Hidden Sins within the Heart

Ooo, a good juicy apple is what I need right now. So I grabbed an apple from the basket, gave it a quick wash and took what should have been my delicious first bite. Crunch. Something was wrong. I held the apple out in front of me and saw that it was hollow, rotten, and no good. Eeeww. I immediately spat out what was in my mouth and searched for any other signs that this apple had turned bad, but there was none. On the outside it seemed like a perfectly edible apple.

Our hearts can be similar to this apple. On the outside it may seem fine, we go to church, are peaceable with others, take part in church work and attend various church activities. But maybe deep down, sin is there, undetected and slowly corrupting our hearts or our service to God.

Sin can be very deceitful (Heb 3:13). It can be so small that we don’t really know it is there at first, or so subtle that we choose to ignore it. However, over time, it can grow and spoil the heart from within. How can we be more aware of these hidden sins? After all, how can you see something that is hidden? Well, we can turn to the only One who can see our whole heart. Like King David wrote in Psalm 139, we can look to God for help.

            Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps 139:23-24)

In our prayers we can humbly ask God to reveal anything wicked that may be within our hearts; like putting our computers through an anti-virus scan. Sometimes the results rendered can be an unexpected wake-up call. Did I really have that in my heart? However, we can thank God, repent and rely on Him to lead us in the way everlasting. So in the end, God can look at our hearts and see that it is good not only on the outside, but also good within.  

Questions for Reflection

1.      Have we ever asked God to reveal to us how He sees our heart?

2.      Are there any sins hidden deep in our hearts?