2 Chronicles 18:29, New Living Translation

“The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, ‘I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes.’ So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.”

From the very beginning, the very first human being, Adam, tried to hide himself from God and failed. It seems not many people learn from this lesson. Instead, it sounds like some Christian often use the term “generational curse” (I believe there are many who misuse it or overuse it) to justify their behavior. Children hide their faults from their parents at home, students from their teachers at school, employees from their employer, or church attendants from their pastor. But ultimately, their action is the same as Adam and Eve who tried hiding from God and failed.

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.” (psalm 139:7-12, ESV)

You may be able to successfully hide your sin from man for a short period of time, but you can never hide it from God. Jesus gave us a direct warning when He said, “For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” (Luke 8:17, ESV) 

Look at the life of King Ahab in 2 Chronicles 18. God sent Micaiah the prophet to warn him that if he went to war he would surely die. Yet, this was not what he expected to hear nor what he wanted to hear. He had his agenda, and he desired to hear words that would confirm what he desired. He locked Micaiah up and devised his own plan by disguising himself on the battlefield, the same way that the devil pretends to be someone he is not. Did he plan to hide his work? No, it did not! Hear this:

“When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, ‘This is the king of Israel.’ So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him, for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him. But someone drew his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between the breastplate and the scale armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Wheel around and get me out of the fighting. I’ve been wounded.” All day long the battle raged, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then at sunset he died.” (2 Chronicles 18:31-34, NIV)

Don’t be fooled into believing that you can be smart enough to cheat God. Take His word into your heart, seek understanding, and see God for who He is instead of belittling Him and His power. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5, NIV)