The word “weakness” is a buzzword in both the Christian community and the CrossFit community. In the CrossFit community the obvious goal is always to make our weaknesses stronger and keep our strengths strong. In the same way that we are trying to get rid of weaknesses in our fitness, the Bible commands us to be getting rid of those things in our lives that weaken our faith.
John Owen, a relatively famous Puritan Pastor, was quoted in his book on sin that we need to be “killing sin or sin will be killing us.” In the same way that weaknesses can end an athletes chance of victory, sin can wreak havoc on our relationship with others and with the Lord. Sin has no place in our lives. It’s a kill or be killed situation. We are either destroying and leaving behind the sin that exists in our lives or that sin will destroy our relationship with Christ.
Proverbs 28:13 states, “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Solomon makes an extremely important point here. His point is that sin has no place in our lives. If it’s allowed to exist and therefore thrive it will destroy everything it touches. In this case, destroys any chance of prosperity. What’s more, Solomon gives us the solution to sin’s destructive power. Confess it. In other words, bring it to the light. Don’t let sin stay hidden.
Think about what happens when we try to “hide” our weaknesses in the sport of CrossFit. There’s no way to hide a weakness like handstand walking. Crossfit does a great job of bringing that weakness to light. The same would be true of snatching or handstand push-ups or many other movements. When that weakness comes to light, and we have not addressed it previously, it can ruin your chance to excel.
The same is true for sinning. If we allow sin to exist in our lives unattended it does not sit stagnant. Unlike a weakness in athletics, sin doesn’t stay stagnant. It grows in its grasp on your heart. Similar to cancer, sin left unattended will grow to the point that it’s destructive power reaches far beyond the hidden dark places you’ve placed it in your heart. All career ending, headline “big sins” started somewhere. Nobody wakes up one day and decides they’re going to cheat on their spouse. It starts with allowing the presence of lust in their heart to exist. Like a cancer, when left unattended and not actively killed, sin will grow to full-blown adultery. This is the nature of sin when combined with the nature of our broken, weak flesh.
We can’t hide that sin from God. Jeremiah 16:17 states, “For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes.” God sees it all and He knows it’s destructive power. We know it too. However, in the same way that we like working on our strengths in the CrossFit community, it’s not the most comfortable and enjoyable thing to get rid of our weaknesses. We don’t like exposing that which is dark, hidden and weak for all to see. Yet Scripture is clear that hidden sin doesn’t stay hidden forever. The same way that weak areas in our fitness don’t remain hidden in competition. Be proactive against The sin in your life. Confess that sin to God. Confess that sin to a group of believers regularly. Make it a common practice in your life. Proverbs 28 reminds us that our confession and revealing of that hidden sin brings mercy.