Are You Willing to admit Your Faults?
“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” -Psalm 103:10-12
It may be part of human nature to try to cover up our faults and mistakes (Genesis 3:8). Sometimes we may be able to hide them from others, but we can never hide them from the Lord (Psalms 44:21).
Have you met someone who refuses to deal with sin in their life, who crosses their arms and huffs “I’ve done nothing wrong!”? Or maybe you yourself are a person trying to hide sin in your life. Our pride makes it particularly hard to admit and confess our sin. We lie to each other, deceive each other, and we are dishonest. We wear a mask and pretend we have it all together, denying our true feelings and playing games because we believe that, “If they really know the truth about me they won’t love me.” And yet consider God’s great love for us, prideful as we are. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
I wrote something a few days ago that was hard and made me feel vulnerable. My husband encouraged me to write an admittance of the wrong I had done and to share it with my family and friends, basically over 300 people. I didn’t do it to get a pat on the back. I did it because God told me to. Again I will say, God takes us through things to help others, and by sharing I know He will use it for His glory. That doesn’t make admitting a wrong easy. It’s hard because the enemy will put thoughts in your head, and you have to fight the sin of worrying about what others will think about you or how you will be judged. But God says He will never leave you or forsake you. He also says He wants His best for us. He doesn’t want to harm us. He wants you to be free of your iniquity. It doesn’t matter what others think. It’s ALL ABOUT GOD, right?! When you admit you were wrong, God smiles on that.
Proverbs 28:13 says, “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.” Being aware of the consequences of not confessing should motivate us to be honest about our sins and shortcomings by keeping us in the fear of the Lord. It was my fear of the Lord that made me move forward with confession. I knew that whatever I could face on earth could not be worse than displeasing my Lord and Savior.
Is there a fault or mistake you need to confess?
Be willing to face your mistakes. It is truly freeing to admit your faults and to confess to the Lord. It is also helpful to confess to others. “Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord. Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven” (Lamentations 3:40-41). James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” By reading this we know something really valuable happens when we confess our sins to one another: “HEALING.” The Lord always blesses honest, open confession and when we confess and repent, the Lord always forgives and uses our wrongs to help others.
God’s show of goodwill in providing Christ as a sacrifice for our sin is a wonderful gift. A humble person will admit their sin and accept Christ’s gift. A foolish person will continue on with crossed arms believing they don’t need forgiveness. God’s sacrificial love is here for the taking.