A therapist who graduated 34 years earlier called the University of Oregon and admitted she had cheated on a final exam. Instead of revoking her degree, the university asked her to write an article on integrity. A woman who completed a walk around the world confessed she travelled part-way in a support truck. I shouldn’t be remembered as the first woman to walk round the world when I cheated, ‘she said, How many of us would even have admitted our deception?’
The Psalmist said, ‘When I kept silent about my sin, your hand was heavy upon me’.
Confessing your sins:
1. Let you experience God’s forgiveness: He already knows about them anyway, but He won’t forgive you while you are busy making excuses and blame-shifting. John says, ‘If we confess my sin, he will forgive our sins’ (1 John 1:9 NCV). The first move is up to you.
2. Restores your emotional and physical energy: Nothing is more draining than denial and nothing is more invigorating than a clean slate. David said, ‘My strength failed because of my iniquity (Psalm 31:10 NAS). Reflecting on his affair with Bethsheba, he said, ‘When I kept silent, my vitality was drained. I acknowledged my sin and You forgave the guilt’ (Psalm 32:3-5 NAS)
3. Allows you to move on: Confession allows you to hit the ‘reset’ button and start again. It is also important to draw a line between the past and the future in case you are tempted to repeat your behavior.
4. Lets you grow: Thomas Edison said failure taught him over a thousand ways not to make a light bulb! Making your mistake work for you instead of against you, starts with confessing them to God and accepting His forgiveness.
