Instead, we have refused to use secret and shameful ways. We don’t use tricks, and we don’t distort God’s word. As God watches, we clearly reveal the truth to everyone. This is our letter of recommendation.
2 Corinthians 4:2
Do you have any secrets? Secrets that you desperately don’t want anyone to know about? When you have things that are hidden in your life, they become a part of your inner life. Even if your values disagree with your secrets, you find a way to get around that conflict by hiding them deep inside of you. If no one sees then no one knows, right? And then you can pretend like nothing is going on at all. But this disagreement with what you truly believe is the very definition of sin (see Rom. 14:23; James 4:17). Secrets need to come out into the open; they need to be fessed up to and shown the way out. If you are afraid of the light being shone on your secret, it’s only because the light would cure it. That’s what light does: it chases off the vermin and dries up the infection.
It’s shameful to know God’s ways and his desires for you and then to reject them, even in private. If you want to be free, you have to look at things from God’s viewpoint. You have to refuse to hide in the dark any more. If there’s a place in your life where you won’t invite anyone else, then it’s time to reveal your secret to someone you can trust, someone with wisdom and love. Confess your shameful ways and let the truth shine in your life. When you do, the underlying feelings of guilt and shame will be gone.