“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”
In this verse confession is a deal breaker. It allows us to be cleansed of unrighteousness. …So, is it part of what we do every day?
When is the last time you inventoried your sins without a disclaimer?
We have no problem admitting we did something wrong but there is always a reason…” I am sorry, but”…. When I start explaining my actions, I am not sorry for them…Either I regret them, or I have a reason for doing them – I need to decide.
Our culture is unable to confess sin…we deflect it, normalize it, blame it on others…sometimes we change its name and call it an illness. Ultimately, we blame God and say we were created the way we are - and accept no responsibility.
According to this verse, when we do that, we are calling God a liar…Implying in the end, that it is His fault when we act un-righteously. This passage says that is a dangerous path to follow.
Let’s compare the amount of time, we spend examining our walk to rid it of sin - against the amount of time we spend petitioning God for things we want. By the content of our prayer life… are we implying that God is a liar? …. And if so, is His word not in us?... Those are important questions.
The subject of confession quickly becomes critical when I realize the lack of time, I spend involved in it. Most spiritual problems come from either having a faulty concept of God - or having a faulty concept of yourself. Confession covers and adjusts both areas – perhaps that is why it is so important.
Spend some time owning your own errors today…Evaluate and confess your shortcomings. Practice saying, “I am so sorry – that was my fault.” Allow the blood of Christ to cleanse you and reject the psycho-babble that blames others.
Sin grows in the dark – so drag it out in the light – confess it, repent of it, and watch how quickly it will lose power in your life.
“The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.”
-Saint Augustine
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