S58P4 – This precious light: exposes our darkness

Eph. 5:6-11

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

He had his secrets before coming to Christ, and he continued to keep some of those secrets even once saved.  These were not merely the whispers of sins past; his secrets continued.  In his mind, everyone had struggles and issues.  It was okay for him to keep these things to himself, and he thought that his imperfection almost necessitated these weaknesses.  Although he was correct that forgiveness absolves us of sin, he was incorrect to think that this process begins without him.  He expected these secret struggles to simply somehow disappear or be overlooked, but he made no effort to expose them.  Without him bringing these struggles into the light, they would remain hidden, and he would hold on to that darkness.

We may be able to hide things from each other, and sometimes we might even try to hide things from ourselves, but we cannot hide anything from God.  It is interesting how we even try to do so even though it is completely pointless and senseless.  We have a Father who knows everything, and He wants to purify us completely.  Yes, we all have faults and struggles, but there is no need for us to remain that way.  There are some evils that are so great we should not even speak of them let alone partake in them, but we are not above being mired in such sin.  If we want to come out of the struggle and be set right, we must expose these things to the light.  This means confessing not only to God but to each other.

We cannot continue to keep sin in our lives simply because God will eventually forgive us.  That is not the attitude of a repentant heart. When we repent, we are taking action to address that sin head on before our Father.  If we are trying to hide what is there, we missed the point.  Our evil deeds, no matter how evil, must be exposed to the light so that we can be freed from them.  There is no shame or condemnation in this process.  It is what God requires so that we may continue to be purified.  If we want him to finish the work He started, we must bring all darkness into the light.  Father, give us truly repentant hearts that desire to expose the darkness of our lives to your light and to confess our sins one to another that we would be forgiven.