The Exercise of Confession
1 John 1:9 (NLT) - But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
James 5:16a - Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
No one looks forward to confession. Beforehand, you don’t want to do it, but later you are glad you did it. Ultimately, it is to God you confess your sins. Yes, He already knows everything about you and your sin. But Him knowing is not enough. He wants you to confess it, for your heart and mouth to acknowledge it, clearly, to Him.
To confess your sin is an exercise of honesty and of truth. It requires vulnerability beyond comfort. It seems risky. Sometimes people think “if I look the other way maybe it will go away.” Not so. Sin will not just “go away.” It tempts you. It hangs on. The Evil One, the purveyor of sin, uses it to lure you away from God and to delude, deter, distract, and ultimately destroy you. So, don’t look the other way. Whatever the sin, confess it; whisper it to God or say it out loud. He hears your heart.
Bring it out into the light. You cannot hide or rationalize your sin when you have brought it out into the open and acknowledged it before God himself. Once it is out in the light, it can be forgiven. Unconfessed sin, kept in the dark, festers, infects, and rots away at your heart and soul. So don’t wait. As soon as you are aware of sin in your life, confess it. Keep short accounts with God.
Turn away from it. Once you have confessed your sin, let it go. You asked for God to forgive you and He has. Sometimes you might find it hard to forget what you did. It bothers you. It haunts you. Remorse and regret eat at you. If this has been a sin deeply rooted and habitual in your life for a period of time, then in some sense, you may feel lost without it. It had, in fact, defined you up until now and you didn’t realize it. God wants to redefine you. So, when the past comes into your mind, put it out to God’s hand. When your mind grips onto memories of it, meditate on God’s forgiveness until your mind releases it.
Turn back to God. Meaning, repent. Turn from the old way you were walking - away from God - and begin moving a new direction - move forward, toward and with God. As a Christian you may find yourself repenting over and over. Keep doing it. Over time, it will be less and less as more and more of your life is surrendered to Jesus.
More: Psalm 32: 1-5, Psalm 66: 16-20, Proverbs 28:13