After months of pure misery, Natasha couldn’t keep the secrets to herself any longer. They were tearing her life apart piece by piece.
Every secret she kept only made it harder for her to reveal what was really going on in her life. Natasha was a friend of mine. She called me one night on the phone and couldn’t hold back the tears as she shared what had been going on.
She had been secretly watching online porn and engaging in sexual conversations with several different guys.
She was so ashamed and embarrassed. She could barely speak the words. “I just need to tell someone! I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’m trapped in my sin and I just want to be free!”
Natasha was in bondage to the very thing she thought would bring satisfaction. Instead of bringing her fulfillment, her secret sins brought her nothing but misery for months and months.
Just like Natasha, we all struggle with sin in our lives. Natasha isn’t a special case. You and I aren’t special cases.
However, there is a big difference between struggling with sin openly, and struggling with sin secretly. Satan, the great deceiver and destroyer, wants nothing more than to keep us in bondage to our secret sins. I’ve been there in my own life, and it’s an awful place to be.
Keeping our sins a secret will only cause the bondage to grow stronger.
How about you. Right now. Can you relate to the awful feelings Natasha had?
Maybe you’re secretly struggling with dwelling on lustful thoughts and impure fantasies. Maybe it’s anger and bitterness against a certain family member or friend. Maybe you’re secretly struggling with an eating disorder, same sex attraction, or cutting.
Or maybe you’re secretly struggling with obsessing over your body and looks. You think you’re ugly, too fat or too skinny. You don’t see yourself the way your Creator sees you; uniquely designed by the hand of God (Psalm 139:13-15).
Whatever your struggle may be, keeping it a secret will not set you free.
Today is Good Friday, which marks the most incredible day in history for those of us who struggle with sin (i.e. all of us). As Christians, we hear the story of Jesus dying on the cross, but we don’t often stop to think about how personally significant that is for us!
Jesus died so we could be free. Free from the bondage of sin. Free from the power of sin. Free from the shame of sin. Free from the grip of sin.
Romans 6:7-8 says, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.”
Today, on Good Friday, we celebrate the most incredible victory of all time. Our Savior died for us and broke the power of sin forever. We now have the power, in Christ, to conquer the ugly sin in our lives.
There is forgiveness and freedom in Christ for the deepest, darkest, and most secretive sins.
This is an incredible day to celebrate!
If you are currently struggling under the weight of a secret sin, do what Natasha did.
Freedom from secret sin begins by bringing it into the light. Yes. This is hard! But it has to be done. I’ve had to confess secret sins in my own life and it wasn’t easy. But that is when I began to experience true freedom.
I challenge and encourage you to be open and honest with your parents (or a godly older person) and share what’s going on in your life. Confess your secret sins to God and ask Him to forgive you for rebelling against Him.
Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
The key to true freedom from sin is confession to one another.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).
When you confess your sins openly, it will start a healing process and you will begin to gain strength over that area of weakness.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” What an amazing promise! What hope we have.
If you have any secret sins in your life right now, don’t go another day without sharing them with your parents. If you don’t have parents who are able to listen to you, share them with a wise, godly adult. Pray that God will give you the courage to be open and honest.
Even if it’s something small, take care of it today.
Jesus died on that cross 2,000 years so we could be free. Don’t live in bondage any longer. Through Christ, you have the power to conquer any secret sin. Choose to bring it into the light today.
It’s time to be free.
- Take a moment to pray, and ask God to bring to mind any secret sins in your life.
- If any sins were brought to your mind, I want you to write them down on a piece of paper.
- Next, with your paper in hand, you need to make the choice of which direction you’re going to go from here on out. If you want freedom, confess your secret sins to God and ask Him for forgiveness and restoration.
- Before the sun sets tonight, bring your sins into the light. Share your struggles with your parents and ask their forgiveness if you need to.
- Last, ask your parents or a godly adult to keep you accountable from here on out.
For other helpful posts on this topic, I recommend reading these as well:
5 Truths to Help You Destroy Secret Sexual Sin
3 Practical Tips for Conquering Secret Sexual Thoughts
