SECRET SINS  

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

TOPIC: SECRET SINS  

BY T. O. BANSO

“Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins — even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry. You will sleep without fear and be greatly respected” (Job 11:13-19 Contemporary English Version).

The problem with Job’s friends wasn’t that all their statements to Job were wrong. Their problem was that they accused Job falsely of being guilty of the things they said. They wrongly assumed that Job’s suffering was because of his sins and he should repent.

Although Job also said some things because of God’s silence during his trials, God later vindicated Job and said his friends had not been right in what they said about Him, as His servant, Job, had done (Job 42:7).

Zophar the Naamathite, one of Job’s friends, said, “Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins — even those you do in secret. Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless. Your troubles will go away like water beneath a bridge, and your darkest night will be brighter than noon. You will rest safe and secure, filled with hope and emptied of worry. You will sleep without fear and be greatly respected” (Job 11:13-19 Contemporary English Version).

Zophar said this in his first speech in response to Job’s plea of innocence in his suffering. Though the scripture was a good message for the wrong person, we can learn from it. Zophar talked about secret sin. Sin is bad but secret sin is worse. It’s extremely destructive.

From what Zophar said, we can deduce the following as the consequences of not giving up your secret sins: (1) shame (2) lack of confidence and fear (3) continued troubles (4) overwhelming darkness (5) danger and insecurity (6) hopelessness and worry (7) sleeping with fear (8) loss of respect. However, when you surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins – even those you do in secret, you’ll begin to enjoy the exact opposite highlighted in Job 11:13-19.

Those who commit secret sins may continue for a long time because they believe that their sins are hidden from the public or nobody will find out. Some of them may not agree that God knows about the sins or is concerned, while others believe that He knows but they are not bothered about the consequences. But most of them often assume that no human being knows or will know. But it will be wrong to assume that nobody except God knows or God doesn’t know. The Bible says God knows what you do in secret (Matthew 6:18). He doesn’t need to find out – He knows. Hebrews 4:13 says no creature is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Psalm 90:8 says, “You spread out our sins before you — our secret sins — and you see them all” (New Living Translation). The New King James Version renders it thus: “You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.” David said, “O God, You know my foolishness; and my sins are not hidden from You” (Psalm 69:5 New King James Version). God knows the secrets of the heart (Psalm 44:21b).

Also, the fact that you didn’t see anybody while committing a sin doesn’t mean that sometimes nobody sees you! Don’t be deceived. Gehazi thought nobody saw him when he secretly went to Naaman, lied to him, and collected the gifts which his master, Elisha, had rejected. When he returned and Elisha asked him where he went, Gehazi lied that he didn’t go anywhere.

But Elisha said, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever” (2 Kings 5:26-27a New King James Version). Gehazi went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow. Every sin starts with a lie! People say nobody sees them or will see them, or nobody knows or will know.

When David impregnated Bathsheba and killed the husband, Uriah, he believed he had covered his tracks – nobody would know except Bathsheba. Joab only knew about the death of Uriah. But God saw everything and revealed it to the prophet Nathan. David had to own up. He admitted that he had sinned and God forgave him (2 Samuel 11:1-26; 12:1-15).

But sometimes someone doesn’t need to be a prophet like Elisha and Nathan to find out your secret sins. He may just happen to be somewhere at the time and you didn’t see him or he may receive information that you have been hiding. Secret sins will be exposed sooner or later and those committing them will be disgraced. Repent now before it is too late. Repent before you’re involved in a scandal or you’re disgraced. Repent before you die and you will face the judgment of God.

The Bible says your sin will find you out (Number 32:23b). Give up your secret sins; don’t try to cover them. Whoever covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy (Proverbs 28:13). Paul says, “The day will surely come when God, by Jesus Christ, will judge everyone’s secret life. This is my message” (Romans 2:16 New Living Translation). The New King James Version says, “in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”

If you’re committing certain sins secretly that you assume are hidden from others, you may not be correct. Some persons may know and may just keep quiet waiting for the right time to expose you or expecting you to stop. But the day they will expose you, you will be shocked. It could even be that your partners-in-sin may decide to confess and, in the process, expose you!

But because you’ve not yet been exposed, you may deceive many people by presenting yourself to be who you’re not. They may think you are a holy, responsible person while the opposite may be the case. But whether some people are aware of your secret sins and have chosen to keep quiet, or you’ve succeeded in deceiving others who are ignorant of your secret sins, know that your sins are not hidden from God. “He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him” (Daniel 2:22 New King James Version).

Don’t think that because things appear to be going well for you despite your secret sins, which have remained secret, it means nobody knows or God is unconcerned or unaware. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 New King James Version).

If you persist in your secret sins, you will be exposed one day. You can’t get away with your secret sins. There have been cases in the past where some respectable persons and role models were celebrated in life and death but, unfortunately, their secret sins, sins they didn’t repent of,  were uncovered thereafter. They became a serious disappointment and embarrassment to their families, followers, and supporters. Repent of your sins, including your secret sins.

1 Timothy  5:24-25 says, “Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden” (New King James Version).

Nevertheless, whether people’s secret sins are exposed while they’re alive or after their death, they cannot miss the judgment of God. Hebrews 9:27 says it is appointed unto men once to die but after this the judgment. God will judge people’s sins, including secret sins, one day if they don’t repent now. “But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 5:3-5 New King James Version).

Also, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (New King James Version).

All these sins are the works of the flesh as Galatians 5 puts them. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21 New King James Version). Those who practise some of these sins do so secretly but certain persons are probably aware of their sins. However, these sins are before God.

God says about the people of Judah, “For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols” (Jeremiah 16:17-18 New King James Version).

Jesus says the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. There is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known ( Luke 12:2). What someone living in secret sins needs is not to engage in PR! He needs repentance. He does not need to try to make himself look good before men; he needs to confess his sins to God. His focus should not be on his public image but his standing before God.

A child of God should have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but expose them (Ephesians 5:11). The Bible says it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret (verse 12). A Christian should not engage in shameful things and feel comfortable, deceiving himself that nobody knows. Don’t deceive yourself; don’t cover your sins. Be open to God who already knows everything, and stop your secret sins. If we confess our sins, secret and open, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

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 that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected 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: Father, I stop covering my secret sins but confess and forsake them; have mercy on me. I repent of my secret sins and ask for forgiveness through Your Son, Jesus Christ. I give up my secret sins today and stop living as a hypocrite. I will no more have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Holy Spirit, help everyone who professes to be a Christian but lives in secret sins to repent and forsake them.

(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org