January 7, 2019
Hazardous Waste: Uncovering Our Hidden Sins
 
Below you will find an audio of the devotion being read for you, followed by the written devotion. Listen on the go, listen as you read along, or enjoy reading it without the audio. God bless!
 
 
Stop Hiding Start Seeking
If we are serious about detoxing our souls, we must come clean with God about our sins. And before we can come clean with God, we must be brutally honest with ourselves. We must be willing to take an honest inventory of our lives and acknowledge any areas that are causing sin, and work with God to eliminate those harmful things. They are not worth the heartache they cause. Lay aside every sin and weight that so easily hinders our progress as we run the race of faith. (Hebrews 12:1) The amplified version says it this way, “stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us”
 
Instead of trying to hide our sin from God, let us come into His presence and seek His face. We can boldly approach the throne of grace in our time of need. He already knows about our sin, but he waits for us to humble ourselves and confess it to Him.
 
Proverbs 28:13 sums it up this way: “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Those who hide their sins cannot receive God’s blessings. Those who confess find mercy and forgiveness.
 
Notice there is a second element, beyond simply confessing our sins. We are also encouraged by scripture to renounce our sin, to forsake it. If we are going to find true freedom, we have to do more than lip service. We must also do our best, by the grace of God and the help of others, to avoid continuing in our sins. As I like to say often, this doesn’t mean perfection is expected, but we must have a willingness to forsake sin in order to find joy and peace.
 
It may help us forsake sin when we understand that God commands are for our good, and for the good of those that we influence. as we read at the beginning of our devotion today, sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden, but it is forbidden because it is hurtful. God forbids things that will hurt us and hurt others.
 
Two sides of Confession
I would be willing to venture out and say that most, if not all, of us understand the importance of confessing our sins to the Lord. He is the one who forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (John 1:9). While we know well the power of confessing our sins to God, we do not always understand the value of confessing our faults one to another that we may be healed.
 
Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the only one who has the authority to grant forgiveness for sins. But there is a strength that comes as we open up to one another. We cannot grant forgiveness of sin and eternal life, but we can edify and bring healing to one another.
 
A Community of Support and Grace
I pray often that the Lord will help our church have an environment where people are safe to share struggles with sin, to confess our faults to one another. I am believing God to help us condemn the sin but embrace the sinner. I am believing the Lord will help us get rid of self-righteous attitudes and minister grace to one another. Thank God, He is producing a meekness and a humility within us that is necessary for people to come to a place of healing and deliverance.
 
Pastor Groeschel includes a story in this chapter about how one man’s confession to his life group set off a chain of miracles.
 
Choking back tears, a young man humbly admitted that he struggled with an addiction to pornography. That night happened to be the first night for a young lady. It was the first time she had attended a Life Group in this church. Witnessing his confession, she sat stunned, waiting for everyone else in the group to condemn him. But instead of turning on him, the strangest thing happened, the group gathered around him and supported him. His courageous confession led to a couple other people in the group speaking up about how they had their own struggles in the same area.
 
This experience gave the young lady the confidence she needed to confess that she was begrudgingly working as an exotic dancer. She hated her job, but the money was good, and she struggled as a single mother to pay bills. Once again, instead of condemning the young lady, this group stepped up and offered their full support. One group member encouraged her to quit and promised to pay her some money to help with her bills until she could find a better job. Others spoke up, and within a few minutes, the group raised enough money to last her a couple months. It wasn’t much later when she was able to secure a job from another group member’s connection with a local company.
 
All these things were possible because a young man understood he could not conceal his sin, and he could not keep it to himself. Forgiveness and grace are available for us all if we will take the time to uncover and forsake our sin.
 
I rejoice over this story. This is a picture of the body of Christ ministering healing and grace to one another. I believe this is the will of God for His church. It is beautiful, and it helps people be set free.
If you can overcome a particular sin by simply confessing it to God and moving forward, that is awesome! No need to admit it to anyone else. Confess, forsake, and move forward! On the other hand, if you cannot overcome something, I encourage you to bring a loving brother or sister in Christ into your situation. I wouldn’t recommend telling everyone, but a mature saint will help you. Don’t be afraid of rejection. If they are a true Christian, they would never reject you for humbly confessing your faults. Confessing our faults and forsaking them is an honorable thing! We can overcome!
 
Getting rid of secret sin is vitally important in our ability to be cleansed and move forward a new creature in Christ Jesus! Jesus wants to help you. He will never reject your humble request. He resists the proud (those who hide their sin), but He gives grace to the humble. Run to Jesus and be set free today.