Thursday // 14th March 2023
Be Quick to Confess and Repent
He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy
(Proverbs 28:13)
Once a Christian man struggled with homosexual temptation. He had come out of a background of immorality, but walked with Christ in purity for two years. Then he became careless, allowing his thoughts to wander. Within a month he was browsing in a pornographic content; six days later he walked into the wrong part of town; finally, weeks later, he found a gay bar and a sexual relationship. The whole process took two months, but at no time did he recognize and confess his sin and plead for God’s grace and strength. He avoided the only two things that could have broken the backsliding chain he had stepped into: confession and repentance.
We must keep accounts with God. When we sin, we must confess it immediately. Otherwise, we’ll become desensitized to it. Delayed confession is the next worst thing to no confession. All sins should be confessed to God, some to others—“confess your sins to each other and pray for each other” (James 5:16).
When a sin is public, confession should also be public. While your spouse may be unaware of your sin, he/she has nonetheless been deeply affected by it. If I you do not confess it, you cheat her twice: first in the sin itself, and second by not allowing her to forgive you or respond in the way your spouse chooses. Anyone who lives in fear that his spouse will someday discover the truth is not walking with God.
Your brother in Christ,
Apostle Ashok Martin