Suggested Reading: Genesis 1:26-28, 3; Psalm 118:17, Psalm 139, Isaiah 61:3, John 10:10
Our Deliverance and Inner Healing devotion in September focused on God’s question to Adam in Genesis 3, “Adam, where are you?” We left off by asking you to ask Holy Spirit to confront you with truth and to show you if you are in hiding, in what area(s) in your life you are hiding, why you are hiding, and how you are hiding. What did the Lord show you and how did you respond to His revelation for your life?
When Adam and Eve went into hiding, they sewed fig leaves together to cover up their nakedness (Genesis 3). What fig leaves have you sown together to hide from life, from intimacy with God?
We engage in hiding for many reasons. Sometimes life’s events are traumatizing and it’s too painful to deal with emotions, anger, depression, aggression, etc. The choices and decisions we’ve made are embarrassing so we cloud the issue trying to heal our own pain with excuses. The risk of being hurt by someone else can be overwhelming. Many of us have shared our stories countless numbers of times and still have not found any relief. So we say, “Why bother taking the risk of exposing ourselves again?”
How are we hiding? Just like the many reasons we hide, we also have many ways of hiding. We hide behind religious masks because religion rewards performance, so we take refuge in performing, producing, and achieving. We use our positions/titles because religion says that positions, titles and serving means you have it all together. Work and overworking can hide the loneliness, abandonment, and rejection issues. How about self inflecting behaviors, such as, overeating, emotional eating, alcoholism, perversions (sexual sins), abuse of self and others? Hiding is also accomplished by entering into relations with others who have the same unhealed issues as ourselves to justify sickness. Last, but not least, we tend to the needs of others, often times, experimenting on them to bring them to a place of healing, while neglecting our own needs (Matthew 7:3-5).
Are you ready to open your prison doors, come out of hiding, and then shut the door on your excuses so you can live the abundant life that God promised (John 10:10)? If so, the prayer follows:
Reflection and Prayer: Lord, you have made me so fearfully and wonderfully (Psalm 139). You know everything about me. Help me to face my issues today. I come out of hiding today and I release unto you all the reasons I have used to hide. Please forgive me, heal me, and restore my relationship with You. In Jesus Name. Amen.