“If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Psalm 66:18 (NLT). Have you ever wondered what hiding your sin from God feels like? Below is a story I recently read that depicts how it feels to hide our sins from God.
As a kid, I liked playing with stones until one day I threw one and it hit my mother’s chicken, and it died instantly. I thought I was alone, but surprisingly, my sister was right behind me watching. Then she said, “give me money, and I won’t tell mum.” I said “I don’t have but please don’t tell her, she will beat me up. “The following day, mum told her to wash the plates and sweep the surrounding, but she said: “Mum, Sam said he would do it.” Then she came to me and said: “Sam, you wash the plates and sweep the surrounding or else, don’t forget you killed a chicken.”Without hesitating, I washed the plates and swept the surrounding for her. The next day, mum told her to go and fetch water and fill the drum. She said again: “Mum, Sam said he would do it” Then she came to me and said: “Sam, you remember that chicken? Fill this drum with water or else….”That’s how I drew water and filled the drum. That same day in the evening, mum sent her to the market to buy food items, and again she said: “Mum, Sam said he would go and buy them.” She came to me again and said: “Sam, don’t forget that the chicken is still dead, go to the market and buy the food items or else…”I just stood up and went to my Mum with tears in my eyes. I found her sitting in the house, I went to her, knelt down and said while crying: “Mum, I’m so sorry, please forgive me. I’m the one who killed your chicken, but it wasn’t a deliberate action, please, mum, forgive me, I’m sorry.” Then she replied: “my son, the day you killed the chicken, I was at the window watching everything that happened. Your sister made you her slave because you did not want to come to me to confess and apologize. But now you have done it; you will be free, she will no longer use you again.”Moral of the story: Each time we sin, God sees us and our sins make us slaves, the moment you confess to God and ask for forgiveness, you are set free.
Our lives are a lot like Sam’s in the sense that we try to hide our sins from God. What we fail to realize is that the sins we try to hide from God, God knows them already. Psalm 139 tells us that God has examined our hearts and He knows everything about us. He knows our thoughts even when we are far away. Hiding our sins away from God often leads to more misery and trouble for us. We can succeed in hiding our sins from those around us, but with God, nothing is ever hidden. HE KNOWS IT ALL. You can only get away with hiding your sins for so long because as the Bible says, “…your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23 (NLT).
1 John 1:8-9 “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (NLT). God has so much in store for us, but our sins are keeping us away from those promises being fulfilled in our lives. It doesn’t matter what your sin is, God knows it. He just wants you to confess it to Him so that He can give you a fresh start. This should excite you! “People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.” Prov 28:13 (NLT).
You can be sure that God wants to give His best to you. If you feel like there is anything that will hinder you from receiving God’s best, go to Him today and confess. Once you do that, you will be making the devil look like a fool. Let God cleanse you so that His promises can be made manifest in your life.
Suit_ Emporio Armani
Shirt_ Brooks Brother
Bow Tie_ Tommy Hilfiger
Shoe_ Johnston & Murphy
