Confess Your Sins

I live in a bedroom. And in that bedroom there is a bed. And too often, under that bed there grows a disgusting pile of dirty clothes, worn out socks, tattered books, happy dust bunnies, and the occasional used plate. ... At some point, this combination of items begins to have more and more negative consequences on the entire state of the room. The room slowly begins to smell like sewage lite, the contents under the bed slowly begin to grow legs and scoot their way out from under the bed, and my entire family decide to put a radioactive sign on my bedroom door.

In many ways, this relates to our lives in a very real sense. It's very easy to take a sin, and stuff it under the bed for no one else to see. You pretend that it's okay to put this sin under the bed. Thoughts begin to flash through your mind. It's just one little sin.. It's too much work to confess this sin.. It's going to hurt my reputation.. I want to just savor this sin a little more later..

And ever so slowly, these sins begin to pile up. And maybe those around you haven't noticed, yet.. But the pile that started as one little dirty sin, eventually grows to this enormous toxic waste heap. And in some sense, you can't tell. It's similar to when you walk into someone's house that has some sort of odd odor. Initially, you perceive the odor, and it may be pungent. But as time goes on, your senses accept this to be a new state of normal. It doesn't smell to you. But as soon as someone else comes close to you. Immediately, they can tell that your life reeks.

But what do we do? Start confessing sin. Start taking that dirty underwear, those food crusted plates, and begin to take them out and deal with them. Get a mentor, or someone who is willing to wade into the filth and help you clean up. You may not know how. You may have no idea how to clean this stuff up. But through God's grace, as you reach under that bed and feel the morass of filth, you will begin to pull out pieces and expel them from your life. And your room will start to smell less rancid. Your life will be filled with mercy, as Proverbs 28:13 says, "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."

And remember, this doesn't happen without the mercy and faithfulness of God. 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

God is faithful to forgive. He will cleanse.