ADMIT

ADMIT

Many of us have been keeping secrets most of our lives. Every day those secrets take a toll on us: loss of self-respect and energy, as well as bondage to old, codependent habits. Admitting—out loud—those secrets strips them of their power. They lose much of their hold on us when they’re verbalized.

Still, some of us are afraid to reveal our secrets to another person, even to someone we trust. We somehow feel as though we have everything to lose and nothing to gain by doing so. Are you aware, though, of what you really have to lose by telling your secrets and sins to another person?

1. Your sense of aloneness will begin to vanish. The isolation you’ve felt from God and others will start to disappear.

2. As you learn to forgive, the stranglehold you’ve felt from the people who have hurt you will begin to loosen. When people accept and forgive you, you’ll start to see that you also can forgive others.

3. You’ll lose your false pride. As you see and accept who you truly are, you’ll begin to gain true humility, a byproduct of which is seeing God as he really is.

4. Being truthful with another person will tear away at your denial. You’ll begin to feel clean and honest.

Now that you know what you have to lose by admitting your wrongs to another, note the following three benefits you stand to gain:

1. You’ll gain the healing the Bible promises. James 5:16 instructs each of us to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” The key word here is “healed.” Notice that the verse doesn’t say, “Confess your sins to one another and you will be forgiven.” God forgave you already when you confessed your sins to him. Now he tells you that you’ll begin the healing process when you confess your sins to someone else.

2. You’ll gain freedom. Your secrets have kept you in chains—bound, frozen, unable to move forward in your relationships with God and others. Admitting your sins snaps the chains so that God’s healing power can take effect. “Openness is to wholeness as secrets are to sickness.” Psalm 107:13 recounts: “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.” God snapped their chains and he can snap yours too.

3. You’ll gain real friends and support. When you share your inventory with another person, you invite their support. They can help you stay focused and provide feedback. When your old friend “denial” surfaces and you hear Satan’s list of excuses—“It’s really not that bad”; “They deserved it”; “It really wasn’t your fault”—your support team can be there to challenge you with the truth. But most of all, you need another person simply to listen and hear what you have to say.

Considering what you have to lose and to gain by sharing your inventory with God and another person, you can see that there’s really nothing to fear.

Take a Look:

• What’s holding you back from sharing your Principle Four inventory?

• How do the above lists—the four things you have to lose and the three things you have to gain by sharing your inventory—help you want to complete Principle Four?

• If you’ve already shared your inventory, what are some negative things you’ve lost?

• If you’ve already shared your inventory, what are some positive things you’ve gained?