You know, I've used to the answer. I'm fine. Even when my stomach was churning with a lie. And let's be honest, we've all been there, haven't we? 93% of us fake being okay at least once a day. But here's a sobering thought. Psychologists at Notre Dame found that just ten days of pretending can raise stress hormones enough to shave a full hour of healthy sleep right off your life. So what if the quickest route to Joy isn't trying harder to keep up the act? What if it simply dropping the pretense and telling God the messy truth right now? I'm. Robots are a pain and this is a battle drill. Daily devotional. We often think that that mask keeps us safe, but it doesn't. It just keeps us stuck. Think about it. That hidden debt, that secret rage, that browser history we clear at midnight. Each one of those things nails another board over the windows of our soul until the whole room just goes dark. We spend all this energy rehearsing smiling lines for Instagram while behind the scenes anxiety is rehearsing us. The energy bill for pretending is enormous, isn't it? Tighten shoulders. Shallow breathing. That vague sense that we're always about to be found out. No wonder happiness can feel like a party. We just weren't invited to. That closet of secrets gets heavier and heavier every season. We keep it shut. Jesus never said you must be flawless before you approach me. What he said was, abide in my word. And then he promised, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John chapter eight, verse 32. Now the Greek here in this verse points to an ongoing knowing, a daily choosing of what's real over what's fake. God can't rescue a silhouette silhouette, Kenny. He rescues a self scripture. It just brims with God's preference for candor. David's rooftop disaster became Psalm 51, the prototype for honest prayer. Peter's cowardly denial became rock solid restoration. Even the prodigal son's rehearsed apology was interrupted by a sprinting father. The pattern is clear, isn't it? Heaven isn't waiting for our perfection. It's waiting for our admission. Confession isn't groveling. It's simply agreeing with reality and letting Grace do the heavy lifting. So why does honesty unlock happiness? Well, first honesty, it checks guilt. First John, chapter one, verse nine tells us God cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Wiping the slate clean, not just the chalk dust. Second, it invites real community. James, chapter five, verse 16 links confession to mutual healing secrets just lose their power when they're spoken in safe company. Third, and I find this fascinating. It frees up cognitive bandwidth. Neuroscience actually shows that suppressing things activates your amygdala, keeping you in fight or flight mode. But disclosure just speaking it out shifts that processing to your prefrontal cortex, restoring clarity and calm. And finally, honesty deepens intimacy with God. You can't have true closeness while holding back whole chapters of your story. Cami Joy simply expands when we stop managing an image and start receiving a love that already knows the worst and stays. Now, if this message is hitting home for you today, please hit subscribe and share it with just one friend who's tired of pretending. Maybe we can all stop a small honesty revolution right here. So how do we actually do this? How do we practice spiritual confession? We'll first schedule a weekly Skull Soul scan. Light a candle or play a psalm. And just ask God. Where am I making it? Write down what surfaces without editing it. Don't hold back. Second, speak it out loud. Your own ear needs to hear your heart. Admit I got it. I'm jealous. I'm scared. There's actually power in doing that out loud. Third, use scripture as scaffolding. Say, I agree with first John chapter one, verse nine. Forgive and cleanse me, Lord. Then receive assurance. Picture that sin nailed to the cross. Breathe in forgiveness until your shoulders literally drop. Feel that weight. Lift and then bring in another voice. Tell one trusted friend or mentor or counselor the condensed version that me too. Or that prayer can anchor your freedom. And then you repeat. Confession isn't a crisis hotline. It's a lifestyle. Layers peel over years, and each round, each honest moment widens your capacity for joy. Honesty. It feels like oxygen after years of smoke, doesn't it? Guilt no longer hijacks your quiet moments. But grace does. You'll still mess up, of course. Will do. But the cycle of hide, seek, hide and seek and hide again is broken. Happiness becomes less about perfect circumstances and more about perfect tender before an endlessly merciful God. Freedom isn't the absence of failure. It's the absence of solitary failure. And let me tell you, that changes everything. So what's just one secret that you're tired of hauling around? I challenge you, pause this devotional right now. Find a quiet spot and just hand it to God in plain speak. Then text someone that you trust. Send them a message like, can we talk? No advice needed. Just in here. You'll feel the shift before the day ends, I promise you. Remember, the goal isn't a sparkling record. It's a sparkling connection with the one who already loves the real you. Tell the truth. Taste the freedom and keep the joy. Thanks so much for watching Battle Royale Daily Devotional. If you found today's message helpful, please like, share and subscribe so we can keep bringing daily encouragement to more people. And for more devotionals and resources, head over to Battle Drill devotional.com. Stay strong and Stay Battle ready.