“If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9
Recently I made a decision by going ahead of God and not
waiting for His timing. I was hasty in making my decision. Although I prayed
for God’s will for more than several days, I made the decision even before the peace of
God was in my heart. As soon as I made my decision, I felt guilt ridden.
It wasn’t a sin in what I decided to do – it was harmless –
but I was taking the action into my hands and decided to move forward instead of waiting for God's confirmation.
Have you ever felt guilty? Usually we feel that the emotion
of “guilt” is a bad thing – but see below at what this Bible commentary says
about it:
“No one likes to feel guilty. Like an unwelcome guest, guilt
shows up at the worst possible time and does not go away no matter how much you
wish it would.
Yet the truth is that we need guilt. It is the only proper
response to any offense, whether a selfish thought, or premeditated murder.
Even a nonbeliever wants a burglar to feel remorse for his theft. Why? Because
he should. Guilt exposes the truth that we wish to avoid: We have all sinned.
John, who is the author of the book of 1 John, puts it this way: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8).
But John does not leave us with this dismal picture of
ourselves. Instead he goes on to paint a
glorious portrait of a forgiving God. This is our only hope: “If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Guilt does more than just deliver the
distressing news. It unlocks the door to
forgiveness. Progress, change, reform, and (most important of all) God’s
forgiveness all start with confession.”
Confession works against the worst part of human nature, the part that imagines itself to be better
than it really is. This mindset always stops short of confessing; it would
rather ignore or ease feelings of guilt than admit them. But only open
confession of our sins will completely cleanse us. Only when we admit that we
are sinners, unworthy of God’s grace, can we make a fresh start.” Commentary
I ran to my heavenly Father, confessed my sin to Him and He reminded me of this glorious
truth: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from ALL
unrighteous.” My confession to Him,
freed me to enjoy my fellowship with Christ!
I always want God to have His way in my life. Whenever I believe I got my way, I lose. But whenever I submit to God's will and His timing, I always win and you will always win too!
No matter what your sin may be - large or small - never forget this
truth: Not only does God forgive us when we confess our sins to Him, but because
of Jesus being the perfect sacrifice, He LOVES
to forgive us! HE LOVES TO FORGIVE YOU and give you a fresh new start! Our God is a forgiving God!
“…God’s kindness is
intended to lead you to repentance…” Romans 2:4
“Self-evaluation is difficult, and it is even more difficult
to expose our conduct to God and let Him tell us where we need to change. But
as Christians we must pray constantly that God will point out our sins, so that
HE can heal them. Unfortunately, we are more likely to be amazed at God’s
patience with others than humbled at his patience with us.” Commentary
FATHER, thank you
that you give us plenty of time to repent. Thank you for your patience! Thank
you that it is your kindness that brings us to a place of confession. Thank you that you never want us to feel condemnation but conviction of our sins so that we can receive and almost taste the sweetness of forgiveness! Thank you that because of the perfect and
righteous sacrifice of Jesus, You can be completely
just and yet forgive us!
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