Hidden Sins

I remember as a starving teenager, I'd often go to the kitchen in the middle of the night and eat cake, or some other dessert. But because I didn't want to get caught, I didn't cut out a normal piece. I'd cut a long, skinny piece the width of the cake pan. Make sure not to move the pan. Put the knife back where it was. Trying my best to cover up my sin.

It was the perfect crime.

In the moment of temptation, we are thinking about the pleasures of that sin.

But at the same time we plot our cover-up story.

We forget that no cover-up will hide our sin from God.

"You have set our iniquities before You,
Our secret sins in the light of Your presence."
(Psalm 90:8)

God knows. All of our sins are set before Him. They take place in His presence. Picture that the next time you're tempted to peruse porn in the dark in the middle of the night. It's not really dark. You are in the light of God's presence.

God knows our thoughts, too. So even the sins of imagination, where we think no one can ever know, God knows about them.

Envy. Anger. Bitterness. Resentment. Unforgiving attitude. Pride. Lustful thoughts.

We do our best to cover those up. We try not to let them slip out. We keep them hidden from those around us.

But God knows our thoughts.

And He doesn't get a simple update at the end of the day listing all the sins that we've done.

He's right there. He sees them as they happen.

The next time temptation comes knocking, remind yourself that you're already busy with the supreme guest. The holy God is right there beside you and you're living to please Him.