Damage Control
Damage Control, Report
Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
The Enterprise has just taken a direct hit and warning sirens are loudly sounding throughout the ship. Captain Kirk calls out to an unseen crew member, “Damage Control, report!” Eventually, we’ll hear Scotty report that the shields are barely holding and the engines are out of service. The Enterprise is in trouble but in less than 50 minutes all will be corrected and off they will boldly go where no man has gone before.
Your best friend has just gracefully confronted you regarding your greatest secret sin. He didn’t threaten or pressure you to expose and confess your sin but never the less you are exposed. Through the years you have used compartmentalization and delusional thinking to keep this secret sin separate and protected from this exposure of truth. What do you do? How will you respond? Will you be like James T. Kirk and conduct a damage assessment? Will you perform damage control and try to mitigate the intensity of the pending consequences? There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Christian men and women living in fear regarding the potential exposure of their sexual sin. David in a previous Psalm, stated that his “bones wasted away” during the time he kept silent. Maybe, the Holy Spirit is convicting you today to become honest about this secret but the cost analysist promotes the fear of what will be lost. David knew where to go with this sin. He appealed to God’s mercy and unfailing love to blot out his recently exposed secret sin. We have an advantage over David because we are on the other side of the cross. We have witnessed God’s mercy and unfailing love become incarnate. We know that Jesus’ redemptive and complete work will fully blot out our transgressions including the secret ones. David had a prophet best friend Nathan who was led by the Holy Spirit to confront the king. We too have a best friend in Jesus who sent His Spirit to dwell within us as a guide, counselor and comforter. Fear tells you that you will lose everything if your secret sexual sin is exposed. The truth is you will gain everything by finding true intimacy with God and others. Secrets keep you sick and will eventually kill your relationships, joy and peace. Bringing your secrets into the light of honesty will set you free. Let’s see James T. Kirk do that.
If you find yourself ready to address the secret sexual sin in your life, Perfect Hope offers a message of hope through our material and services. For more information about our Blessing of the Thorn Course click here. To learn more about how sexual affects the Christian click here for your copy of The Blessing of the Thorn e-book.
Jonathan Jones, President and Founder of Perfect Hope Ministry
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