Surrendered Secrets

The words in blue below are not mine. I would love to give credit to whoever did write it but unfortunately have no idea, if you do let me know.

I am sharing it because it sets the tone for a discussion I had this week with someone in full time ministry and would love to hear from others about.

My friend and I were lamenting over the many FALLEN and BROKEN marriages that surround us in the church. The ADULTERY.

My heart has resonated on the question all week. I am VERY familiar with making bad choices about male/female relationships BEFORE I came to an understanding of God’s sovereign love and ALL SEEING EYE, but since I have come to know MY Lord so well, it gives me chill bumps to think of such flagrant violation of His commandments.

Maybe I am naive.

Read this…..

The Beginnings of a Cover Up…

I read today in Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve sinned against God. Verse 7 stood out to me: “…they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves” after they’d eaten from the forbidden fruit.

Fig leaves around the hips, eh? I can almost see the couple cowering in an orchard, trying desperately to string the greenery before God shows up for their daily walk in the park. Their hands are shaking and sweat beads are forming on the foreheads. They know they’ve done wrong, and they know their actions have built a wall between themselves and God. And so they try to cover up, to pretend that everything’s okay. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.

God walks onto the scene knowing full well what His kids had been up to. He speaks with them to make sure they understand the seriousness of disobeying Him, He levies the consequences for what they’ve done, and then…I love this part…He provides a cover-up for them.

Big difference between the first and second cover-ups!

The first is flimsy, inadequate, and manmade. The second is crafted by God’s hands and covers the nakedness completely. More importantly, it’s made from animal skins, which require a blood sacrifice. This cover-up is sufficient.

How many times do we sin, and then try to set things right on our own? We string fig leaves together — using flimsy excuses to cover our tracks — but our feeble attempts don’t work. God knows what we’ve done, and, because He loves us and wants nothing to interfere with our fellowship with Him, He has provided the perfect cover-up for us.

Like the animal skins that covered Adam and Eve, this one covers us. It, too, required a blood sacrifice — the blood of Jesus Christ. And it’s sufficient. Nothing else is needed — just our willingness to accept the gift of God’s cover-up for us.

What an amazing proof of God’s love for us!

I would love to hear your thoughts on Fallen Christian Soldiers who CHEAT on spouses, children, the men and women they LEAD, entire church families are affected.

The Kingdom of God is bruised when this happens. Bleeds actually. I am watching a family bleed RIGHT NOW.

I FULLY Get God’s COMPLETE redeeming love and Grace over a REPENTED heart. His Grace for  a  SURRENDERED SECRET.

I get His enormous embrace of those of us who have fallen and come running back. I get His restoration. I get His healing power.

What I WANT TO UNDERSTAND is HOW a Christian man or woman WHO “GET IT”…..ever let themselves get so close to the fire to begin with?

How do those who KNOW God’s Love, WHO TEACH IT,  let these destrctive relationships set fire to everyone around them???

How do Those who KNOW God’s Word completely deny it?

Tell me, do you know?

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10 Comments

  1. Great post, Pat! All I can say is the Christians underestimate the depravity of their “fallen-ness” and the power of their minds when they don’t guard them from satan. I have seen it over and over again. Scripture tells us the heart is deceitful. The armor is no good if you leave it in the closet!

    Can’t wait for IMSF Camp Buckner!

    Blessings,
    Debbie

  2. That’s a very timely post, Pat. SO much hypocrisy and it’s always the most disturbing when “Christians” get too close to the fire and then are eventually burned.
    Looking so forward to seeing you at the conference tomorrow.

  3. I honestly don’t know. It breaks my heart when I see it happening. The enemy is sneaky and he lures people in and before they know it they are smack dab in the middle of sin wondering how on earth they let it get this far. He’s seductive and has a way of making things look better than they truly are. I will be praying for your friends. Hope to bump into you this weekend! Great seeing you yesterday.

    Love, Jennifer

  4. Good word, Pat! Beth Moore’s book and study entitled “When Godly People Do Ungodly Things” really impacted me. It helped me to understand some of my own actions as well as how to restore the falllen and those affected by it. Thanks for all you do for the Kingdom!!

  5. Pat,
    Its been awhile since I dropped by, love the new look! I know all to well about the adulteress life as a “christian.” I’ll be back to share what is on my mind a little later.

    love and hugs~Tammy

  6. I’m not proud of the adulteress life but its something that I’m very familiar with. I went to church every Sunday, read my bible and praised God with my songs yet I was looking for greener grass. Its been many years since ‘those’ days and place I never want to return.

    Pat, you asked…What I WANT TO UNDERSTAND is HOW a Christian man or woman WHO “GET IT”…..ever let themselves get so close to the fire to begin with? I knew what I was doing at was wrong and would repent after the act, I was one of those I “GET IT.” For me, it all started in the mind. I watched soap operas daily, read Jackie Collins books, movies that were sensual, went out to nightclubs(my reason, liked to dance) and had wandering eyes. I guess you could say that nothing in my mind honored God.

    One day, I realized I was like the woman at the well…I worshiped God outwardly but I didn’t live in His truth. My marriage suffered greatly (this was my 2nd) and all most ended in divorce. Our marriage took along time to heal and for the trust to be restored, but God is good and we will be celebrating 23 years of marriage next month. We are happy and fully trust each other and God.

    I don’t know if that helps.
    Oh, and when I look back, it’s hard for me to even comprehend that I lived that way.

    love and hugs ~Tammy

  7. Oh my goodness, Tammy, Thank you. I love what you have shared here and it does help me. I want to be SOOOO clear that my question is not in condemnation but TRUE desire to better understand HOW this happens so often.

    How do you feel NOW that we, as the body of Christ can make this different? How would YOu say not that we can really make the inner life match the outer?

    Thank you for sharing!

  8. Tammy, kudos and blessings to you! What courage to openly discuss this in an effort to try to shed some light on a very sensitive subject. The important thing is that you are now fully restored and enjoying a sanctified marriage.
    Have a wonderful 23rd wedding anniversary. Be blessed!

  9. I’ve watched this happen around me more times that I can count. Seriously. I used to ask the same thing until I read “When Godly People do Ungodly Things.” Tammy really hit the nail on the head when she talked about how it all starts in the mind. If we are not “checking our fence lines” for the places we know we tend to be weak, the lion pacing on the outside of the fence will find the vulnerable spot and be IN our yard before we know what happened (an analogy from the book I’ve never forgotten). Truly, believer or not, it could happen to ANY ONE OF US if we are not submitted, surrendered and walking our fence line every day.

    Love you,
    Melinda

  10. Such good words my friends. God has continued to speak to me about this. My heart has just been so broken about this constant loss to the Body of Christ. Thank you for your thoughts and feedback. My heart LONGS for us all to truly KNOW and APPLY His Word to our lives. I long to see the Church take her rightful place in the World. To BE different and to make a difference. I only want to start with MYSELF!!!!
    My love to you all!!!

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