Behind Closed Doors
For several weeks, writers have shared their honest stories on the Well-Watered Blog about sins that typically hide “behind closed doors”—including:
This is certainly not a comprehensive list of sins, but the purpose of the series was to open the doors and shine gospel light on our struggles and shame. Let’s look again at what this means:
God’s Word tells us that we are all dead in our trespasses and sins, and slaves to passions and desires of the flesh (Ephesians 2:1–3). We are stuck in the deep darkness of sin and spiritual death, separated from a holy God. But this loving, just, and merciful God has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
How? By sending His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to take on human flesh, live the sinless life we never could, die the death we deserved, and be raised to life again. This is our only hope of salvation!
Placing our faith and hope in Christ alone and being raised together with him into new life means we are saved by the unearned grace God offers us in Jesus. We cannot deliver ourselves from darkness, but “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
But God...
When we trust in Christ for salvation, we are declared righteous before God, freed from the penalty of sin since Jesus bore it for us, and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. We have died to sin, and our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). But since we still live in a fallen world, awaiting the day when Christ will return and set all things right, we still battle temptation and sin. Our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
We are no longer debtors to our flesh, and by the power of the Spirit in us we are to “put to death the deeds of the body” and live (Romans 8:12–13). This is the process of sanctification, being progressively freed from the power of sin by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Many of the stories in this series were written from a place of ongoing struggle because we fight from victory in the freedom Christ has won for us, but sin will not stop knocking at our door until Jesus returns.
We fight a daily spiritual battle, friends. Sin tries to deceive us. It lures and entices us. Sin feels so good in the moment and convinces us to hide in darkness and isolation—behind closed doors. Meanwhile, it vies for our affection and worship. Sin lies to us, convincing us that it’s benign or isn’t affecting anyone else or that we have control over it. Don’t be deceived by our prowling enemy.
The truth is, sin only brings pain, heartache, and death—and we cannot hide anything from the One who made us and knows us, not even behind closed doors. He calls to us: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:14b, 11, 8).
Our Maker knows what we are trying to hide behind closed doors, and He invites us to walk instead as who we are: children of light. The Lord opens the doors and floods our darkness with the light of His truth—by the conviction of the Spirit, by His Word, by living in community and accountability with fellow believers in the Church.
He invites us to remember and rehearse the gospel: confess our sin, repent, and live once again in the newness of life that is ours in Christ Jesus. “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1). So we are.
Walking in the light
Our prayer as we close this series is to talk about the things that are hard to bring into the light. But it’s not enough to just talk about our sin and accept it as a part of life. We must surrender those sins and strongholds that threaten to keep us in the darkness, separated from the light of Christ.
But how?
We do this through consistently checking our hearts and lives for sin, praying for the Lord to reveal even the hidden sins of the flesh (Psalm 19), and by walking through life with accountability. We set up guardrails. But just like you don’t drive down the highway simply bouncing between the guardrails, we need someone driving the car that we can trust.
That’s the role of the Holy Spirit, guiding us through life and enabling us to choose to live by the Spirit and not the flesh (Gal. 5:16-18).
If you’ve resonated with any of these topics or find yourself knee-deep in the middle of a secret sin struggle, we urge you to seek the Lord, take time to repent and confess your sin, and seek the wise counsel of a trusted friend, mentor, counselor, pastor, or health professional.
We were never intended to walk through this life alone, and through the community of faith and the power of the Lord, there is hope and freedom to be found amidst even the deepest battles with sin. The Lord is mighty to save, and He equips us to choose the better way when we feel defeated by the flesh. Death has no power and sin has lost its sting in the resurrection power of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55–57)!
Today, as we recognize Good Friday and the crucifixion of Christ with heavy hearts grieving our sin, we can also rejoice in the work Christ has done through the greatest act of sacrifice the world has ever known. His submission to the Father gave us the freedom to walk in grace and experience new life in God.
The resurrection we will celebrate this Sunday was the means by which we were brought into a restored relationship with the Father as the Son defeated death and gave us the hope of eternal life.
Your sin is not the end of your story, friend. It is an invitation to come to the Lord with open hands and lay down your burdens at His feet, then to ask for forgiveness and walk in grace day by day. Come find hope and grace in Jesus, dear sister. Don’t let the shackles of sin write the story for you, but believe that there is freedom to be found in walking with the Lord and out of the chains that bind you!
Chasing the Light,
Lindsay + Rachael
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