Confession is freeing Saturday 20th October 2018 'I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And you forgave me!' Psalm 32:5 NLT Have you ever had a moment where you felt really bad about something you've done? Imagine you decide you want to go to a party that your parents don't want you to go to. So you tell them you're going to a friend's house when actually you're heading to the party, planning to never tell your parents what you've done. You're not caught, but you start feeling bad about it. The guilt increases until it reaches a level where you've just got to tell your parents about what you did. That admission is called confession. Confession is a good thing to do. The Greek word translated as confession means 'to agree with God.' When we confess our sins, we're agreeing with God about the wrong thoughts or actions in our lives, revealed through his Word and by the Holy Spirit. When we confess, we verbalise our sin and receive cleansing and forgiveness. Confession is often painful, but it keeps our relationship with our heavenly Father, and with people, clear, open and close. When we hide our sin from God, we no longer feel we can approach him with confidence. The Bible says: 'Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy' (Proverbs 28:13 NIV). So what now? Do you have something you need to confess? 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness' (1 John 1:9 NKJV). Do it quickly and be cleansed.
