a way to live in tolerance with others who embrace a certain lifestyle.  We then tell ourselves, we’ll be fine in our recovery if we adopt the same “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach.  

Jesus said:  People do not light a lamp and then hide it in a jar or put it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand. Then those who come in can see its light. What is hidden will be seen. And what is out of sight will be brought into the open and made known.  (Luke 8:16-17 NIRV)

Regardless of the reason for our kept secrets, we know there is discomfort inside us.  We know what has been done to us.  We also know what we have done, and we project how we would feel if someone found out.  Today we need to ask ourselves, “What is the one area of disobedience and darkness that holds me back and keeps me from experiencing the light of God’s love, joy and peace?”  God has given us a clear description of what works to produce a good life and what causes harm. We need to determine if we are holding on to things that are contrary to what God says is good.  When talking about those who refuse to trust Him with their whole life, Jesus said, "Here is the judgment. Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light. They loved darkness because what they did was evil. “Everyone who does evil things hates the light. They will not come into the light. They are afraid that what they do will be seen." (John 3:19-20 NIRV)

Do we truly believe that our thoughts and actions, apart from God, are wrong?  Have we stopped doing certain things simply because of the painful effects we experience or because we know it is time to come clean about what is wrong inside us.  God invites us to repent and turn away from the wrong thinking and believing that is at the root of dysfunctional behaviour in painful circumstances. When we respond to anything in our experience contrary to the love of God, we will think, act, and react in dark and shameful ways.  Dark things happen but God's love is strong and available at all times to heal and strengthen and make whole.  As long as we allow dark experiences to shape us and make up excuses for shameful behaviour, we will return again and again to darkness.

God has light for us today that will remain and guide us for the rest of our lives.  To live in the light we must choose daily fellowship with God and allow the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out 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, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7 NIV)

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