Confession is a way of acknowledging what we have done wrong; asking for pardon; and promising not to repeat the wrongs. It shows integrity and conscience when we accept our wrongs and unconditionally pray for pardon. It pleases God because it shows the truth in us. Confession heals our souls and makes God to work in our lives. Confession must be honest, pure and voluntary.
We confess to God because we want to be truthful to him. We hide our confession when we are ignorant of scripture. God demands that we confess our offenses against him. God has justifiable reasons why he wants us to do so. We wish to explore some of these reasons under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who is our teacher and guide in the spirit. Why must we confess?
We must confess as God demands
It is written in Leviticus 5: 5, when you realize your guilt in any of these (God’s commandments), you shall confess the sin that you have committed. Realizing our sins and confessing them are critical for being restored. God said in Leviticus 26: 40-42 but if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their ancestors,… then will I remember my covenant with Jacob; I will remember also my covenant with Isaac and also my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. If we want God to remember us, and to protect our inheritance, we must confess our sins.
We confess to placate the odds
When we confess, we soften God’s anger against us. Some of the calamities we face are as a result of sin which we either hide or fail to confess.
1 Kings 8: 35-36 say when heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and then they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sins, because you punish them, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk; and grant rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance. God’s mercy is invoked when we confess our iniquities before him in sincerity.
We confess because God knows our hearts
The prayer in 1 Kings 8: 37-43 says,” If there is famine in the land, if there is plague, blight, mildew, locust, or caterpillar;… then hear in heaven your dwelling place, forgive, act, and render to all whose hearts you know – according to all their ways, for only you know what is in every human heart – so that they may fear you all the days they live in the land that you gave to our ancestors. God knows the heart of every man so we must be true to him with our confessions.
We confess to receive forgiveness
God forgives and saves only when we confess our sins. David said in Psalms 32: 5 then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Solomon said in Proverbs 28: 13, no one who conceals transgressions will prosper, but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. We prosper in confession because we get restored to God’s goodness and providence in love.
We confess so we would be saved
God saves by confession. 1 John 1: 8-9 say if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him (God) a liar, and his word is not in us. We cannot be saved if we are not truthful to God in confession.
We confess to keep God’s relationship
God keeps his covenant alive with us when we confess our sins. Daniel 9: 20-22 say while I (Daniel) was speaking, and was praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God on behalf of the holy mountain of my God,… He (God’s angel) came and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come out to give you wisdom and understanding. Many of us lack wisdom and understanding because we lack the key of confession. God takes over our minds by his Holy Spirit when we humbly confess in honesty.
The question for the day
Have we confessed our sins to God or are we in denial? Have we pledged to be faithful or we love to rebel? Are we committed never to repeat what we have done wrong? Do we accept we need God’s grace or we want to rely on our own strength? The arm of flesh will fail us but God will not fail us if we confess.
In 2 Chronicles 32: 8 we read that with him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles. Let us confess to God with a clean heart. Scripture says in Psalms 66: 18 if I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. Let us search our hearts and confess to God. He is patiently waiting to overcome the arm of failing flesh and to give us hope by the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus if we confess our iniquities to God.
Prayer
Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, all our sins which we have hidden and denied are known to you as the light of the world. We confess our sins today and humbly ask for your forgiveness. Kindly restore us to your unfailing peace which surpasses all understanding. We confess the sins of generations before us whose curses we have inherited. Please accept our confessions through your blood and save and renew us today in your holy name, Amen!!
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