Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.

I heard the expression, “We are as sick as our secrets.” and I was reminded of people who have chosen to walk in disobedience to God’s directions and then wonder why nothing is working out in their lives. Prov. 28:13 He who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy. They admit to needing a successful resolution to the problems they have caused through sin but cannot attain victory because they will not confess their secret sins that caused the problem. I agree with the expression “We are as sick as our secrets,” because many people are as sick and unsettled as the sinful secrets they are hiding.

This is a sidebar thought. Prov. 28:13a He who conceals his sins will not prosper. Is this one of the reasons why there is so much poverty in the world? Just thinking out loud, but if everyone on earth would confess their sins, would poverty be wiped out because prosperity would flow? Is this why Satan continually encourages people to hide their sins and deny they took part in them? No wonder Satan grins at hidden sins because the sins will grind a person down toward discouragement and then despair. The Lord says to come boldly to the throne of God and obtain the grace needed to get rid of our sins so we can be set free from the bondages that hold a person down. Heb. 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Another dilemma that shows up when hidden sin is prevalent, is that these same people wonder why they cannot get ahead in their Christian walk and find their relationship with God to be an insipid chore. Everything they do feels like a hardship that cannot be overcome, and soon discouragement moves into their souls. It is said that Psalm fifty-one is an account of King David coming clean and confessing his sins of adultery and orchestrating the murder of Bathsheba’s husband Uriah. David had been burned by his sins and he was making a full confession of all the sins he had tried to hide. Psalm 51:2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

We have seen enough calamity over the years as numerous evangelists fell on the big stage because of hidden sins. They forgot the scripture that declares they will be found out. Num 32:23 But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the LORD, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. The ministers who obeyed and confessed their iniquities went on with the Lord. Some of them were damaged but went on with God nonetheless, but those who justified their iniquitous behaviour are still floundering their way through the problems they created. 2Tim. 3:7 Always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. If they would confess their sins, the truth would flow through them again.

The Lord instructs us to come together and ask for prayer when we are going through the tough times of falling on our faces. God says to confess our sins to each other so that healing will eventually come to us in the areas we fall in. James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Why give Satan something to accuse us of? Wipe that grin off Satan’s face by confessing our sins to God and repenting of them.

The joy of being freed from what once controlled a person, whether it is an obsession or addiction, is beyond explanation. Ask an alcoholic who is now dry and clean from the addiction how good it feels to have authority over the alcohol that once controlled every action and thought. Ask the same of a drug addict who is now drug-free and in their right mind, how good they feel now that they have the say in what goes into their body. Happy is the man whose sins and destructive choices are forgiven because they have taken control of their soul by letting Christ in and allowing Him to do a complete remodelling of their life. Psalm 32:1 Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned. Yes, happy is that man who no longer hides sins but confesses them and gets rid of them – happy is that man. Amen!