I Really Want To Confess…But … Hello weekend readers. I hope you enjoyed our Independence Day! As crazy as our country is going through right now, the gifts God has given us in this country are amazing and we should be grateful as well as doing the stewardship God asked us for all creatures and this big ball of Earth that we live on! And that last sentence is what I am musing on. I don’t know about you, but I confess that I haven’t done the best of the job to take care of the mandate God has given us. In fact, this brings me to the conclusion that “I need to confess but…”

One of the most important aspects of the Christian life is to know what it means to confess our sins. In fact, our very forgiveness hinges on our understanding of the term. In Hebrew, the word for confess means to acknowledge and it can be translated as “to agree with someone” or “to say the same thing as another.” So, I dove into Scripture—there’s a lot about this topic but 1 John 1:9-10 hits right in the bulls-eye! I read through quite a few translations on this Scripture, but the Voice resonated in my mind and heart: “But if we own up to our sins, God shows that He is faithful and just by forgiving us of our sins and purifying us from the pollution of all the bad things we have done. If we say, ‘We have not sinned,’ then we depict God as a liar and show that we have not let His word find its way into our hearts.”

The word confess is essentially saying that if you’ll agree with God about your sin, if you’ll acknowledge it for what it is and not make excuses for it, and if you’ll turn from it, God will forgive you. Sounds so easy doesn’t it, but our pride gets in the way. Many people think they’ve confessed their sin when they haven’t because no one else would know anyway. They forget God knows! And how easily do we get caught up in our sins, and then confess and turn around and do the same dang thing! Remember this: that kind of confession is not a true confession. You can recognize your sin but never work to change your life so you can get rid of that sin that holds you down.

So what is a genuine confession? It is the understanding that sin puts distance between you and God and that’s NOT where you want to be. In Isaiah 59:2 [Voice] the prophet didn’t mince his words when he said: “Your persistent wrongdoing has come between you and your God; since you constantly reject and push God away. He had to turn aside and ignore your cries.” OUCH!

Here’s two problems with sin: 1) It interferes with our ability to recognize God’s will for our life and the JOY of the blessings that come with it! 2) It undermines your Christian witness which then gives people a distorted view of Christ-they miss the difference he can make for their lives. God wants people to see his Son in you! Don’t let sin keep you from doing that.

Confession means to see sin for what it is and then we need to be sorry for it, and to turn from it. We must recognize that sin is offensive to our one and only true God. So, are we willing to do it? Are we working through obstacles that block our mind and heart to truly confess our sins? Tough questions and yes–it’s tough to do it. The more we understand about the seriousness of sin, the more genuine our confession will be. Now, read the words of Jesus below. He isn’t “hanging us out to dry my friends” — he is there for us – helping us every single moment of every day to overcome sin and find the joy of living in Him! AMEN.

John 16:8 [Voice] Jesus said “When He arrives, He will uncover the sins of the world, expose unbelief as sin, and allow all to see their sins in the light of righteousness for the first time.”  HALLELUJAH!