Have I tried to hide my sins as people normally do, hiding my guilt in a closet? - Hiding - TouchPoints

Have I tried to hide my sins as people normally do, hiding my guilt in a closet?

Ephesians 5:12It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.

Our sins make us want to hide from God and others. But when we try to hide our sin, we are also hiding from forgiveness, which is the only way to be free from sin.

Matthew 5:15-16Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.

Sometimes, we try to hide our faith from those who might ridicule us for it. We may think that “fitting in” is part of our evangelism, but if we begin to compromise God’s commands to do this, we’ve fallen into a trap. Not only is this dangerous to our own spiritual health, but by covering the light of Christ, we hide Jesus from those who need him most.

Exodus 3:10-12“Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You will lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” “But who am I to appear before Pharaoh?” Moses asked God. “How can you expect me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?” Then God told him, “I will be with you.”

Jonah 1:1-3 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh! Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction in order to get away from the Lord.

Fear makes us want to hide from God’s call on our lives. Jesus never said following him would be safe—in fact, he promised the opposite. But he also promised that he would be beside us every step of the way (John 16:33, Matthew 28:20).

1 Samuel 10:22and around . . . So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?” And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.”

Matthew 25:25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth and here it is.

Sometimes, we become intimidated by our God-given responsibilities and try to hide from them.

1 Samuel 13:6When the men of Israel saw the vast number of enemy troops, they lost their nerve entirely and tried to hide in caves, holes, rocks, tombs, and cisterns.

Psalm 55:12It is not an enemy who taunts me— I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me— I could have hidden from them.

The strength of our enemies may make us want to hide from them. With God leading us, though, we need not fear (Mark 4:40, Psalm 46:1-3, 1 John 4:18).

Job 24:4The poor are kicked aside; the needy must hide together for safety.

Proverbs 28:12,28When the godly succeed, everyone is glad. When the wicked take charge, people go into hiding . . . When the wicked take charge, people hide. When the wicked meet disaster, the godly multiply.

Oppression from others makes us want to hide. We fear for our own safety and the safety of those we love.

Isaiah 58:7I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Matthew 25:41-45For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me anything to drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me no clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me. Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I assure you, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

Sometimes, we hide from those in need because we don’t want to spend the time, money, or effort to help them. Rather than be reminded of other’s needs, we try to avoid them, hoping to escape the guilt. When we do this, we miss the heart of what Jesus taught—and miss our opportunity to serve Jesus himself.

Genesis 43:30Then Joseph made a hasty exit because he was overcome with emotion for his brother and wanted to cry. Going into his private room, he wept there.

Proverbs 14:13Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.

Proverbs 26:26While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, it will finally come to light for all to see.

We want to hide our feelings and emotions from others because we don’t want them to see us vulnerable.