secret things

Another great devotional from Girlfriends In God. I am so challenged by today’s thoughts. We all have secret things that we hide from others. What do you hide from your spouse, family, friends, and co-workers? God doesn’t want us to live in secrecy. He wants us to live a full and rich life free from bondage. That rich and full life only comes from Christ. Nothing we try to satisfy ourselves with, will fill that void. Our validation and meaning comes from Him. Make sure to read the suggestions below for combating our secret habits.

Have you ever noticed how often Satan uses secret things to trip us up on our journey...those secret places that reside deep within our soul that we keep hidden from others and even try to hide from God?

Think about it...

...Pornography is usually done in secret.
...Excessive shopping can be done over the Internet, with no one watching.
...Eating disorders develop in isolation when we binge by ourselves, purge with no one
around, or publicly pretend to eat, but privately starve ourselves.
...Negative attitudes and thoughts begin in the sanctity of our mind, secretly taking root
in our hearts.

The things we watch, what we think and how we spend our time are the "secret places" Satan can and will use against us. Yet, often we continue in our secrecy, afraid to reach for Truth. Why?

Secret places seem safe. Secret places are familiar and can be kept hidden. Secret places feel comfortable to us, so we cling to them.

It's not that we don't want to be honest and get real about the secret places in our soul. It's just easier to keep the truth hidden than it is to get real about things from the inside-out. Though most of us crave authenticity, our fears of being "found out" are what keep us living in secret, which is exactly where Satan wants us to stay. The crafty, conniving one knows that if he can get us to continue to bury our secret places deep within our heart, we can't be effective for God. He knows that thoughts of our private sins will eventually eat away at us, causing us to feel fraudulent and unworthy of the love and acceptance of others, and most of all, our Heavenly Father. However, the truth is, we are the ones who don't love and accept ourselves. Not God.

Friends, the message of Jesus Christ is one of hope and restoration. It is one of freedom, of unconditional love and acceptance, and it is one of Truth and spiritual exposure. What He wants from all of us is greater authenticity, greater genuineness, and the Truth, that can only be found in Him.

So, how do you combat those secret keeping habits you have developed over time?

1. Practice telling the truth. Telling the truth is a choice and needs to be a conviction. Healthy habits can and will be formed when practiced repeatedly, and truth telling is an important habit to cultivate.

2. Develop a genuinely authentic faith. Recognize the importance of authenticity, and begin making it of utmost priority. Do things to strengthen your walk (prayer, Bible study, etc.) and to guard your mind.

3. Recognize that no one has it all together. See Satan's lie for what it is and determine not to get into the comparison trap with others. You cannot know what a person is all about by what they look like on the outside.

4. Stop trying to be perfect, act confident, appear happy, and seem super spiritual. These are some of the most common ways we, as women, pretend. When we operate in a spirit of truth and openness, we will be able to live without pretense.

5. Determine to live your life with a genuineness that others will cling to and want to emulate. Honesty facilitates honesty. When you begin to get real and honest, hiding nothing in your relationship with God and others, people will begin to take notice and follow suit. This will strengthen all of your relationships and build up your self-esteem!

By: Lisa Whittle
www.girlfriendsingod.com

Lord, I pray that those who are reading this devotional might be convicted and encouraged. May we all know that You came to set us free from a life of bondage. I pray in the powerful name of Jesus that you would set us free from our secrets. I ask that you would expose the sin in our life that we have become comfortable with. Transform us to the men and women you desire us to be. Amen.