HIDING SIN FROM GOD

Josh. 7:10-11 But the LORD said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant. They have stolen the things that I commanded to be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them; they have also lied about it and hidden the things among their belonging.”

      You can’t hide anything from God. You may think you have gotten away with things in your life, but the Lord knows what you have done. You may bury things out of the sight of others, but the Lord sees it all and will not ignore it. He still holds you accountable for your sins, unless they have been turned over to Christ and you have been forgiven. All of us have done shameful things we wish we had not done, things we have buried and perhaps even forgotten about. All of us are in need of Christ’s forgiveness and cleansing. Without it, every sin will be brought into the light and exposed before God.

     You may even be doing things today in your life that are breaking the covenant you have made with God. When we confess our sins and proclaim in our hearts our allegiance with Christ, we are entering into a covenant relationship with God. We are declaring before Him that we are not going to continue to live a life of sin. We are vowing to go and sin no more. Don’t think for a moment that you can continue to sin and it doesn’t matter because you are under grace and not the Law. It matters a great deal because God sees what you are doing and will hold you responsible for your actions. Sin affects our relationship with God. It drives us farther and farther away from God.  It also affects our relationships with others since when we drift from God we no longer have the ability to treat others with the kind of love and respect that God enables us to do.  When we are miserable, we make those around us miserable too.

        Hidden sin can also cause us health problems.  We are very complex and all of the parts of our bodies work together to keep us healthy and whole.  When we allow sin to fester and grow in our hearts, our emotions and minds are directly affected.  How we think and feel about ourselves affect our ability to function in life.  When we are not at our best, the rest of the body suffers and soon is damaged.

      Do you have sin in your heart that you are trying to hide? Don’t wait another moment, confess it to Jesus and let him take it away from you once and for all. You will be glad you did.