Confession is the expression of our greatest need, in that God would forgive us and in this, give us the power to forgive ourselves.
“Whenever you see sin or failure in your life, immediately look by faith to Christ and seek His forgiveness; and keep on looking to Him. The more you look at yourself, the more discouraged you will become. Focus on His perfections, not your own imperfections.” – Warren Wiersbe
This is an incredible statement, but hard for us to process. When we see God in the midst of our failures, the point is that a transfer of trust is happening. We no longer rely on our inconsistency for righteousness. We rely on His perfections, so when we see them, we have a confidence, not of our ourselves, but that God is capable to forgive because of who He is.
It takes something with imperfection to clean something dirty. God’s perfections are capable to cleanse us. That process begins with wanting to be made clean. It begins with confession.
Confession is the precursor to real surrender, where a heart that has been humbled comes before a perfect God able to forgive sins. Confession is always a beginning in someone’s life. Confession is how change happens in a person in such a way that genuine confession becomes the beginning of healing, restoration and even growth.
Augustine says it this way:
“The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.” ~ Augustine
For an evil to end in a person’s life confession is the means by which we can close the door of its impact on the heart and invoke change. The most damaging sin is hidden sin. It is confession that brings it to light to be dealt with.
There is an empty confession. That kind of confession is genuine coming from a person’s mouth, but not genuine in the person’s life. It’s a form of hypocrisy really. Confession alone is no substitution for holiness, but genuine confession will lead to holiness if it invokes change.
A person who sees their confession through with their actions arrives again and again at the destination of holiness, not because they are perfect, but because a loving God has made them clean.
Confession without a changed heart will never lead to a changed life and we must understand what is at stake. Imagine a Christian life where a person is ignorant of their own sin or unrepentant of their own sin. What kind of Christ life is that? Does it take a person anywhere? Of course not, but many people choose a Christian life lacking in the holiness that confession initiates.
As we fast, use this time to go before God, whether confessing sin or confessing your need to draw closer to Him. A Christian life without holiness is as useful as a car without gas. What is it in our lives that we need to confess before God? Use this fast to invoke real change.
