Light Expels Darkness
Years ago, a well-known, large family-owned Christian bookstore in Allentown called Hackman's Bible Bookstore was a top-rated shopping destination. These were the days before Kindle and Amazon. The store was 20,000 square feet, beautifully decorated, well-stocked, and always filled with people. Allentown offered many shopping opportunities; though a forty-minute drive from our small town, it was worth the drive!
One of the best features of Hackman's was the play area for kids. This secure area looked very inviting for small children, and our three-year-old son was no exception. He enjoyed playing with other kids and the toys as we shopped. However, as we prepared to leave the store one day, we noticed that he held a pair of sunglasses. We instructed him to put them back where he found them since they were not his to take. Naturally, we assumed he followed our instructions perfectly, but he did not.
As we drove home, our son sat quietly in the back of the car. Arriving at our destination, my husband retrieved him from the back seat and subsequently noticed that he still had the sunglasses! He was hiding them by sitting on them.
Busted!
His sin was now uncovered! We explained to him, in a way that a three-year-old could understand, that what he did was stealing, and the glasses had to be returned. At this point, I'm sure no one at Hackman's even knew the sunglasses were missing, and the cost of the stolen item was minuscule, so it would be easy to say, "no. harm – no foul" and move on. We didn't because hidden sin can ruin your life, and minor actions not dealt with lead to significant actions that can destroy your life.
My husband called Hackman's and explained what happened and said he would be bringing our son and the sunglasses back to the store so that he could confess, apologize, and return the sunglasses. When he made the trip back to the store, the owner, the senior Mr. Hackman, was very kind to our son when he told him he was sorry for taking the sunglasses. He gave the stolen item back, and that day our young preschooler learned the power of confession, repentance, and mercy.
"If you hide your sins, you will not succeed. If you confess and reject them, you will receive mercy." Proverbs 28:13
According to Webster's dictionary, mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. I am so grateful that when we confess our sins to God and repent, they are exposed to light, and we receive mercy we do not deserve.
Light expels darkness.
"The light shines in the darkness, and darkness cannot overcome it.” John 1:5
Let's face it, our culture today gives us lots of opportunities for hidden sin. Electronic devices consume much of our time, and how we spend that time can be hidden. More and more, I am learning how easy it is to hide what we are doing online. I believe the enemy of our soul is trying to destroy lives, which is not a surprise.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
Take a moment to answer these questions honestly. I've added some information I found about each app that may give you some insight as you take stock of your own life or possibly need to help someone you love.
Do you send or receive inappropriate messages through Snap Chat that no one knows about?
"Snapchat servers are set to delete messages sent in Group Chats one day after everyone has viewed or one week after the message was sent, whichever is sooner. You can keep messages longer if someone saves, replies, or reacts to a message."
On Facebook Messenger, have you set inappropriate messages to VANISH?
"Messenger From Facebook offers an optional "Vanish Mode" that causes messages to automatically disappear from chats once they've been seen. When Vanish Mode is turned on for a chat, all "seen" messages will disappear when the user closes the chat. Users can turn on Vanish Mode for individual conversations separate."
Do you hide your Google searches using INCOGNITO?
"To browse the web privately, you can use private browsing, sign out of your account, change your custom results settings, or delete past activity. If you want to search the web without saving your search activity to your account, you can use private browsing mode in a browser (like Chrome or Safari)."
Our 2022 theme is ILLUMINATE. This year would be a great time to humbly come to the One who shines a light on sin, repent and receive mercy and forgiveness.
Here is what King David wrote after he confessed his sin to God.
"There was a time when I wouldn't admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration. All day and all night, your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, "I will confess them to the Lord." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." Psalm 32:3-5 (TLB)
Freedom awaits you!
Liz
