When Storms Reveal Our Hidden Sins
Life Lessons from Jonah's Journey | Watch the Video
The story of Jonah isn't just about a man and a big fish. Hidden within this ancient narrative are profound truths about our relationship with God and how our choices ripple through the lives of those around us. Two principles particularly stand out: how hidden sins surface during life's storms, and how our disobedience affects everyone in our sphere of influence.
Why Does God Send Storms in Our Lives?
In the biblical account, Jonah attempts to flee from God's presence by boarding a ship to Tarshish. He likely thought he could keep his disobedience hidden, much like we often try to conceal our own shortcomings. Pastor Bart Blair, reflecting on this pattern, observes, "All of us have stuff in our life that we're doing, things we're doing we shouldn't be doing, stuff we're thinking we shouldn't be thinking. We have habits that we know are not good for us that are not God honoring."
"Sometimes God does hurl a wind into our lives, creating calamity, and chaos. Not because he wants to condemn us, but because he wants to correct us."
—Bart Blair
The violent storm that threatened to break apart Jonah's ship wasn't merely a weather event – it was divinely appointed to bring his hidden sin to the surface. Scripture speaks clearly about this principle: "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). Jesus himself reinforced this truth: "There's nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight" (Luke 12:2-3).
"Sometimes God does cause storms," Bart explains. "Sometimes God does hurl a wind into our lives, creating calamity and chaos. Not because he wants to condemn us, but because he wants to correct us." This correction isn't punitive – it's redemptive. God's goal isn't to condemn but to redirect us back to His path for our lives.
How Does My Personal Sin Affect Others Around Me?
The sailors on Jonah's ship found themselves in mortal danger and lost their cargo – their livelihood – because of one man's decision to run from God. This illustrates a crucial truth: our disobedience rarely affects us alone. As Bart emphasizes, "When we have sin in our life, when we're walking in disobedience to God, there's always a ripple effect... that ripple effect is going to affect your friends, your family, your colleagues, your neighbors, your church family. Your sin doesn't affect you and you alone."
This challenges the common notion that our private sins only impact us personally. Whether it's financial decisions, relationship choices, or personal habits, our actions create ripples that affect our entire "boat" – everyone connected to our lives. "All of us have been on the receiving end of somebody else's sin, wreaking havoc, causing chaos, causing pain in our lives," Bart notes.
What Are the Warning Signs That I'm Running From God?
Before storms force our hidden sins to the surface, we can take proactive steps to examine our lives:
Check Your Open Doors Bart warns that not every opportunity is from God: "When a door opens in your life, you better check to see whose hand is on the door handle. Because our enemy, God's enemy, will open doors for you in your life to help you make decisions that are completely contrary to what God would want you to do."
Evaluate Decisions Through the Lens of Christ-likeness "By making this decision, by choosing this, by marrying this person, making this investment, taking this job, moving to this city, does it help me become more like Jesus, or does it prevent me from becoming more like Jesus?"
Consider the Ripple Effects Before making decisions, consider how they might affect others. As Bart observes, "We're not as quick to realize that our sin does the same thing to other people because everybody else's sin is way worse than our sin. But sin is sin."
Surrender Control "We have to be willing to surrender ourselves, surrender our agenda, surrender our self-centeredness," Bart teaches. "Take our crowns, get off the throne, lay our crowns down at the feet of Jesus and acknowledge that he is king."
How Can My Church Help Me Make Better Decisions?
One of the most effective ways to avoid finding ourselves in Jonah's situation is to "walk closely with people who are going the direction that you need to go in your life and solicit their counsel," as Bart suggests. Too often, we make significant life decisions in isolation, just as Jonah did when he chose to flee to Tarshish. But God designed us to live in community, to have a tribe of fellow believers who can help us discern His will and keep us accountable.
Your church family can help you:
Identify blind spots in your decision-making
Provide wisdom from past experiences
Offer accountability and support
Help discern God's will through prayer and counsel
Even seemingly neutral decisions benefit from community input. As Bart points out, even practical choices like purchasing decisions can impact our spiritual walk: "How much money I spend might help me be more or less like Jesus. The timing in which I make that purchase, do I have the cash for it? Do I have to put it on a credit card?"
How Do I Stop Running and Start Following God's Plan?
Remember Bart’s powerful warning: "You can't run away from God while reaching for his hand. You can't ask God for a blessing when you're walking in disobedience." Instead of trying to hide or minimize our sins, we should address them openly with God and trusted spiritual advisors.
The story of Jonah teaches us that we can't outrun God, and we can't hide our sins forever. However, unlike Jonah, we have the opportunity to address these issues before they create storms in our lives. This requires humility, honesty, and most importantly, a supportive community of believers who can help us navigate life's challenges while growing more like Jesus every day.
If you're reading this and recognizing the need for spiritual community in your life, consider this your invitation to connect with a local church. A healthy church community can provide the support, accountability, and wisdom needed to help you recognize and address hidden sins before they surface in storms.
This article is based on a sermon preached by Pastor Bart Blair. Check out the video on our TEACHING page.
Check out this article if you find yourself in need of more relational connections.