by Cleve Stafford<\/p>\n
Some of the most uncomfortable parts of Scripture are the ones that feel a little too close to home. One of those moments shows up in the book of Ezekiel, in a vision that doesn’t get preached on very often, but maybe should. Ezekiel 8:7-12, “And he brought me to the entrance of the court, and when I looked, behold, there was a hole in the wall. Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, dig in the wall.’ So I dug in the wall, and behold, there was an entrance. And he said to me, ‘Go in, and see the vile abominations that they are committing here.’ So I went in and saw. And there, engraved on the wall all around, was every form of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel. And before them stood seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel… Each had his censer in his hand, and the smoke of the cloud of incense went up. Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The LORD does not see us, the LORD has forsaken the land.’<\/em>“<\/p>\n God took Ezekiel on a tour, not of pagan temples, but of the secret sins hidden in the hearts of His own people. Hidden in the dark, behind the wall, were the elders of Israel worshiping vile things. These were the men who were supposed to lead the people in righteousness. But when they thought no one was watching, they turned to idols. Picture that scene. God tells Ezekiel, “Dig through the wall,” and what he finds behind it isn’t just shocking, it’s heartbreaking. These men hadn’t stopped being religious. They still held censers and still played the part, but their worship was hollow. In the hidden places, they bowed to something other than God.<\/p>\n Were they mistakenly thinking, “The LORD does not see us?” Maybe they believed their private life didn’t matter because God had turned His back. But He hadn’t. God saw every image, heard every whispered lie, and knew what lived behind the wall. And He called it what it was – an abomination. That should make us think: what would God see if He asked us to dig through our own walls? What thoughts, habits, or hidden idols would be carved into the corners of our hearts? What do we allow in the dark that we never want seen in the light?<\/p>\n Maybe it’s a pattern of lust no one knows about. Maybe it’s envy, resentment, or pride that hides beneath a smile. Maybe it’s the bitterness we’ve nursed for years or the entertainment we excuse, but deep down, we know is unholy. God sees everything, and He always brings it to light, not to shame us, but to heal us. That’s the difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction says, “This needs to go because you were made for more.” Condemnation says, “You’re too far gone.”<\/p>\n Ezekiel’s vision isn’t just about Israel; it’s about all of us. We all have walls. We all have rooms we think no one can see into. But the truth is, nothing is hidden from the eyes of the Lord. Hebrews 4:13, “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.<\/em>” And that’s not a threat, it’s a grace. Because the One who sees it all still loves us. So here’s the question, “Are you willing to let Him tear it down?”<\/p>\n Sometimes the first step to freedom is just opening the door and letting Him in. No more hiding. No more pretending. Just raw honesty before a holy God who longs to cleanse, not crush. Today is the perfect time to start digging through our walls. Today is the day to ask Him to shine His light into our darkest, most hidden places. Today is the day to take responsibility and do what it takes to make the changes to secure our salvation through obedient living.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Cleve Stafford Some of the most uncomfortable parts of Scripture are the ones that feel a little too close to home. One of those moments shows up in the book of Ezekiel, in a vision that doesn’t get preached on very often, but maybe should. Ezekiel 8:7-12, “And he brought me to the entrance…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1865,179],"class_list":["post-91133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-secret-sins","tag-sin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52474,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-lord-in-amos-7-refer-to-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":91133,"position":0},"title":"Does “the Lord” in Amos 7 refer to Jesus?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hey Mr. Jeffery, I noticed in the vision in Amos 7 that Amos had at two different times referred to God as the Lord (no caps and not as Jehovah). It also appears that Amos is visually seeing the Lord (no one has ever seen Jehovah fully), so could\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55416,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/by-any-other-name\/","url_meta":{"origin":91133,"position":1},"title":"By Any Other Name","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Glenn Hamilton Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman told of a distinguished minister, Dr. Howard from Australia, who preached very strongly on the subject of sin. After the meeting, someone remarked \"Dr. Howard, you shouldn't talk as openly as you do about man's guilt and corruption as it may offend someone.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52322,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-new-earth\/","url_meta":{"origin":91133,"position":2},"title":"What is the purpose of the new earth?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I know God creates all things for a purpose. God created the earth to be inhabited. Isaiah 45:18. What is the purpose for the new earth if we are not going to inhabit it? Thank you. Answer: \"But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4279,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/where-can-i-find-information-about-the-falling-of-jerichos-walls\/","url_meta":{"origin":91133,"position":3},"title":"Where can I find information about the falling of Jericho’s walls?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 27, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am doing a paper for school trying to prove that the Bible is true. One example I was going to use was the walls of Jericho.\u00a0 What I have to do is find the verses, and then try to prove it looking in books, interviews, the Internet, etc.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8959,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-could-the-law-be-a-dividing-wall-if-other-nations-could-become-israelites\/","url_meta":{"origin":91133,"position":4},"title":"How could the law be a dividing wall if other nations could become Israelites?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Exodus 12:48-49 tells us that someone from another nation (a Gentile) could be circumcised and keep the Passover (in other words obey God) and become part of Israel (a Jew). Verse 49 says that there's one law for everyone. 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