I Was Wrong!

1 John 1:9 explains that, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Sin can be simply defined as the evil things human beings do; everything from lying to adultery to jealousy to anger. The Bible is clear that in order to find forgiveness from God, a person must confess (admit) his or her wrongdoing to Him.

Often, people aren't willing to admit they've failed and disobeyed God. Such a person is deceived. We must confess our sins to God, or He will not forgive us. While confessing faults to another person might be helpful, in an ultimate sense, we have sinned against God, and He is the one we need to ask for forgiveness.

Confession is acknowledging the fact that you have broken God's Law and rejected His authority. It is a heart attitude that says: "Lord, I am nothing without you. I've blown it, I've messed up, I've disobeyed you. I need you to change me."

Somep people think that a sufficient confession of sin is saying something like, "God, I'm sorry if I've sinned." Imagine a man going to his wife whom he had mistreated and abused for years and saying lightheartedly, "Honey, I'm sorry if I've done anything wrong in the past." What an insult! Instead, we should confess our sins to God specifically and be willing to change our behavior from then on.

"I was wrong, Lord. Make me right!"

Challenge: Are there any sins in my life I have not specifically confessed to the Lord? Do I need spiritual cleansing and renewal?

Meditation: Use Psalm 51 (in the Bible) as an example prayer of confession to God, if you need help knowing what to say.