We need to CONFESS + FORSAKE our SINS to get God’s MERCY!

 

July 8 Bible Reading: Proverbs Chapters 28-31

We need to CONFESS + FORSAKE our SINS to get God’s MERCY!

"He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." (Prov. 28:13)

God in His infinite wisdom has devised two kinds of forgiveness: judicial and parental. When we trust Christ as Lord and Savior, we receive forgiveness from the penalty of sins; that is judicial forgiveness. When we, as believers, confess our sins, we receive parental forgiveness and this maintains fellowship with God our Father. "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)

Both God and people cover sins. God covers the sins of the people who confess their sins with the blood of His son Jesus Christ, while people cover their own sins with the shame of hypocrisy. Confession is the divinely appointed method for obtaining the mercy and blessing of God. However, confession, when accompanied by forsaking, brings prosperity in the life of the child of God!

Anyone who covers (hides or, denies) sin in their life will not prosper – this is the law of God. The best way to handle sin is to confess and forsake it. "For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight..." (Psalms 51:3-4). Concealment of sin delivers none from God's wrath, but He shows mercy to the humble penitent.

There is no blessing for the person who covers his sins, that is, who refuses to drag them out into the light and to confess them to God and to anyone else who has been wronged. But anyone who confesses and forsakes his sins has the assurance that God not only forgives but forgets. "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them," then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." (Heb. 10:16-17)

Let us clearly understand that confession will prompt mercy from mankind as well as from God if it is coupled by forsaking of sins and bad habits and addictions. While unconfessed sins bring disorder in our lives, sincere confession and genuine repentance will lead to restoring a right relationship with God based entirely on His mercy. Ultimately, the orderliness and well-being in our life is linked to our personal relationship with God!

"I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and You forgave the iniquity of my sin." (Psalms 32:5)