The Freeing Power of Confession (Psalm 32)
12:30 PM
David
was a man truly loved by God but David was not a perfect man. David’s life was
marred by grave sins. But, David was teachable and David knew the importance of
reconciling to God. He also knew how to use the imperfections of his own
experiences to serve as an example for other hearts to learn
from. That’s why I love this humble Psalm which came from his
sincerely penitent heart.
"Blessed
is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is
the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is
no deceit.” (1-2)
David
understood what a precious gift it was to be 100% forgiven. This is a precious
gift freely given to each of us for the blood of Jesus completely covers our
sin.
“For
when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For
day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the
heat of summer. Selah” (3-4)
David
also knew the oppression of unconfessed sin. God wants us to recognize and
repent of our sins so that we can be spiritually healthy and in His will. When
we are His children, His Spirit will convict us and not let us be comfortable
in our sin because God knows the damage that sin causes in our lives and in our
hearts.
“I
acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I
will confess my transgressions to the Lord," and you forgave the iniquity of
my sin. Selah”(5)
If
God is dealing with your heart about sin, He is dealing with you out of love
and He wants you to come to Him with an honest, exposed heart that is not
trying to make excuses or deny the sin festering within. He wants that sin to
be dealt with so we are not encumbered by it. Because of our salvation through
Jesus, all of our sin is forgiven but sin unchecked in our lives can still
impact our spiritual walk, testimony and spiritual well-being.
“I
will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you
with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.” (8-9)
God
longs for us to trust Him and allow Him to guide our steps. Unconfessed sin in
our lives comes from our stubbornness and independence. If we try to be self
righteous, we also fail to truly yield to God because we don’t dig and expose
what needs to be dealt with. We just cover it up and dismiss how harmful it can
be. God wants us to be honest, willing to self examining our motives and
prepared to be teachable and yielding. He wants a close relationship with each
of us and confession of what needs to be yielded to Him is an important part of
that. He wants us to have understanding and know His will and then His Spirit
can work in our hearts to change us more and more into the image of His Son,
Jesus Christ.
“Many
are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts
in the Lord.”(10)
David’s
experiences taught Him that there is a big difference in the life of the one
who trusts God and the life of one who chooses to let sin reign instead. How
blessed we are to have the favor of the One who can cleanse our hearts from sin
and surround us with an amazing, bountiful steadfast love. No matter how far
away from God your heart may stray, His love never fails to welcome your
confession and sincerely repentant heart.
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