Although you know this verse very well please read it:
1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
How long did it take you to read it? Just a few seconds. That’s about how long some of us take for the confession of our sin to God.
This verse is often misunderstood and widely misused. To admit is not the same as to confess. For instance I can say – I admit I was wrong but – and then excuse myself by finding someone or something to blame. That is not confession. That is ignorance or self-pity or damaged pride or hypocrisy trying to pretend it is confessing.
Confession is not just saying words and assuming that’s a green light for God to pour out forgiveness. Much more than words is involved in genuine confession.
Dr. Charles Stanley pointed out that CONFESS (from the Greek) means to agree with.
The first part of my confession is to agree with God that I have sinned against Him and it was my own sinful choice – nobody else is to blame. The closer we walk with Jesus the more our sin will deeply grieve us because we have hurt the One Who loves us. To grieve God the Holy Spirit should bring pain (Ephesians 4:30) to our hearts. Our verse says Jesus cleanses and (2 Corinthians 7:1) tells us to cleanse ourselves. What does that mean? We are responsible to deal with sin (James 4:8) immediately and thoroughly – OR – if we let it go on we will (1Thessalonians 5:19) quench the Holy Spirit.
We will need to confess as long as we live on earth. Sinless perfection will never be achieved on this planet. Sanctification is a process and (Isaiah 54:17) the Lord is reproduced in us as we continue (Philippians 3:12) to press on and to pursue (1Thessalonians 4:3) holy living and (1 Peter 1:16) God’s will.
As our intimacy with Jesus deepens, our times when confession is necessary will not end but I think they should become fewer.
God has given us time currency. Each one of us has 86,400 seconds in every 24 hour day. We can use them or waste them or abuse them but when they are gone they are gone and we can never retrieve them. I could take about 5 seconds and do some quick thing. Those 5 seconds are lost to me forever but what I spent them on could pay dividends lasting for years – dividends of pain and remorse or dividends of gratitude and praise to God. We need to be faithful stewards of our time currency and everything else because in actual fact – we own nothing - - everything belongs to God. Obedience is conscious freedom – not based on duty or obligation but (John 14:21) on love.
I was asking the Lord to explain to me why I felt some inner disquiet after doing what I believed was right. He did explain and then gave me this desire. I’d like to share it with you because I think it’s probably your desire too. Let’s take all the pain of our physical impairments – difficulties – hindrances etc., and all the emotional discomfort of unpleasant situations etc. and consecrate them to God to become the made-worthy settings for the pure gold of tested faith.
I can never be thankful enough for the precious, priceless Blood of Jesus which has cleansed me from all sin and redeemed me from the curse and opened the way into the Holy of Holies. But think – what else has the power of His Blood achieved? Hang in there with me.
After my brief nightly prayer I get into bed and talk to the Lord about whatever is on my mind. I had been wondering about where the Blood of Jesus is now and so I asked Him to tell me. I was awake for quite some time for that lengthy, wonderful conversation. (Hebrews 9:12) – Jesus went once for all (for all time and all believers) into the Holy of Holies in heaven BY His own Blood – not WITH His Blood. We are not told that He actually took His Blood with Him to heaven. Then my thoughts were deeply stirring my emotions and again even now as I write.
When Jesus was scourged and then crucified – His Blood poured down to the ground and sank into the earth – the earth of the world – the world He died to redeem. The planting/burial of His Blood in this earth is the guarantee of a resurrection of (Revelation 21:1-2) a new heaven, a new earth and a new Jerusalem. Just as His poured-out Blood guaranteed that the DUST we are now in our decaying bodies, will become glorious again like Adam when he first stood up from the ground – and be resurrected to glorious, perfect, eternal bodies.
Oh the Blood – the precious Blood – that Jesus shed for you and me! For rejectors of His Blood Sacrifice – the DUST that they were will become DIRT and there will be no DIRT in heaven. There is only one place that has room for all the DIRT of this world- the eternal (Revelation 20:15) Lake of Fire.
There is no greater thrill or richer treasure than to have Truth unfolded to us – Truth which could never be known, grasped or understood by human intellect but – only by Divine revelation. Then it becomes precious and very personal. I was lying in bed quite early in the morning and during our conversation the Holy Spirit dropped a seed into my mind. This is how He grew it: - When we are on the mountain with Jesus (Matthew 17:1) we behold His glory – we hear the Father’s voice – we realize and recognize the almighty power of the Holy Spirit – and are flooded with pure worship. Then (Ephesians 3:19) being filled with God Himself – we are equipped to come down (Matthew 17:15) to the demon-possessed valley and (John 14:12) do the greater works. Worship on the mountain is meant to be followed by victory in the valley. It is worship and complete dependence on Jesus – not striving self-effort – that equips and arms us for warfare. Back then with Adam, God walked in the garden. Now He lives within us and walks in our shoes.
Here is a wonderful truth – another early morning gift I received. Hug it to your heart. Mountain climbers tell us that the air gets thinner as they climb higher. That is certainly true in the physical realm but what about us in the spiritual realm? As we are continually lifted up to higher levels (2 Corinthians 3:18) to stand on higher ground – the air becomes sweeter, more invigorating and energizing and strengthening, exhilarating AND (Ephesians 5:18) intoxicating. As we trust and obey and Jesus lives His life in and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit - - - we are God’s will.
The only reason we are here is to be God’s will wherever He places us in this dark and dying world.
