I heard another heartbreaking story about a person who let their secret life manifest and overtakes their life, in effect ruining it forever short of the grace of God.
Too many times we’re hearing this about pastors, business leaders, spouses, friends. We all have three lives: a public life, a private life, and a secret life. Many know your public life. Some know your private life. But how many know your secret life? That’s where you hide your shame, your addictions, the things you don’t really want anyone to know. For some people its “major” like sex addictions, drugs, alcohol, or rage. For others, its subtle things, like spending money, or running from responsibility, or deciding to stay bitter with something the past, or maybe its simply pride.
But in the end, it’s all “major.” The enemy uses the secret life as that wedge, that crack, that stronghold to keep you from moving forward and depending on how long or deep it manifests, in the end, it can be the end of everything that matters in your life. But the good news is THAT DOESN’T HAVE TO HAPPEN. God has given you the power to stand up to whatever it is that is holding you back. Some things are harder to stand up against, as the enemy wants nothing more than to keep you “down.” But you are strong. You can do this. View it as an addiction and we all know addiction of any kind in life is not good.
Today, make the decision to fight that secret life – to fight those habits no one knows you have- to fight those things that could, in the end, ruin your family, your marriage, your life. It starts by making war against the enemy who wants to drag your soul down. Fighting those inner urges to get that 2 minute or 20 minute or 2 hour moment of happiness. What is the hole in your life and what are you using to [temporarily] fill it? Determine today to fill it instead with Jesus.
It’s a process, not an overnight fix.
Decide you’re in for the long haul. It will be worth it. Secondly, don’t keep your secret life secret. If its something that requires outside help to defeat, kick away your pride and get that help. You don’t want to wake up one day and realize your years of hiding, feeding, “fixing”, and living in that dark secret closet caused you to lose everything. (But even in that, you will never lose the love of Christ and you can never lose your opportunity to be saved through Him!)
-Written by Jennifer Beck, Faith & Friends TV Producer and Co-Host
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