If your wish or desire is to keep certain information confidential and a secret, you best keep the information solely between you and God. Beware of persons who attempt to convince you that your private information will go no further than them once you share it. Before you know anything, your business is all over the place. Some people have a tendency of loving to tell someone else’s stories, secrets and business. It seems to give them a sense of pride and belonging when they have knowledge or information no one else has possession of. Have you been around people who have a knack in drawing information out of you? Before you know anything, you have shared some of your confidential information and you are now ready to slap yourself. Some people are conniving and mean you no good but are professionals at getting your so-called secret information.

Beware of persons who come to you and suggest you confide in them! It is my belief that certain information about one’s life should go to their grave with them. Sharing secret information with someone else doesn’t do anything but make you feel better for the moment. It is true that we may need to vent, but my advice is to be sure you know the person to whom you are sharing is a confidant.

A secret is something kept hidden or unexplained. Something kept from the knowledge of others or shared only confidentially with a few. For some reason, I can put only a little faith and trust in the definition. For once you have shared your secret with one other person, it is no longer a secret. It has now become public information if the person so chooses to share it.

There can be a danger with newlyweds when they feel the need to share everything about their personal life with their spouse. Again, some things are better left in the privacy of you and God. If the information is not going to strengthen the relationship, why share it? If you keep information to yourself, you do not have to worry about someone violating your trust.

Proverbs 25: 9-10 says, “don’t reveal the secret of another, lest he who hears it reproach you, and the evil report about you not pass away.”

There are occasions in the Gospels where Jesus advised persons he had healed to keep it a secret, but they could not keep it to themselves. They had to tell it.

In the gospel of Mark 1:40-44, we find this example: “And a leper came to Him, imploring Him, and kneeling said to Him, if you will, you can make me clean. Moved with pity, He stretched out His hand and touched him and said to him, I will; be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, see that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof of them.”    

It sounds a little strange that Jesus would ask that His healing would remain a secret, but He had his reasons for doing so. Jesus found himself having to resort to desolate places to preach because the crowds heard about His healing power. He did not want his miracles to attract too much attention, because it would hamper His ministry. Now if Jesus was not able to trust persons to keep a secret, why do we think we can trust others to keep information a secret.

Could it be that we are like the leper in that some of the news we receive is such good news that we just can’t keep it to ourselves.       

There are other instances in the Gospels where Jesus sternly ordered them to not tell, but they did. Here are some examples:

• Two blind men in Matthew 9:27-31
• Jairus and his wife, whose daughter was raised from the dead in Mark 5:41-43
• A man who was deaf and had a speech impediment in Mark 7:35-36

There were occasions when Jesus forbade His disciples to declare He was the Christ.

What is the point in this message? If you do not want your business in the street, keep it to yourself.

Just my thoughts!

Robert E. Slade, Pastor