Message #6 (of 20) from the PrayerPower radio series "Confession"

by Kaye Johns

It’s been said that perhaps the worst sin is not taking sin seriously enough. It’s easy to see why someone would reach that conclusion, because when we don’t take sin seriously enough, we don’t confess it -- and if we harbor unconfessed sin in our hearts, whether we’re aware of it or not, it separates us from God.

Failing to face sin doesn’t make it go away. God doesn’t ignore our sins because we’re not paying attention to them -- but He will forgive, when we confess. First John 1:9 reads, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

"If we confess our sins...." We must confess if we are to be forgiven, and we certainly won’t confess anything we don’t take seriously, or see the harm in. The danger of living that way is that we are separated from God. We’ll never experience the close personal love relationship with Him that He desires. We may miss what He had ultimately planned for our lives because we were out of touch with His voice, His guidance, His direction, His will.

When David cried out in Psalm 51 -- "Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place." [Ps. 51:6] -- he was asking the Lord to help him understand the truth of his own heart. Where do we get that kind of understanding? Only from the Lord, Who teaches us, when we spend time with Him -- studying His word, praying, quieting ourselves so that we may hear His still, small voice.

Pray with me now -- Lord, deliver us from not taking sin seriously, from the idea that there is no absolute truth, that Your love overrules Your holiness. 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.