When I was younger, I had this thing where when I did something wrong to someone I would use any means possible to make it right but apologize or acknowledge I did anything wrong. I did this with my sister while growing up and even with my friends later in life. That was my shortcut to restoring my relationship, but it was never the best. “I am sorry” and “I should not have done that ” were missing and to satisfy my own self-centeredness, I would not mind.
When this terrible attitude of mine was brought to light, for the life of me I could not get what the “big deal” was. It was more of “Why can’t we just move on?” But there is never a “moving on” or “moving forward” without properly addressing hurts. Guess what? This is not just a human thing! As I studied the word I came across verses in Jeremiah 2 and 3, two accounts where God needed the Israelites to say the word, to acknowledge the sin, to not cover it like it never happened.
Jeremiah 3:13: Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the Lord your God and committed adultery against him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to listen to my voice. I, the Lord, have spoken!
So you ask, “Dear God, what is the Big Deal?” On the flip side, when it comes to God, he wants this confession/acknowledgment of our sins not for his benefit but for ours. It is not just something that gives God the “giddy” feeling but far more than that; it is for you, for us. You see until we come before God and acknowledge that mess up in our lives, we can’t really move forward. At first, we may force ourselves to believe it is okay but sooner or later the enemy uses that “fault” to his advantage and our disadvantage. He lingers that “mess up” all around you and slowly condemnation and guilt take over.
That power we gave to the enemy could have easily been used in walking in freedom if we confessed our sins and repented of them. I say “easily” because, when we come to really know God and the love he has for us, we know that he means it when he says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. So if the enemy is still being naughty and wants to attempt to throw the condemnation card your way, you have something to say, you have God’s word, and I can not think of a better comeback than that.
Enjoy freedom today, don’t give the enemy a winning card to play by covering it all up.
CW Bloggers are excited to launch our newest Good Reads feature: Ever After: Life Lessons Learned in my Castle of Chaos by bestselling author, Vicki Courtney. We will be reading Ever After for our very first Virtual Book Club pick. Join our new virtual book club. Purchase your copy of the book by September 9th. Get your copy of the book here.
