|
Confession and
repentance must come, and God knows when a real change
has occurred. Many people will choose to remember wrongs
and pass judgment, but that does not matter, for when a
moment of change toward God has occurred, He knows, and
He is the only One that matters.
|
My Confession
1
December 2015
When I was young, I went
my own way in many things and suffered many consequences
for it, though I never stopped loving God (much like the
writer of Ecclesiastes). I tried to teach my children
how to choose the right path so they would not have to
suffer negative results of wrong choices like I did.
All choices have
consequences, some are good and some are tragic. It is
always my hope and prayer that my children make the
right choices so they have blessing and joyful
consequences.
There is a school in the
universe that people often refer to as the "school of
hard knocks". Many of my choices resulted in "hard
knocks" that were tragic and very difficult for me.
The results always
provide a 20/20 hindsight to those who have open eyes to
see. For a long time, my eyes were not open to see
clearly, but looking back at all of the results of all
of my choices, I can see now how I could have avoided
many disappointments, traumas, and heartaches.
While there are many
sins that I have no difficulty to change,
there are some that are a real
struggle, yet I choose to struggle to be free
of those shackles.
So I confess that I have
sinned and I repent. To those who have felt injured, I
sincerely apologize and ask their forgiveness as well.
It will be my effort
from now on to resist sin in every way I possibly can. I
will look to the future and no longer live according to
my past.
For those who are
unforgiving or judgmental and intent on holding my past
against me, I forgive you and hope you too will confess
your sin of unforgiveness and judgmentalism so that you
can be free of
your hypocrisy.
It is a new day and a
new life for me and because God forgives (and He is the
only One that actually matters in such regard), I can
live as a righteous man, not because I have achieved it
but because God has declared it!
So I will no longer live
in shame for there is no condemnation for those who are
in Christ Jesus, and anyone condemning is behaving
sinfully, contrary to the
Word of God.
So now, to the Universe
I say:
I will not live according to the
past but will live now with my eye toward the
goal of God's purpose. I declare that there is only One God,
in three persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I
declare that Jesus died and was resurrected so as to
forgive all sin, including mine. And
I will live my life for Him,
from this day forward.
AMEN!
|
|
What Sin
Should I Confess?
All of our sins, for all of us have sinned in many, many
ways. Some of those ways are easy to change, but some
are often very difficult. While all of us may commit
various types of sin, there is usually a particular area
or combination of areas where we feel most tempted and
where we have the most difficulty in changing our lives.
|
The Nature
of Temptation
There is something important to understand
about temptation. At various times, the enemy
of our souls will tempt us with various
things, but he and his demonic horde are
always watching all of us. They've been
watching human beings for thousands of
years... billions of human beings... and they
have become very astute as to what things are
temptations, what signs of weaknesses we
exhibit, and what "sin areas" are most likely
to entrap us and complicate our lives.
Our enemy tailors temptations to our most
vulnerable areas for he (and his horde) watch
to see what we find of interest or curiosity,
and when we demonstrate a propensity for
something, that becomes the area of the most
relentless attack in our lives.
Recognize this truth and prepare your heart
for it by examining yourself honestly and
determining what "sin area" is most likely to
be a weakness for your resolve. Whether sexual
sin and dis-orientation (see
here), or addiction to intoxicants,
or greed, or whatever else may be easy for you
to fail in living according to God's intent --
identify it, declare it as sin, and ask the
Holy Spirit to give you the strength to
overcome it. |
|
For some, it is
obstinance and pride. For others, it is greed and
hording. Yet for others, it is various types of sexual
behaviors. And yet for others, it is addiction to
intoxicants. Sometimes it is a combination of things.
Additionally, some
things are more traumatic to us than others, and we
often have trouble forgiving ourselves for things we
have done. This is
Why Confess
and To Whom?
Because
What is the
Result of Confession?
You
It does not mean you
will not struggle with sin, for even the Apostle Paul
struggled with sin and he wrote about this in Romans
7:13-8:2, saying:
Therefore, did what is good cause my death? Absolutely
not! On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as
sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so
that through the commandment, sin might become sinful
beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual,
but I am made out of flesh, sold into sin’s power. For I
do not understand what I am doing, because I do not
practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. And if
I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that
it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but
it is sin living in me. For I know that nothing good
lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do
what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do
it. For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I
practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do
what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but
it is the sin that lives in me. So I discover this
principle: When I want to do what is good, evil is with
me. For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God’s
law. But I see a different law in the parts of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind and taking me
prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What
a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying
body? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So
then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of
God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin. Therefore, no
condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus,
because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set
you free from the law of sin and of death.
So don't think you won't
be tempted any longer, nor think you won't struggle with
areas of sin that have plagued you throughout your life.
You WILL
struggle, but thanks be to God that righteousness is a
declaration of God, not an achievement of man!
Dont' Judge!
If
...
...
Deliverance!
God is right... His word
will guard us from evil and pain if we follow Him. The
alternative choices have alternative results and
consequences. I hope everyone sees that sooner rather
than later. Regardless of which path
one chooses, God loves you. You can easily receive
blessing and joy with the right choices. And my hope for
all of us is that we come to repentance so as to receive the best and
be the most
blessed.
Receive the deliverance of the
Lord, and do so in Jesus' name by the power
of God through the Holy Spirit.
|
