If you’ve ever been to a Christian retreat, you are probably very familiar with 1 John 1:9.   We’ve all done that confession exercise where you list out your sins on a piece of paper and write the words of 1 John 1:9 over top of them.  Then you tear it up (or put the paper in the campfire) as an expression of God’s forgiveness. Recently I had the opportunity to do this again and right in the middle of this very common exercise God showed me a side of confession I had not seen before.

You probably know that the word “confession” means “agreeing with God”.  When we confess our sins we don’t do it to tell God what we’ve done. He already knows that.  We confess to say, “Yes God, I agree that that was wrong” and then we can repent.  But what God showed me this time was that there are two things God and I need to agree on, not just one.

Every time I’ve done this exercise I’ve listed out my sins and sat there in quiet guilt looking at the list.  It’s always so long. This time God spoke to me.  “We agree about what you’ve done,” He said. “Now can we agree about who you are?”

There in that private moment He brought to mind verses that spoke of God’s love for me.  He reminded me how I am fearfully and wonderfully made, how I am chosen and precious and planned for.  I sat there quietly until I could agree with God about that too.

It is so easy to see our own flaws and shortcomings. But when God sees us He doesn’t only see what we’ve done, He sees who we are.  The next time you’re confessing, whether it’s privately at home or at a retreat in a cabin up north, remember that there are two sides to confession. Agree with God about what you have done and repent, but don’t miss the other side.  Agree with God about who you are: loved and wanted and precious and worth dying for.

In that moment of vulnerability that always comes with confession, let God love you.  Lean into the truth of who you are in Him.  Let that love give you the strength to let go of what you’ve done and walk out into the world forgiven.

Father,

Thank you that because of Jesus I do not stand condemned. Help me to be quick to confess and quick to remember Your promises.  Help me to understand what it means to be forgiven and keep my eyes fixed on You. Amen.

Questions: How do you usually feel after confessing? Why is it so hard to name our sins, even when we know that God will forgive us?

Do you struggle with confession? Here’s how.

“And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased’” (Luke 3:22).

Today, would God say He is pleased with you? Would you say He is pleased with you? He wants to say that- and He is, if you have accepted Christ into your heart, life and soul. But there is more to that formula, isn’t there?

God said this at Jesus’ baptism, which at the time was only a cleansing act. Anytime a Jew felt they had sinned and were unclean, they went to be washed by baptism.  Today we must undergo mini baptisms and call upon the blood of Christ to wash us white as snow. How? Confession.

I recall a time that I had done something I should not have done. For the life of me I can’t remember what that deed was, but to this day I remember how horrible I felt. If I told my mother, I knew I’d be disciplined. I didn’t want that. I was afraid she’d find out because moms always do, so I pulled away from her and avoided her the rest of the day.  I barely spoke to her the next day.

Each hour the fear and anguish grew. She paid attention to my siblings but I’d walk away. I actually became jealous that they were in good with her when I was not. I began to think she didn’t love me as much as she loved them. I became the victim instead of the offender. I stewed and stewed until it all burst out in tears. Once I’d confessed, my relationship with my mother was restored. Only then did I learn how much I had hurt her, and myself.

Where are you with God? Are you afraid to go to Him and confess your sins in fear He might discipline you?  Do you pull away because you know He knows? Are you stewing in jealousy of others’ closer relationship with Him?  Do you cry out “Please, God, love me” forgetting it is you who pulled away?

Ever hear of getting back in good graces with someone? It means to restore your relationship with them so they will think of you in a favorable way – they are pleased to be in your company. Each night, before we close our eyes, we should wipe the slate clean with our Lord. It is a good time to touch base with Him, receive His forgiveness, discipline and loving embrace.

To get back in good graces with God, i.e. receive God’s mercy and grace, we must be the ones willing to come forward and be cleansed. Once we do, He will say to us as He said to Jesus, “You are my child. I am pleased with you.” His Spirit will once again rule in us and we will be thankful.

Questions: How would you answer the question as to whether God is pleased with you? What has actually happened when we feel as though God has walked away from us?

Can we pray for you

“The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness???
(John 10:10).

Sunday afternoon, I spoke to someone with accusatory words. I didn’t even notice what I must have sounded like. But God did. Later while I was reading a devotional book, the Holy Spirit reminded me that Satan is the accuser. Did I really want to be on his team?

Well, no, I sure didn’t. So I immediately apologized to the Lord and the person I accused. I could have communicated in a different way – a more positive way. I didn’t need to accuse – I could have simply state how I felt about what happened.

While I was reflecting on that thought, I remembered a spiritual concept that helped me a lot during the years. How do you differentiate between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the accusations of the Enemy?

The Holy Spirit will make us aware of specific actions or attitudes that need to be confessed. When we admit and confess them, we will experience God’s forgiveness and He will not bring those specific sins to our attention again. The Enemy, on the other hand, will make us feel guilty; tell us that we are no good and that we will never be forgiven.

We choose whom we listen to and believe. Will it be God or Satan? God loves us and has a wonderful plan for us. The Enemy hates us and has a terrible plan for our lives.

Let’s be like Jesus. Speak words of life.

Lord Jesus, how easily our thoughts drift to suspicions and accusations, rather than to praise and thanksgiving. We want to be like You, Jesus. Thank You for Your mercy and grace and for Your Holy Spirit. You love us the way we are and You love us too much to let us stay that way. Thank You for changing us. Amen.

Questions: To whom are you listening? How do you differentiate between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the accusations of the Enemy?

Are you feeling the regrets of having an abortion and need someone to talk to?

“Yet the righteous will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger” (Job 17:9, NKJV).

Dirty, dark, moist places create a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mould that can lead to sickness and decease. In the same way sin that is given ongoing opportunity in our lives, creates a dark and dirty environment that gives the enemy a perfect place to settle in and create a stronghold, sapping our power, energy, health, and effectiveness. As David declared in Psalm 31:10 “My strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.”

Through Christ we are forgiven and have been made clean, however it is up to us to continually draw on the power of the Holy Spirit to keep clean on a daily basis.

So often we call out to our God to change our circumstances but we are not recognizing the sin in our lives that is holding us back. In the same way that we take the time each day to wash in the physical, we also need to be washed in the spiritual by the Word of God.

If we will put our eyes on His Word and let it wash over us, He will point out those dark and dirty spots. When we confess our sin and repent of it, He is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteous
(1 John 1:9). When the sin has been dealt with, our circumstances will begin to change, and we will experience greater freedom and become spiritually and physically stronger and stronger.

“The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands” (Psalm 18:20, NKJV).

TAKE THE NEXT STEP: A prayer for a clean slate

Questions: How can we remain continuously clean, spiritually?  What is the result of allowing sin to go unconfessed?

About the Author Emmie Stanley

Searching for meaning to existence? Tell us your thoughts

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The Chinese man shivered and pulled the collar of his shabby coat up around his neck to protect himself from the pelting rain.  Through the darkness of the night he saw the lights of a rescue mission, and they seemed to offer a place of shelter.  Following another man in, he found himself in a chapel.  He fell into a seat at the rear, groggily wondering why people were singing.

Then some men stood up to tell about how Jesus Christ had saved them from a life of sin, alcohol and drugs, from the power those things once had over their lives.  The miserable man looked up hopefully.  How long he had sought release from the bondage of opium–the “demon on his back”!  After twenty-three times in sanitariums, he was still a slave.

The speaker also told how Jesus Christ delivers from sin and enslaving habits.  At an invitation, the man stumbled forward to seek deliverance.  It took the workers at the mission three days to bring the man to a coherent state.  Then they asked him, “Did you really mean it when you came forward to receive Jesus Christ?”

“I have just one question,” the man said.  “Did Jesus Christ die for the Chinese too?”

“Yes,” came the answer.  “Christ died for all people.”

“Then I want Him for my Savior,” said the man.  Instantly and finally delivered from his long enslavement, the happy man became a faithful witness for Christ, telling all he met about how Christ had delivered him from the drug habit and had saved his soul and life.

What a wonderful thing it is to realize that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not limited to only one nation or for only one type of person.  The Bible says, “And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation’” (Revelation 5:9).

God’s Salvation Plan
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

“To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ” (Romans 6:23).

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved…Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:9, 13).

Are You Saved?

Many people think they are Christians, but what if they have never truly received Jesus Christ as their Savior?  How about you? Do you hope you will go to heaven someday, perhaps because you think you are a good person, or go to church, or got baptized? Well, to get to heaven, we have to do it God’s way, as the above Scriptures specify. On the other hand, do you think that you are too bad to be saved, too unworthy?

Well, no one is worthy!  The good news is that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross just as He did for that poor enslaved Chinese.  Why not bow your head right now and, humbly repenting, receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. Ask Him to save you and transform your life.  And He will! He’s only a prayer away.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP: How to be sure you are a Christian

Questions: Have you accepted Jesus as your personal savior? Why don’t you tell us about a time when you first decided to follow Jesus.

About the Author Muriel Larson

Is your world coming to an end? Talk to us.

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Sometimes even the simplest of change can make one edgy. I received a new eyeglass case. Not because I wanted it. But apparently, I needed it.  In the last week, my mother told me “your eyeglass case is grungy”. It should be. I’d been using it for years. I like it. I’m used to the smell and feel of it. I didn’t want to replace it.

Two days later a friend saw the case and said “you need a new one.” I ignored her. I even wondered if my mother called and told her to say it to me the next time she saw me.

My friend went out to her car and came back with a new case. When she stuck the hard shell in my direction, I just stared at it. She reached over, took my old glass case, opened it up and moved my sunglasses over to the new one. I thought she would put my old case on the desk. She didn’t. Clever girl that she is, she kept the old one, said goodbye and left with it in her hand. I suspect she threw it into the dumpster by my house. It crossed my mind to dig it out. But I didn’t.

The first day with the shiny thing I growled every time I dug into my purse. I’m used to the feel of my old case, easily findable without looking. The tattered and torn edges felt familiar to my fingertips. The hard cover softened from years of ownership.  The new one is smooth and clean. My hand passes over it. It’s not familiar. Ugh.

Changes are impossible to avoid. God beckons us to step out of comfortable realms and enter His. Even though we are used to old habits, being a Christian means replacing familiar places and actions with awkward ones. As followers of Christ, when He calls us to step into the unfamiliar, we must be willing to slough off the worn and adapt to the new.

I’ll become accustomed to the feel of the new case but I confess there was a moment this morning I thought about taking it outside and rubbing it across dirt and gravel.

Questions: Is there an old habit God is calling you to change? Where is He calling you and what reasons are you hesitating to start the journey?

About the Author Gail Morris

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EST.

“When I am afraid I will trust in You” (Psalm 56:3).

Recently I learned a few things about myself and worry.

1. Worry can stem from childhood. When children experience parent/child reversal roles due to such things as illness, unemployment and addictions worry becomes an early life pattern.

2. People who worry often believe that their anxiety somehow helps them to avoid bad things. They believe it prevents problems, helps them prepare for the worst or gives them a way to control circumstances.

3. People who worry hate uncertainty but rather seek guaranteed outcomes.

Whoa! Guaranteed outcomes? That doesn’t leave room for trusting God does it? In fact worry sounds like the opposite to trust.   Lord, forgive me. Help me to see worry as sin in your eyes, and unbelief.

Jesus spoke at length about worry for He was aware that each day has no shortage of troubles. He reminded his listeners of Gods faithfulness to small things like the birds of the air, and the lilies of the field. Jesus encourages us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all things will be given to us.

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27)

If you, like me, are prone to worry, let it go, my friend. God is our refuge and strength an ever present help in trouble. (Psalm 46) No matter why we worry, let us determine to trade our worries for trust and look to Him, knowing that He cares for us.

Dear God, I confess that often times my first response is to worry, then pray and then worry some more. I take off the cloak of worry today knowing that it has no value and replace it with a shining robe of trust. Even when life seems uncertain and scary I will look to you, Amen.

Question: Is worry something that you need to confess and relinquish?

About the author Beverley Rayner

Are you confused and not sure what to do or where to turn? Take this online study.

I was reading through the book of Ezra the other day and felt myself enter into a situation and place in time that I believe we are currently living in today as a people — a time and call again of separation.

Ezra was calling God’s people to become separate.  After having taken pagan wives unto themselves, Ezra wept before the Lord and called them, who had gone astray to once again, walk in the ways of the Lord and separate themselves from those things which were ungodly.

There is a separation that takes place where we no longer desire to keep one foot in the world and one foot with God.  There is a separation that takes place that releases the cries of our hearts to be consecrated unto God in such a way where we want nothing to do with darkness, but yearn daily to be clothed with heavenly habitation.

God is calling us to be separate.  His Spirit gives us the strength and the power to walk in His ways and by our obedience and complete surrender to Him — dying to our flesh and being led by the Spirit — we can walk in the ways He has commanded us to walk in.

Some of us have gone astray and are living lives and making decisions not based on God’s ways, yet still call our selves Christians (meaning, “little Christ’s or little anointed ones”). Some of us are not walking the walk or talking the talk and have become a “two faced” people, where we are one way in one moment, and another way in another moment.  But, in His great mercy and immeasurable grace, God says this:  “If my people, which are called by my name, shall, humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and will heal their land” (II Chronicles 7:14).

Let us be people willing to walk the highway of holiness and be separate, not dabbling in darkness. God is calling a people unto Himself where there is no mixture.  I truly believe that we are coming to a place in these times, where the standard is being raised, and a trumpet is blowing a “Wake Up” call for The Church to walk in righteousness and live lives according to the ways of the Lord.  It’s time to live out of pure obedience.  The dark is getting darker, and it is time to rise up, and shine our lights before men, rooted in separation.

I challenge you today, as Ezra and the people did, to go before the Lord and confess your ways and seek His face, turning from the ways that have hindered you from being completely His alone.  Abandon yourself again to God and yield Your spirit to Him, allowing Him to take you into Himself and making you His very own.

Heavenly Father, forgive me for not walking according to Your ways and for fulfilling the lusts of my own flesh.  Today, I confess my sins to you and desire to walk again in Your ways and live according to your commands; to walk in holiness and in righteousness. Amen.

Questions: Are you walking in obedience and complete surrender to Him? What is priority in your life?

About the Author Brigitte Straub

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

Step 2    Keep short accounts

The simple truth of the Word of God says “do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26). This is so profoundly elementary that we often miss it. Seeds of irritations and annoyances, not dealt with on a daily basis, grow in our hearts. When they are not dealt with as soon as we recognize them, they take root. Each subsequent encounter with that same irritation, which will always be linked to some person, will cause that root to dig just a little deeper. The deeper it goes the more bitter it gets.

Scripture tells us “a root of bitterness springs up and defiles many” (Hebrews 12:15).  When it finally spills out it hurts those around.  Proverbs 4:23 tells us “above all else guard your heart for it is the well spring of life”. It is the very source of all we are. What is in our heart spills out the mouth (Matthew 12:34). It is by our very words that we often grieve the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:29&30). The trademark of love that identified us as His disciples vanishes and the world looking on can see no difference in us.

Guard your heart. Take stock every day. Keep short accounts for your own heart’s sake. If the root is only just beginning in your own heart and still undetected by others, go to God and ask for it’s removal. You know when it’s there. Ask for grace to be poured out in your heart so that you will have all the grace you need to deal with that particular situation and person.

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things and at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work.” If the root has already spilled out and hurt others go and confess to them. Even if they do not receive you or do not own their part of the conflict, keep your own heart guarded and clean. You are ever only responsible for one heart…your own!  Unresolved conflict in the heart of another is God’s job to deal with.

The presence of God in a person’s life, and the truth allowed in the inner part, will be evident in the fruit of our lives. Watch the fruit in your own life and in the lives of others. The fruit always gives us away (Matthew 7:20). If you have owned your part in a conflict and others refuse to do the same, give them grace, pray for them, and, if necessary, distance yourself from the overflow of their bitter root until they allow God to do healing in their heart.

Always be alert to the seeds you allow in your heart. They eventually produce fruit of one kind or another. List the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness/humility, and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

Ask yourself the simple question:

“What fruit of the Spirit is in short supply in my life right now?”

Then take an honest look at the seeds that may have begun to take root in your heart and deal honestly with them.

Questions: What fruit of the Spirit is in short supply in your life right now? Do you struggle with seeds of irritations and annoyances that you have not dealt with? Has a root of bitterness started to grow in your heart?

Part 1: Know Your Enemy
Part 3: Accountability
Part 4: Pride
Part 5: Plant Stakes

Do you regret having had an abortion? Need someone to talk to?

Here are some questions we might ask ourselves:
How real has the Lord Jesus Christ been to me?
Did I seek His will when making decisions?
Was my life a good example for others?
Did I help anyone else come to Christ?
How many prayers did I have answered?
If I could do it over, would I live the same way?

We may not have last year to live over, but we do have the coming year in which to live better.

God has caused all those who receive His Son as Savior to be born into His family. He has forgiven their sins and given them everlasting life. Jesus Christ gives His supernatural peace and joy to all those who follow Him (John 14:17; John 15:11). He gives to them the indwelling Comforter to guide and teach them. But those who are not right with God do not enjoy these great and protective blessings (Ephesians 4:30-31).

Would you like to get back on track with God and have a better year that will give you the satisfaction, peace, and joy that living for Christ can? Would you like your life from now on to count for something good and worthwhile in this life and for eternity and God’s approval? Here are Scriptures that can help you do that.

“If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NIV).

“Therefore, I urge you…in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1-2, NIV).

“Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness….Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:22-32).

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the whole armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-18).

I often recommend to those who want or need to get right with the Lord this web site.

I recommend this site to those who need God’s salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

Questions: What would be one lesson that you have learned from this past year that will help you with decision making for this coming year?

About the Author Muriel Larson