Then the LORD said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. I will go down to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to Me. If not, I will find out.”  Genesis 18:20-21 HCSB

There was a time in my life when I thought that I could have little compartments or cubbies for the different areas of my life. I thought that I could keep one relationship in this cubby, and another in this one, I thought that I could keep my sins in separate little cubbies. I thought that I could keep my church going in yet another cubby. I thought that I could keep it neat and organized. I thought that I could keep my church going in a cubby that was God approved. I thought that I could keep any sins in a cubby separate, apart and hidden from God. But, I found that it just doesn’t work that way.

You see no matter how good of a hiding place we think we have, God knows all about our sin. Our sin cries out to Him for punishment. In Genesis chapter 4, Cain murdered his brother Abel. When God confronted him and asked him where his brother is, he tried to get smart with God saying, “I am not my brother’s keeper.” Now you see right here, just like a good police officer who already knows the answers to the questions, God knows what has happened. He is giving Cain a chance to confess and repent of his sin. But Cain is still trying to play it cool. So God tells Cain in verse 10, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” In our scripture passage today, God tells Abraham that there was a great outcry from Sodom because of their excessive sin. The sin was so great in Sodom and Gomorrah that they cried out to heaven for punishment.

In Genesis 3:8-14, Adam and Eve were confronted by God about their sin. They tried to hide themselves with the fig leaves because after eating of the forbidden fruit they realized they were naked. Now God knew they had sinned already because God is omniscient and knows all things, but this certainly gave them away. Then when God confronted them about eating the forbidden fruit, they tried to play the blame game. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent. The first time in history the phrase, “The devil made me do it” was used.

David was a great man of God. God brought him from being a scrawny teenage shepherd boy to becoming a mighty warrior and then made him a great king. But David sinned with Bathsheba. He then tried to cover up that sin by murdering her husband, Uriah. How could someone who had such a close relationship with the LORD think that he could possibly get away with all this? Well, it happens to the best of us, doesn’t it?

We all are tempted by the devil. We are told this in 1 Corinthians 10:13, but we are also told that God will provide a way out. All of us sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But this doesn’t mean that we must stay in bondage to that sin. We can confess and repent and turn to God.

There is no such thing as hidden sin. We are told in Luke 12:3 that what is done in the dark will come into the light and what is whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the rooftop. Oh you may think that you are getting away with it for a while. I know I thought that, but that was just a big fat lie the devil told me. The devil wants us to believe that we can hide our sin, but we cannot. We certainly can’t hide it from God and eventually even those that we think we are fooling will figure us out. So you may think that you are hiding your sin from your friends, your spouse, your family, but know that it will eventually come into the light. Know that it is already crying out to God for punishment.

Confess your sin. You may as well, he already knows. Seek God with your whole heart and earnestly repent of your sin. Say you’re sorry and mean it.

In 1 Peter 5:8 we are told to be serious and alert because our adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for anyone he can devour.

If you think you can hide your sin, you are believing the devil’s lies and you are setting yourself up to be devoured by him. Turn to God today, trust in Him and ask for His protection against the schemes of the devil. Put on the armor that He provides (Ephesians 6:10-18). Know that no sin is hidden from God and know that he can’t overlook it because it cries out to Him for punishment.  Cry out to Him, confess your sin and ask for forgiveness. It’s that simple and you can put it all behind you.

Have a great day!