Confessing sin

Confessing sin                      

Psalm 32: 5 “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”-and you forgave the guilt of my sin”.

Extra Reading: Joshua 7:1-6, 19-26

We can never take sin lightly and walk away scot free from its consequences. There was a man called Michael, a neighbour at my parent’s home in Mabopane Township, north of Pretoria. He had an unusual behaviour of always being home when other men were at work during the day. He would leave home with friends early evening during the week, and arrive early hours of the morning to sleep.  One Thursday evening we were surprised by several police cars surrounding his house, searching everywhere, and not finding him home. His luck ran out and he was arrested one day for killing two policemen during a shootout in Nelspruit. He became a vibrant Christian while in jail. He confessed his sin to God and was forgiven. This led me to Achan’s story. I was impressed by his confession: “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done” (Joshua 7:20). King David was also forgiven by God many years later (Psalm 32:5).

But Achan’s sin had caused the death of 36 Israelites (Joshua 7:5), and he had to pay the penalty for his actions. The truth is, even after we have received God’s forgiveness, we may still have to face the consequences of our sin. If we have lied, mistreated someone, behaved irresponsibly, damaged someone’s property, or broken the country’s law, we still must do our best to make right any wrongs we have committed. It is wonderful to know we are forgiven when we confess our sins to God. But that doesn’t mean we are exempt from all of sin’s consequences. Confessing sin to God is good, but saying no to sin is even better.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to acknowledge our sin, and confess it immediately to you. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Rev. Samuel N. Modise