Confess and be free (5)
Wednesday 21st November 2018
'The Lord looks at the heart.' 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT
Why do we hide our sins? We might feel ashamed, afraid of the consequences, afraid to reveal that we're not as perfect as we appear. Much of the time, it's about the fear of revealing the difference between our public image and our private one. We can also be uneasy about revealing our sins to God. We might avoid spending time with him because we know we're hiding things. But, actually, those are the times when we should be running to him and clinging more closely to him. The Bible tells us that 'the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought' (1 Chronicles 28:9 NIV). God knows our best and our worst. And he knows the motives behind our words and actions. For many of us, that's a very scary thought, but we need to remember this: God knows the worst about us, yet he still wants a relationship with us. 1 John 4:10 says 'This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins' (NLT).
There's no need to hide our sins from God. He already knows about them, and has already paid the ultimate price to release us from them. He wouldn't do that and then turn away from us.
So what now? Next time you feel ashamed about the way you've behaved or reacted, use those feelings as your personal reminder to draw close to God. Thank him for his love and salvation, confess what you need to and ask for forgiveness.
Wednesday 21st November 2018
'The Lord looks at the heart.' 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT
Why do we hide our sins? We might feel ashamed, afraid of the consequences, afraid to reveal that we're not as perfect as we appear. Much of the time, it's about the fear of revealing the difference between our public image and our private one. We can also be uneasy about revealing our sins to God. We might avoid spending time with him because we know we're hiding things. But, actually, those are the times when we should be running to him and clinging more closely to him. The Bible tells us that 'the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought' (1 Chronicles 28:9 NIV). God knows our best and our worst. And he knows the motives behind our words and actions. For many of us, that's a very scary thought, but we need to remember this: God knows the worst about us, yet he still wants a relationship with us. 1 John 4:10 says 'This is real love - not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins' (NLT).
There's no need to hide our sins from God. He already knows about them, and has already paid the ultimate price to release us from them. He wouldn't do that and then turn away from us.
So what now? Next time you feel ashamed about the way you've behaved or reacted, use those feelings as your personal reminder to draw close to God. Thank him for his love and salvation, confess what you need to and ask for forgiveness.
