You didn’t mean to do it. In fact, you’re not even sure why you did it. But you are 100% sure you’ve done something that is sure to be displeasing in God’s eyes. Maybe He won’t notice, you try and convince yourself. Then you remember that He’s omnipotent, so it is very likely He has witnessed your betrayal. Next, you try and convince yourself that your disobedient act was so minute that God will just toss aside the infraction, or at the worst, issue you a warning ticket as you enter the gate to Heaven.
There’s a much better way to deal with sin – ‘fess up! Psalms 32:3-5 (NIV) says, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Christians make mistakes. We fall. Sometimes we fall a little. Sometimes we fall very far. But we must remember that God is a loving, forgiving, and patient God, and that He knows we make mistakes. Even Jesus struggled with what He was called to do by His Father. Life is not easy. However, when we do stumble, the quickest way to regain our balance is to admit we have done wrong and ask for forgiveness.
When we confess our failures to God, we feel an instant release, a cleansing of our consciences. It is a burden we weren’t meant to carry. And thanks to Jesus, we don’t have to. He is both the Mediator and the Redeemer, and it is in his name that we should pray when we ask the Lord to be patient with our humanness.
I can’t remember the number of times I have asked God to forgive me for stupid things I’ve done. I do know that I’ve felt better after admitting my faults rather than trying to hide them. Hence the title of this column. It is best not to ponder the importance of one’s misdeeds or to wonder if the sin-meter has set off a security alarm in God’s mansion. Confessing our failings should be swift, for we know what consequences the wide road of ignorance and self-deceit leads to – certain destruction. Better to ‘fess up. We have Jesus at our defense table!
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