“The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord,
searching all the inner depths of his heart.”
Proverbs 20:27

The function of a lamp is to give light. The Lord sees all the areas of the heart and knows a man more intimately than the man even knows himself. When the Spirit of God shines on a dark place within a believer, the hidden things become exposed. The purpose of it is not to shame or condemn the man, but to bring him to repentance – and to healing.

When that which was hidden is exposed and the person surrenders that part of himself to the Lord – a tremendous process of healing begins.

If you are stunned when the lamp of the Lord exposes something terrible inside you, something you’ve wanted to keep hidden, or something you didn’t even know was there, do not fear the repentance process. The point of it is to heal you and set you free from the burden that has held you captive for so long.

Many times in our walk with the Lord, he will begin a process that needs to happen first, before we can be set free. We may wonder about the process because we may not be able to make sense of it, but the purpose may be that it’s a step to a healing that is planned in your future.

When you bring a problem to a doctor, many times the remedy for the problem will be something painful. It’s the same in our spiritual life; many times the process leading to setting us free will be painful. Bear with it. Later – you will rejoice. The fruit of the process will lead to a kind of joy you’ve never yet experienced. Don’t fear it, don’t resist it, it’s meant for your good. Trust him!