Message #14 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series
"Jesus' Teaching on Prayer"

by Kaye Johns

If not, we are disobedient, for Jesus taught us confession as part of His model prayer in Matthew 6. Each part of His prayer is important and must be included as part of our prayers, if we want to experience the fullness of the personal relationship with our Lord. Nothing must be left out.

After worship, surrender and asking that our daily needs to be met, Jesus said to pray, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we have forgiven those who trespass against us." [Matthew 6:12, KJV] Some translations say "forgive us our debts." But both "debts" and "trespasses" are polite words for sins, plural. We are to examine our hearts and confess our individual sins day by day.

Knowing He would die on the cross as the once-and-for-all sacrifice for our sins, that His blood would make atonement for us with our Holy God, that we would be justified in Him so that no one could ever separate us from his love [Romans 8:38-39], why would Jesus tell us we must continually confess our sins?

It is not our salvation that is at stake if we are God’s children, but our fellowship. If we sin and refuse to confess those sins, we have stepped out of fellowship and into the "far country" of the prodigal son--and there we stay, until we return and confess [Luke 15:21]. Like the prodigal, we find our Father waiting.

Pray with me now -- Father, forgive us when we place so little value on our fellowship with You. Help us confess, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

ã 1999 PrayerPower Ministries, P.O. Box 1368, Dallas, TX 75380-1368, 1-800-949-PRAY.
May be copied for personal or church use; please include PrayerPower name, address and phone on copies.