Though we profess that God is all-seeing and all-knowing, that he understands not merely the actions of our hands and the thoughts of our minds but even the intentions of our hearts, still we sometimes feel as if we need to hold back from telling him all that we have thought, all that we have done, all that we have desired. Yet if we are to confess our sins before him, we need to confess them all, for he knows them anyway. These words from F.B. Meyer encourage you to tell him the truth—the unvarnished truth.
You have lost the light of God’s face, not because He has arbitrarily withdrawn it, but because your iniquities have come between you and your God; and your sins, like a cloud before the sun, have hid His face from you.
Do not spend time by looking at them as a whole. Deal with them one by one. The Boer is a formidable foe to the British soldier because he is trained from boyhood to take a definite aim and bring down his mark, whilst our soldiers fire in volleys. In dealing with sin, we should imitate him in the definiteness and accuracy of his aim.
Ask God to search you and show you what wicked way is in you. Marshal all your life before Him, as Joshua marshalled Israel, sift it through, tribe by tribe, family by family, household by household, man by man, until at last you find the Achan who has robbed you of the blessed smile of God.
Call up each rebel sin, by its right name, to receive sentence of death.
Do not say: “Lord, I am a great sinner, I have done what I ought not, I have not done what I ought;” but say, “Lord, I have sinned in this, and this, and that, and the other.” Call up each rebel sin, by its right name, to receive sentence of death. Your heart is choked with sins; empty it out, as you would empty a box, by handing out first the articles that lie on the surface.
When you have removed them, you will see more underneath; hand them out also. When these are removed, you will probably see some more. Never rest till all are gone.
Confession is just this process of telling God the unvarnished story—the sad, sad story—of each accursed sin; how it began: how you sinfully permitted it to grow: how you have loved and followed it to your bitter cost.
A La Carte: We need to talk about “The Jesus Film” / A concise theology of failure / Guard your heart when suffering / Approaching a political election in the right way / From bitterness to forgiveness / and more.
This week the blog and this giveaway are sponsored by 10ofThose. This Friday, we’re presenting a giveaway like no other… with the timeless wisdom and grit of J.C. Ryle. Over the past two centuries, countless Christians have been both comforted and challenged by his works and we’d love you to join them. This incredible giveaway…
September has very nearly faded into October but before the month ends I’d like to tell you about some of the new books that it brought our way. I’ll remind you first that my book Pilgrim Prayers was released this month and encourage you to give it a look! Beyond that, here are 12 new…
A La Carte: Rome’s seven deadly errors / Africa’s Man of God phenomenon / 5 things to know about hell / Praise and unity / Self-pity / The uncarnation of Christ / and more.
A La Carte: Should Christians bet on sports? / Living in a hostile culture / Responding when sin is exposed / Al Mohler on a preacher’s downfall / Christians and tattoos / Kindle and book sales / and more.
It has been a few years since I have had a substantial number of people reach out to ask my view on a particular author. Do you know anything about him? Have you read him? Would you consider reviewing some of his books? But after this break of a few years, it has recently begun…
