Thursday, October 2, 2014

CONFESSION: THE FIRST AND NECESSARY STEP

Today's promise: God forgives all sins, no matter how big

Confession: the first and necessary step

"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong."
1 John 1:9 NLT

The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17 NLT

Intimacy with God can be restored
"There's nothing like a tough time to reveal what we're made of. When trouble rears its ugly, scary head, either we trust the promises of God and respond with obedience, or we panic and react sinfully.

Too often we are guilty of the latter. When things fall apart, we become sarcastic, possessive, moody, self-centered, bitter, envious…or a hundred other unflattering things. Now the situation is really messy. Not only are we facing trouble, but we've complicated the matter by pulling away from God. Our doubt and disobedience have alienated us from the One we need most.

The good news is that intimacy with God can be restored by simply acknowledging our wrong attitudes and actions. The word confession in the New Testament literally means 'to say the same thing.' In other words, we agree with God — about our wrong choices, about his perfect forgiveness, and about the truth that we are brand-new people who have the power to say no to future temptation.

If you've added to your troubles recently by responding wrongly, confession is your bridge back to God.

from Praying God's Promises in Tough Times by Len Woods (Tyndale) p 70

Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House


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