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.
Psalms 32:5 NIV
You've likely heard the expression, "Confession is good for the soul." Something is liberating about admitting our guilt. The weight of our wrongdoing weighs heavy on our minds, body, and soul until we can get it off our chest. In James 5:16, the author refers to it as healing.
However, we often find it difficult to repent. Sometimes we may carry around the weight of guilt as self-punishment, a painful reminder of unworthiness. Satan delights in this; he would much prefer us to suffer in silence than receive the freedom from confession. At other times, we may subconsciously think we can hide from God what he already knows. Of course, we know this isn't true, but sometimes we still successfully convince ourselves. Possibly worse yet is self-deceit, thinking we have done nothing wrong at all, so have nothing to confess. Heaven, help us! But, God makes it easy for us to confess. He knows what we've done and stands ready to forgive; all we need to do is earnestly repent and be healed.
Lord, we thank you for forgiveness. We admit we are sometimes reluctant to confess our sins. Sometimes we may even feel what we've done is so wrong you will never absolve our transgressions. You know our sins and in your love still, extend your pardon. We come before you at this moment freely and humbly admitting our sin. We have failed to be an obedient church, we have not cared for the needy, and we have not shared the good news of Jesus Christ. Lord, please heal us, free us from our sin, refresh us in spirit that we may be your disciples in the world. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
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