What Do You Do When No One’s Watching?

We’re going to try an experiment this week. I want you to write down every sin you do. Whether it’s giving a hand gesture while stuck in traffic, or using foul language, or worse. On Sunday I want you to show it to one of your good church friends. No way, you say. That’s okay. I just wanted to prove a point. We have a habit of acting different in front of our church friends than in our private lives.

I’m a writer of inspirational fiction and I know other Christian writers. What surprises me are the ones who write not only inspirational, but erotica or “hot” fiction. They use a pseudonym so their church family isn’t aware of it. They’re hiding what they’re doing.

They might be fooling their church friends, but they’re not fooling God. He sees everything you do and knows everything in your heart.

Since the beginning people have been trying to hide their sins from God. In Genesis 3:9-10 it says, But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid”. Adam knew by eating the forbidden fruit, he’d done something wrong. It didn’t do any good for him to hide. God knew where to find him. God knows where to find you too. But you can also rely on God to give you the strength to not sin. Ask him to help you with your strongest weakness. He will.

If you have to change your name to write something you would be embarrassed for others to know about, then maybe you shouldn’t write it in the first place. And if you can’t tell your church friends about that man you spent the weekend with, maybe you shouldn’t be with him.

It doesn’t matter how far you try to run to hide your actions, there are two who always know about it. You and God. I’m just glad he offers us grace for the next time I get caught in traffic.