The power of secrets!

     I believe that the father of lies, Satan, invented secrets.  Why?  Because secrets hold power over you and I.  From the beginning of time mankind has participated in keeping secrets or concealing the truth.  There in the garden Adam and Eve attempted to keep the first secret of their eating from the tree.  Tricked by Satan and still being tricked today, mankind entered into a relationship where total disclosure and trust ceased to exist.  Where innocence once reigned and was supreme, now a fallen man resorted to the power of secrets.  I have secrets and I'm sure you do as well.  In fact, I don't know anyone who is secret free.  It may be a small secret but it's a secret none the less.  The only place any of us, saved and unsaved, has no secrets is with God.  The Word tells us that he knew us before the beginning of time.  He knew EVERYTHING we would think, say and do before we were even created in our mother's womb.  AND he still chose and chooses to love us as his creation. 
     Sometimes people don't want to hear our secrets.  While at other times it's inappropriate to tell our secrets to others.  However, we can discuss all the secret things that we keep inside of us.  My life for the most part is an open book.  I've written "While I Was Yet Sinning" on just this very topic.  Laying out life's lessons learned (even repeatedly learned) through events and experiences that transpired in my life, my family, my friends and my world.  My dad's abuse of me...secret until 36. My grandfather's abuse of me...secret until 38.  My secret regarding a shooting while a police officer...still a secret from some.  These are big ticket items.  How about all the little ticket items?  There are plenty of those in our lives as well.  From the pens we stole from work to the stop sign we didn't stop for to the harsh words we have for our family, secrets follow us everywhere.  The more secrets we have and keep, the greater Satan has control over our guilt. 
     If the story stopped here I would be feeling very condemned.  God, in his wisdom, saw fit to tell us that when we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness that he throws our sins away from him as far as east is to west.  Think about that.  If you travel north to south around the earth you can only make half of the trip without changing direction.  If you travel east to west there is no end of east.  There is no more power in sin and secrets when God throws them away.  So, why do we still feel guilty and carry them with us?  The easy answer is because we are not God.  The more difficult answer is that we live in a world that constantly strives to let us know what failures we are, how much we have failed ourselves and others much less God.  The Bible says, "Therefore, there is no more condemnation in Christ Jesus..."  Why do we let Satan condemn us when Jesus doesn't?  What is there in relationships with family, friends and foe where their lives are able to remind us of how terrible we are and what terrible failures we are and how we an never be anything
     Here is the key!  Take note!  This is it! 
     We don't like to be exposed of our secret lives so we expose those of others in order to keep attention elsewhere.  We do not accept people as God does.  We do not forgive people as God does.  We do no believe we are forgiven as God does.  So, we load up our family, friends and foes on our guilt and despair train and leave the station.  We don't deal with our secrets and we constantly remind them of theirs.  Well, it's time to let go.  We are known by God and loved.  We need to be known to our fellow sojourner and love both ourselves and others with Christ's love.  Don't keep secrets anymore.  Be free!