When No One Is Watching: The Hidden Sins of the Heart (Psalm 19:12–13)
“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me.” — Psalm 19:12,13
These verses pierce deep into the soul. They reveal who we truly are when no one else is watching. David wasn’t just praying for forgiveness of the sins everyone could see — he was pleading for cleansing from the ones hidden even from himself.
It’s a sobering truth: we can appear righteous before men while our hearts are far from pure before God. Yet, these same verses invite us to run — not hide — to the throne of grace for confession, cleansing, and protection.
David’s Example: Honest Repentance
In 2 Samuel 24:10, we read:
“And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done… take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.”
David, though king, was not exempt from conviction. His heart “smote him.” He didn’t justify or rationalize his sin — he owned it and sought God’s mercy.
Contrast that with many of today’s leaders who seem to have lost that sensitivity of heart. Too many give themselves a “free pass” because their sins remain unseen. But unseen doesn’t mean unnoticed. God sees, and His Spirit still calls for repentance.
A Troubling Trend: The “Free Pass Friars”
There’s a growing sickness in the pulpit — preachers who love to preach grace but refuse to live it. Some define justification as “just as if I had never sinned.” Yet, in practice, they apply it selectively — especially to themselves.
What hypocrisy! The same pastors who thunder against the sins of others quietly excuse their own pride, bitterness, greed, or lack of compassion. They preach “grace” from the pulpit but withhold it from the pew.
Worse still, many congregations have stopped testing what they hear. They nod, say amen, and go home unchanged. But 2 Timothy 2:15 commands us to “study to show thyself approved unto God” — not unto a man, not unto a denomination, but unto God.
Accountability in the House of God
Church, we cannot allow personality or position to replace truth.
Pastors are called to lead by example — not by preference. A pastor who uses the pulpit to push his preferences rather than God’s commands is in dangerous territory.
“Woe, woe to the pastor who preaches his preferences and his convictions,” for those words will one day be weighed by the Word Himself.
And to the members: you are not spectators; you are Bereans. Compare Scripture with Scripture. Measure every sermon, every conviction, every “thus saith the Lord” against the living Word of God. If it doesn’t align — reject it, lovingly, but firmly.
Grace for the Broken, Not a Pass for the Proud
There is grace — abundant grace—for the one who repents.
But there is no free pass for the one who hides behind the pulpit to avoid repentance.
David didn’t hide his foolishness; he confessed it.
And when he did, God restored him.
Let’s follow that same path — whether we lead or follow — because only in humility can we truly be cleansed from secret faults and presumptuous sins.
Final Reflection
The call of Psalm 19 is not just for the pew; it’s for the pulpit.
The greatest need in the Church today is not more charisma, but more confession.
Not more programs, but more purity.
May we all pray,
“Lord, keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me.”
Then, and only then, will our words and ministries carry the fragrance of Christ — not the stench of pride.