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NIV is used unless otherwise noted.



Secrets

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
James 5:16


Secret.

There isn’t a more lonely word. When you have one, you feel isolated. Judged. Dirty.

Maybe you’ve kept something hidden for so long that it now seems a part of your DNA. It feels like you’ll never not carry it.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can take step one to loosen its chains, weakening its power over you. It requires courage – and honesty.

It means that you must be real with yourself- and with someone else. It means taking the mask off and showing that one part of you that you really wish didn’t exist – to one other person.

This is often the first move toward healing. It means taking an honest look in the mirror – and then choosing to tell the truth. It means naming that hurt, addiction, illness, sin. It’s the only way to release its control.

With whom can you share your secret? Do you have a friend or family member you trust? Or is there someone at your church in whom you can confide? Ask God for help in identifying this person and then determine a time when you can talk with them. Give them permission to offer you Biblical advice and direction. Then listen and take the next step.

Being candid and vulnerable is often the hardest part - but it’s vital if we are to walk toward freedom and healing.

Lord, help me be honest with myself and someone I trust. Please give me the courage to take this first step.

Whitney

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