The Devil Can't Blackmail Me
This morning I was in church and a family got up and sang “Its under the Blood”. The first part of the song is
While walking down a memory lane
of paths not long ago
Old Satan came right by my side
making me feel low.
He brought of thoughts of hurt and pain
when I had gone astray.
He wanted to discourage me
as I walked along life's way.
He said you're undeserving
cause I know where you've been.
I have a record of your life
when you were bound by sin.
I know your darkest secrets
that you would never tell.
When they got to that part about the devil knowing my darkest secrets, that I would never tell, I thought “satan cannot bother me with that, I have told my darkest secret, the devil can no longer blackmail me”.
Blackmail in this case is the use of threat to prevent another from engaging in a lawful occupation.
As long as nobody knew about my porn and masturbation addiction the devil held it over my head, and told me what I could and could not do. There was always fear of what would happen. My thinking was that when I was in church that if they ever found out then I couldn’t go to church. When I served in church I thought that if they ever found out I could not serve in church. I thought that if my pastor ever knew he could never trust me. The devil was blackmailing me.
Then one day I had enough of the blackmail and told my Pastor and he loved and restored me. I did not lose my place of service but I was made much more confident because there was no threat of blackmail. Not only did I not lose my church, but I got so much closer to the people in church because the threat was gone.
Satan knows my darkest secret, but so what. So does Jesus and he still saved me. So does my pastor and he loves me more because of it. So does the leadership of the ministry I am in. I have written out on my website my past as clear as I can, in part, so that I can one day reveal all of me to whomever God would have me marry.
Who is satan going to tell my darkest secret to? I already told my pastor, so go ahead satan tell him about it. I already told my ministry leaders about it, so go ahead satan let them know. My church does not know about it, but satan let them know, I bet if you do several more men will get away from this addiction. I am not married, but before I am the girl I marry will know, and it will either make us closer or break up the relationship. I need to be able to trust my whole heart to the woman I marry so if she breaks up with me over this, then I will be thankful, because I could not trust her with my heart. So if the devil will try to blackmail me here, all he is threatening is intimacy or ending a bad relationship.
How long are you going to let the devil blackmail you? The devil can only hold your darkest secret over your head as long as it’s a secret. Once the secret is out it will have no more power over you.
Obey Galatians 6:2. Share your burden with someone.
Obey I Corinthians 12:26, your suffering share it with another Christian.
Obey James 5:16 Confess your faults to another Christian.
When you obey these verses, the devil can no longer blackmail you with your darkest secret. Fighting porn addiction is hard, but you can make the fight easier by taking away one of the devils weapons. Secrecy.
Men if you have a secret porn addiction take that weapon away from the devil by confessing it to your pastor.
Women if you have a secret porn addiction take that weapon away from the devil by confessing it to your pastor’s wife.
When you confess your darkest secret to your pastor (or pastors wife) he will either love you, or not love you. If your Pastor loves you then perfect love casteth out all fear. If your pastor does not love you then you need to find another church.
When you confess this sin, not only is the devil losing a powerful weapon, you are gaining a wonderful ally.
So satan why don’t you go ahead and tell some people my darkest secret. Only good things can come from it. Satan why don’t you just go ahead and shoot yourself in the foot and tell someone my darkest secret. Never mind I already did and it broke one of the holds you had on me.