God often speaks to me about the importance of allowing His presence and hand into every area of our lives. We are all very good at only letting God and others see what we are comfortable with. Yet God really wants to set us free and bring his transforming presence into even the hidden places of our lives. In the parts we can often become very adept at covering up, accomodating or tucking away out of sight.
When you paint the interior of a house it takes extra effort to paint in all of the cupboards and little nooks and crannies. We could easily just leave the clothes in the cupboards, the food in the pantry and not bother to move large furniture away from the walls when painting. We can think, “it’s okay, nobody will bother looking or ever see those hidden areas, so it doesn’t matter”.
But when it comes to our internal world somebody does see and eventually others will too. God sees all. He sees the stuff hidden away in our “closets”, the attitudes, secret sins, habits, addictions, mindsets and anything else we try to push out of sight or cover up from others and even ourselves.
The bible tells us that, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
Today I felt the Lord saying, “I see everything, even the hidden things and I want to refresh and set people free in every area of their lives. I want to clothe people with my presence, just like you would new paint, every “cupboard, nook, cranny and hidden area of people’s lives so that they won’t miss a thing I want to bless them with and so they will see and be a part of what I am doing.”
When we hide from God and “closet” away areas of our life from Him it causes us to draw near to God only so far and then we come to a grinding halt! We end up feeling like we can’t go any further in our relationship because if we do God, or someone else might see the areas of our life we don’t want seen or touched.
Sometimes we even hide things from ourselves because to bring them out of the “closet” is just too painful and difficult and we know we’ll be faced with the decision of whether we will let go or deal with them or not. We think it’s easier, like not painting in the hidden or difficult places, but eventually it will come out and undoubtedly let us down, inflict harm or cause us to miss out in some way. Which is exactly what God doesn’t want to happen to any of us….
God loves us unconditionally just the way we are. He grace is amazing! He accepts us, blesses us and always wants to draw us close. But He also loves us far too much to leave us in the state we can get ourselves in. We may fool ourselves and everyone else, but we can’t and don’t fool God. He sees and He knows everything about us and He wants to get into those spaces so that He can set us free, cause us to be transformed and help us to succeed in every area of our life.
“Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD” (Psalm 139:4).
“O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways” (Psalm 139:1-3).
“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you” (Psalm 139:15-16).
“Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since he judges even the highest?” (Job 21:22).
Today allow God into even the hidden, closeted away areas of your life. He doesn’t want to harm or condemn you, but simply to cleanse, prepare and empower you as He helps you to fulfil your destiny. Let Him in so that He might restore and cover you with His love and presence which goes deeper and transforms far more than any “coat of paint”.
Prayer: Lord please help me to be honest with myself and you about my life. I know that I have things that I keep hidden from others and shut you out of. Would you please come and shine your light and presence into every area of my life so that I am no longer hiding but living free and fulfilling my destiny. In Jesus Name Amen.
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