My Sin Is Never Private

In Romans 14:7 I read, “None of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.” (NIV)

Sin may be secret, but it’s never private. It will either come out now, here on earth, or at Judgment Day, but it’s going to be known.

Numbers 32:23 is one of the scariest verses in the Bible: “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (NIV).

Another reason why sin is never private is because everything I do, good or bad, affects others, even if they don’t know what’s going on.

If someone close to me stayed up all night doing some really immoral things and then saw me in the morning, I would notice something was off. I might not know what happened, but the result of their sin would be obvious in the way they behaved. Very few people could act as if nothing happened.

It doesn’t even have to be some big sin you commit. It could be the sin of omission. If I have a regular quiet time with God and then go a few days without spending time in God’s presence, there’s probably going to be a difference in how I react to people and circumstances. That’s because when I’m not plugged in, I don’t have spiritual power to fight sin.

The Bible says in Romans 14:7, “None of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone” (NIV).

A lot of people will say, “What I do with my life is no one else’s business. As long as I’m not hurting anybody, why should anyone else care?” But I am hurting others. God made me to be connected to people, and what I do and say always has an effect on others.

Sin affects me in ways I don’t even realize, and then my actions affect others. When I sin, it cuts me off from God’s power and keeps me from my potential. It limits the good I can do and the impact I could have.

Isn’t it sad to think of what myself and others are missing when I’m not at my God-given best? There is only one way to move past the sin that holds me back and hurts others: Confess it.

In summary, I do not live or die for myself only. Sin in my life may be secret, but it will never be private. It will either come out now, or at Judgment Day, but it will be known. Everything I do, good or bad, affects others, even if they don’t know what’s going on. It doesn’t even have to be some big sin. If I go several days without my quiet time, there will be a difference in how I react to people and circumstances. When I’m not plugged in, I won’t have spiritual power to fight sin. Also a lot think and say, “What I do with my life is no one else’s business. As long as I’m not hurting anybody, why should anyone else care?” But it will hurt others. God made me to be connected to people, and what I do and say always has an effect on others. Sin affects me in ways I don’t even realize and my affect others. Sin cuts me off from God’s power and keeps me from my potential. It limits the good I can do and the impact I could have. There is only one way to move past the sin that holds me back and hurts others: Confess it.

I have experienced times when I have missed my weekday quiet times and can see where my day didn’t go well and I didn’t treat others right. I can see where unconfessed sin can affect my closeness with God and make me react differently. I pray Father that I can bring to mind anything that is unconfessed sin so that I may ask for forgiveness. With the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to be consistent in my times with you, as it does make a difference in how I interact with others. I ask you today for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership and my interactions with others. I thank you for the healing I have received. I will put my trust in you for my future. I pray these things in your Son Jesus’ name, amen.