Cover Up – 3 John 4
I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
On at least two occasions during my career as an information systems consultant, I made serious mistakes that could have caused significant damage to a client. I must admit that my instinctive reaction was to cover up. For a few frantic moments, I weighed the options and considered how I could keep my errors from coming to light and, thereby, save myself embarrassment. Blessedly, by the grace of God, in both cases, the Spirit directed me to stand in the truth. I went to my client, informed him of my error, and worked with him to correct the problem. A few days later, the issues were nonevents.
I am enormously grateful for the guidance of the Spirit of Truth who witnessed to my spirit during these traumatic times,[1] leading me to accept responsibility for my failures and to do whatever I could to rectify the problems I had caused. I slept well afterward, and the Lord granted me a clear conscience, for in allowing the Spirit to direct my steps, harm to others was avoided, and I was protected from the professional shipwreck that could have resulted had I attempted to cover up and been exposed after allowing serious damage to occur.[2] The Lord spared me the convoluted web of falsehoods that follow our attempts to hide mistakes and sins. Through His mercy and the righteousness of Jesus Christ within me, I did not follow the destroyer’s advice to deceive, portraying innocence even as lies were fresh on my lips.[3]
Is there something, serious or
minor, that you are covering up? If not,
a time will probably come when you will face a difficult choice between the
appealing, yet landmine-ridden highway of deception, and the straight and
narrow road of truth. Be prepared to
choose well. Arm yourself with the
Spirit of Truth,[4] so you will be able
to stand against the whispers of the masterful deceiver, who will beckon you
down the dark, perilous alley of cover-up.
If you have hidden something that you need to reveal, bring it into the
light where the Light, Himself, can and will redeem it. Follow where the Holy Spirit leads you, and
walk boldly into the truth, trusting the Truth to help and protect you.[5]
[1] John 16:13
[2] 1 Timothy 1:19
[3] Romans 3:13
[4] Ephesians 6:14
[5] Psalm 115:9
