December 23rd
“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:19-21 NKJV
God’s light can be a powerful revealer of truth when we allow it to shine into our hearts. It can be a fearful prospect to ask the Lord to reveal our sins to us. That fear comes from our innate tendency to avoid the exposure of our evil deeds. Just as Adam hid from God in the Garden of Eden, so we may feel the desire to hide or keep our deeds hidden from God.
Hopefully, we’ll resist the temptation to keep our sin hidden. When we feel that convicting twinge in our conscience, the right thing to do is to come clean with God and repent from our sin. When we come to the light, we confirm that we love God and the truth. It is then that we receive the forgiveness and healing that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 4:1-2, 1 Peter 2:24).
I remember being convicted of a Grinch-like attitude a few years ago at Christmas. I had asked the Lord to speak to me that particular day and lead me during my devotions. Talking with my wife at breakfast, I said something that prompted her to mention that I seemed to favor my own family over her family in regards to Christmas gifts. I got irritated with her remark, thinking surely she was mistaken. After leaving the table in a huff, I mulled over the suggestion during the ensuing hour. The Holy Spirit gently brought my sin to my attention and I saw that my wife had indeed been correct. He reminded me of some recent examples that illustrated that I had been partial toward my own family. As the weight of the revelation began to sink in, I knew I had to ask for my wife’s forgiveness and then for God’s forgiveness, which I did. I felt much better about things once I had confessed and received forgiveness. This cleared the way for me to receive God’s attitude adjustment and love for my whole family.
Many of us may have things in our hearts that are not pleasing to God. Continuing to suppress our convictions of hidden sin will only lead us further away from God into the enemy’s deception. If we can muster the courage to ask God to shine his light into those dark areas of our hearts, we will discover that he is gentle and kind in dealing with us. He will only reveal things to us as we’re ready to deal with them. The revelation may be painful, but he will also provide the comfort and strength that we need to get right with him in that area.
Questions for further thought:
What assurance do we have of God’s comfort? (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 7:6)
How can practicing sin affect our ability to recognize sin? (Hebrews 3:13, Ephesians 4:22, Romans 7:10-12)
What things do confession and repentance clear the way for? (1 John 1:9, James 5:15-16)
How penetrating is God’s light? (Hebrews 4:12, Mark 4:21-23)
Prayer:
“Father in heaven, thank you for your truth and light. I invite you to shine your light into my heart and reveal the things which are not right in your sight. I repent from the sin that I’m aware of now; specifically: ________________ (list). I forgive any persons that I have held in resentment, bitterness or anger (list names). Please forgive me of these sins and wash me by the blood of Jesus. Holy Spirit, please heal my heart and empower me to embrace righteousness in those former areas of rebellion. Thank you, Lord, for the peace that I now have with you through my faith in Jesus. I praise you, now and forever, Amen.”