Living With Purpose
One of the reasons we do not admit or confess our sins is we don’t believe God is as gracious as the Bible says He is. Some people either say or think to themselves, “God will never forgive me for what I’ve done”. There is nothing in this modern, high-tech world that prepares us for the grace God offers. To be forgiven and given a new, clean slate seems to good to be true. So, we run away and hide; at least in our spiritual consciousness we do. All People, Christians included, duck and dodge rather than face the music. It is wrong to ignore God and what He can do for us all. He longs to give us a clear conscience. Your spiritual enemy would have you believe that sinning is ok, and everybody is doing it. It is true we all sin, but it’s not Ok! The enemy is quick to pile guilt and condemnation on you. The trouble for unbelievers and the casual Christian is they don’t recognize that it’s the devil promoting the guilt.
If you let garbage in your kitchen pile up, it begins to stink. It’s the same with unconfessed sin. Pretending it isn’t there or hoping that it will go away on its own does absolutely nothing to remove the stench that results when we don’t confess our sins to God and ask for forgiveness. Here’s the truth: sin must be dealt with or our relationship with God will feel distant, uncaring, and unsatisfying.
We can all imagine God up in Heaven with arms folded and a ticked-off look on His face, thinking of ways to teach us a lesson. And we can all wallow in our guilt, feeling miserable instead of immediately doing the one thing that would solve the problem—come clean, admit what we’ve done, and ask God to forgive.
To confess your sins is not to tell God something He doesn’t already know. But until we do, there’s a lonely gap that stands between us and His loving Spirit. Our confession becomes a bridge so that we feel His presence once again. Psalm 32:5 says, “Finally, I confessed all my sins to You and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, I will confess my rebellion to the Lord. And You forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”
Christ talked about a power that would lift us away from our personal problems: fears, worry, sickness, unemployment, money, fights in the family, and so on.
Becoming a member of God’s family and being forgiven of sin and wrong is not a matter of human power. Something superhuman must happen. A “new birth” must take place. The spiritual rebirth and renewal are a result of the Holy Spirit’s power. The Holy Spirit shows us our sin. This Spirit points us to Christ as the One who forgives and the One who gives us the personal righteousness needed to be accepted by God.
Power over sin is our most pressing problem. Sin can be overcome by Christ’s power only! When Jesus makes a person new, he gives that person new life. He will pick up all the stinking garbage in your life and get rid of it. But you must let him come in and do all the cleaning.
Your old life feeds on the sin nature, but your new life in Christ is much stronger because it feeds on God’s love.
Jesus Christ died and rose again to make this new life available to every person who would trust in him. A new life is a forgiven life and one that will transform you into something greater than you could ever imagine. Admit your sin and admit that you need him. It’s the best, most positive thing you can do for yourself.
• This bi-weekly column is written by Matthew Dobson. He’s a health educator for the State of Florida, U.S. Army Reserve Chaplain, and the Pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church in the New York Community. His “Living With Purpose” Book series can be found and purchased on www. Amazon.com. You can contact him by email: rmdobson@liberty.edu
