“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in COMPLETE HONESTY! When I REFUSED TO CONFESS MY SIN, MY BODY WASTED AWAY, AND I GROANED ALL DAY LONG. Day and night your hand of discipline WAS HEAVY ON ME. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Selah Finally, I CONFESSED ALL MY SINS to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And YOU FORGAVE ME! ALL MY GUILT IS GONE. Selah“ (Psalms 32:1-5)
The psalm begins with David expressing the relief which comes with being FORGIVEN OF SIN. This can only come when a person confesses to God and accepts that their sinful actions WERE WRONG. David, not repenting right away caused INTENSE EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL DISTRESS. God’s conviction is unpleasant, but it’s part of His mercy because the conviction IS OVER when we repent but if we do not repent an ETERNITY IN THE LAKE OF FIRES will be the result. “Then Jesus will say, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into THE ETERNAL FIRE prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)
Forcing us to confront our own sin leads to repentance, restoration, and growth, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to FORGIVE US OUR SINS and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has NO PLACE IN OUR HEARTS.” (1 John 1:8-10) When there is no admission of sin, our relationship with God is broken. “WHEN I REFUSED TO CONFESS MY SIN, MY BODY WASTED AWAY, AND I GROANED ALL DAY LONG.” (Psalms 32:3) We must relinquish ourselves to Christ’s lordship through true CONFESSION and REPENTANCE in order to be FREE FROM SIN IN OUR LIVES.
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham