BE HONEST

 

BE HONEST

I John 1:8-10 If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But, if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.  NLT

       It all begins with honesty. The fact of the matter is no one can say they don't have a sin problem. No one. Our problem with sin begins at conception and stays with us until we die. We are not only tempted by sin, we do it. If you think you are so spiritually minded that you no longer have a sin problem, you are in denial and not accepting the truth. God says we have sinned. If once we are saved we no longer have a sin problem, then why does God speak so clearly over and over again in His Word about the sins we have to overcome? He says we are in a spiritual war. We win some battles and we lose some. We are powerless to withstand the onslaught of sinful temptations and desires Satan throws at us in our lives on our own. And who can honestly make the claim that they are always so in tune with God that they cannot fall? We are in the flesh, live in a sinful world, and are not able yet to live like we are in heaven. So we need to be humble and honest enough to admit we sin.

       The good news is that our sin does not have to enslave us. When we sin there is a way to make ourselves right with God. We acknowledge our sin, confess our sin to Christ with sincerity of heart, ask Him for forgiveness with the intent of not doing it again, and then Christ, who is always faithful to His Word, will forgive us and cleanse our heart from all unrighteousness.

       The Lord will not automatically forgive us when we sin. He does not force himself on us. We must come to Him seeking forgiveness before He will do it. True sorrow wants to be forgiven.

       Is there any sin in your heart today that needs forgiven? Be honest. Examine your heart in light of what you know to be true from God's Word. What have you done or thought about that you know is sinful? Don't waste another opportunity to have a clean and pure heart. Confess your sin to Christ right now and He will forgive you.