No 9

(Confession)

We have looked at a few aspects of the believer’s prayer and now we will examine a very important and practical facet of prayer – confession. For the true believer who has been cleansed by the blood of Christ once and for all, daily confession is a must. I believe that the more we get to know God and His Word, the more we perceive our sinful nature. It is not guilt that pushes us towards confession but rather regret. We are assured, in the Bible that our sins – past, present and future have been forgiven, so why confess them? Well for starters, the Bible encourages us to do so “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” 1 John 1:9. This text is addressed to believers.

Also, when we become convicted of our sin, we lose our joy. When David sinned with Bath Sheba, he was convicted in his soul and he immediately confessed his sin to God – in Psalm 51, we read “ For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (vs 3,4). His plea to God was “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation” (v 12). True Christians are the only people who really have something to be joyful about – our eternal salvation. So loss of joy is not loss of salvation but it is rather a hindrance to our witness and an impediment to our zeal.

When we accept personal responsibility for our sin, we are on the road to Christian maturity; we haven’t arrived but are on the right road. In heaven, we will thank God eternally for having provided us a way in which we can know for sure that we are forgiven.