As a pastor, I have counseled many people and have experienced the joy of seeing many lives transformed by the yoke-breaking power of God. Still, I have also experienced the harsh reality that not everyone who receives counseling is freed from the pain that led them to seek it.
In most cases, the main reason for the lack of success is that the person receiving pastoral counseling is unwilling or unable to bring to light the reason for their emotional pain. It's incredible how many people live in pain because fear or shame prevents them from exposing their secrets. Unfortunately, they remain tied to the pain because they cannot bring the root of their problem to light.
There is no freedom in darkness. Every painful secret we keep is an open door to our souls for the devil, the prince of darkness, to inflict pain. The first chapter of Genesis tells us that God's first words during creation were, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). God wanted his creation to live in light. Since God is light, every dark area of our hearts is an area where God does not reign.
This week, I felt it in my heart to ask you to expose any hidden sources of pain. If you are reading this, God has probably been trying to free you from pain for a while. Ephesians 5:13 tells us that all things become visible when exposed to light and that everything that becomes visible is light. You only have to confess a secret once for that secret to lose its hold on you.
While it is true that we cannot go through life sharing intimate details of our lives with everyone, we must do our best to live in the light. Just as when we bring our sins to light by confessing, Satan can no longer condemn us for them, when we bring our past traumas to light, Satan's control over our hearts is broken.
If you have a mature friend who is a believer, trust him and confess your pain to him. If you don't, sometimes all we have to do to bring something to light is confess it out loud to God. Be brave this week. You have kept that pain hidden for a long time. Expose it to the light and let God break the power of that pain over you. Live in the light. Let God reign in every area of your heart.
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