WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
JULY 18, 2022 Â
TOPIC: DANGEROUS SECRETS!
BY T. O. BANSO
“After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion” (Judges 14:8-9 New King James Version).
Some years ago, a Christian brother and I met after we have not seen each other for a long time. He told me it was by the mercy of the Lord that he was still alive. He had been sick and had surgery. Everybody thought he was going to die. He thought so too. But God took over and he recovered.
I joined him to thank God and rejoiced with him. He told me that one of the decisions he made after his recovery was to be more open to his immediate family. According to him, he had become more open with his family to the point that he showed his wife and grown-up children all important documents in his room, which he no longer locked! He allowed them to know important things that could be regarded before as a secret. He said he could have died during his illness without his immediate family knowing certain things about him.
Secretive people deliberately hide from their spouses or children vital information about themselves that affects them. Some could buy properties without allowing anyone in their families to know, not because they plan a surprise. They could operate bank accounts that their spouses or children are unaware of. And it isn’t that they have prepared a will that discloses the accounts and what should be done to them. Some could transact businesses with other people and not let their families know. Secrecy is different from privacy. Everyone is entitled to his/her privacy but secrecy can ruin relationships. Avoid dangerous secrets.
While it is not right for outsiders to have personal information about you, you should be open to your spouse, children, or close family members. Being secretive to your immediate family members is dangerous to your life whether you are married, single, or yet to marry. It could be dangerous to your family, too.
Avoid dangerous secrets. Don’t hide from your parents what they need to know, especially if you’re still under their control. Telling them may save you a lot of trouble. Don’t hide from your spouse information he/she should know. It may save your life, his/her life, your family, and your marriage. Some people are going through certain challenges, including spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, financial, and social but hide them from their spouses or parents. Instead, they, sometimes, confide in outsiders. This is a dangerous secret.
People are secretive for different reasons. Children could be secretive because they want to be independent of their parents. They don’t want their parents to control them. Sometimes they may not want to disappoint their parents or want them to think less of them because of the wrong things that they have done. Another reason could be that they don’t want to hurt their loving parents. It could also be because they believe their parents would not be able to help them. Some children may not be able to trust their parents with their feelings because of an earlier incident.
Some spouses could be secretive because of their personality traits, past betrayal, or loss of trust in their partners. It could also be because their partners do not show enough interest in them but are only concerned about matters affecting themselves only. Another reason could be because they don’t want to hurt or bother their partners.
Even outside the family, organizations could be secretive. Also, some people are secretive about matters that they should open up to people who can help them, not just anybody. Some people are proud or afraid to share with others what they are going through to receive the needed help. Thus, they suffer in silence. Imagine that a pastor only gets to know about a church member’s marital, family, career, or financial crisis after his/her death.
Such a church member could have shared his/her troubles with intimate friends but warned them not to tell the pastor, feeling that he would think less of him/her. That’s a dangerous secret to keep. It’s not all people’s secrets that should be kept such as someone confiding in another that he is feeling depressed or suicidal or intends to commit suicide or harm himself/herself. If you love the person, you should inform those who can help him/her. You shouldn’t wait until the person takes extreme action before you disclose what he/she has been going through.
In Judges 14:5-6, when Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and killed the lion, he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. He kept it secret. “So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done” (Judges 14:5-6 New King James Version). But he didn’t stop at that.
In verses 8-9, when he took some of the honey from the carcass of the lion and gave some to his father and mother to eat, Samson did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. “After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion” (verses 8-9 New King James Version). Did you see that?
Maybe if Samson had told his parents that he killed a lion and later took the honey out of the carcass of the lion he had killed, they could have helped him by emphasizing to him the need not to violate the oath of his consecration as a Nazirite. A Nazirite wasn’t supposed to touch anything dead so as not to be defiled (Numbers 6:6-12). But Samson touched a dead lion he had killed earlier. He scooped honey out of it, ate, and gave it to his parents and they ate it.
Sin is dangerous. But secret sins are even more dangerous. Those who engage in secret sins delude themselves that nobody knows or will know. When they commit a sin secretly and it is not exposed, they are further deceived that there will be no consequences or that they can always get away with it. When one gets away with one secret sin, one is deceived to continue in this direction.
When the lady Samson wanted to marry at Timnah pressured him to tell him the meaning of the riddle he posed to the Philistines, Samson said he had not explained it to his father or mother; and asked why he should explain it to her (Judges 14:16). But he later explained it to her and she went to reveal the secret to the Philistines.
Avoid keeping dangerous secrets. If you have sinned secretly, confess it to God and your parents or spouse. Sometimes you may have to tell the person to whom you’re accountable. Proverbs 28:13 says He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. As 1 John 1:9 says, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Don’t keep your secrets with the devil. This is dangerous. Satan will use it to blackmail you or encourage you to continue in it. Expose Satan to gain victory over your secret sins. Parents should assure their children that they will not punish them for saying the truth and they should not be afraid or feel embarrassed. Children should not be shamed for disclosing the wrongs they have done.
Child predators or molesters sometimes instill fear in their victims that they will harm or kill them if they tell anyone. That’s a dangerous secret that children should not keep. Let your children have confidence in you to protect them against any harm. Tell them to inform you if anyone touches them inappropriately or tell them to keep certain information from you.
In Judges 16:1, we see the downward spiral of Samson’s life spiritually. He went to spend the night with a harlot. He further went down by going into a relationship with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, Delilah, a foreigner that the Israelites were not supposed to have a marital relationship with (verse 4). She succeeded in getting Samson to tell her the secret of his power (verses 16-17). He told his secret to the wrong person and he eventually died prematurely. That was a dangerous disclosure.
Beware of dangerous secrets! Is there any secret you need to disclose for your spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, financial, and social well-being or of others? Maybe you need to tell your parents, spouse, pastor, or friend. Don’t wait until it is too late. Also, be trustworthy so that those who need to confide in you can do so. Proverbs 20:19a says he who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets. “A talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter” (Proverbs 11:13 New King James Version).
Beware of dangerous secrets. There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known or come to light (Matthew 10:26; Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17; 12:2). God sent the Prophet Nathan to David to expose his adultery with Bathsheba and the killing of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 12). A day is coming when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16). God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner, and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and was raised on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: I shall not keep dangerous secrets in Jesus’ name. I shall not tolerate secret sins in my life or keep secrets with the devil in Jesus’ name. Holy Spirit, help me to be trustworthy and not betray people’s trust, especially the trust of my spouse and children. Father, I pray that those who deliberately hide information that is dangerous to their wellbeing will confess or confide in the right persons so that they can be helped.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
  
  
  
  
