The Trap of Unconfessed Sin
Image from politico.com
“I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool. If you willingly obey me, the best crops in the land will be yours. But if you turn against me, your enemies will kill you. I, the Lord, have spoken.” - Isaiah 1:18-20 CEV
When you sin God wants you to talk to him about your sin (confess it), ask for forgiveness, and stop participating in the sin. When you do so he will forgive you, this he has promised to all who are saved (people who believe with their heart and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior). Refusing to come to God to confess, ask for forgiveness, and repent results in a different promise of God, he says if you turn against Him your enemies will kill you.
It is important to be clear about who your enemies are in this case, naturally the mind will think of enemies as people but enemies can be much more than people, they can be your sins, sicknesses, thoughts, inability to succeed, financial problems, lack of peace, the spirit world ( the devil and demons), governments, organizations, and yes it can also be human beings.
Confessing your sin to God (every time you sin) isn’t just something you should do, it is something you must do to be protected from your enemies by God.
When we sin and don’t confess it, ask for forgiveness, and stop doing it, we make ourselves vulnerable. God steps back from us and removes his hedge of protection. To restore God’s protection over us and His relationship with us we absolutely must confess our sins to him and ask for forgiveness in the name of Jesus. That last part is extremely important — “in the name of Jesus”. It is the blood of Jesus that allows our sins to be forgiven in the first place, so as we ask for forgiveness, we must plead the blood.
What does pleading the blood of Jesus mean? In court, a defendant must state a plea, guilty, not guilty, etc. pleading the blood of Jesus is not pleading guilty or not guilty… you are not simply admitting fault or stating innocence instead you are saying because Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior I am guilty but completely forgiven and hence my sentence is going to be unconditional discharge.
What is unconditional discharge? Donald Trump just received a sentence of unconditional discharge. According to politico.com :
An unconditional discharge essentially means “the case is over, the conviction stands, and no further conditions attach,” Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney and law professor at the University of Michigan said. “That means no prison time, no fine, no community service, no probation, no nothing.”
Donald Trump was able to escape penalty for his crime by winning the presidency but you and me can escape penalty (in God’s court) simply by making Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
There is something else to be aware of however when we need forgiveness from God. Matthew 6:14-15 tells us:
“If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Sometimes not only our refusal to confess our sins to God, ask Him for forgiveness, and change our ways makes us vulnerable to attack from our enemies and Keeps us guilty as charged but sometimes our refusal to forgive others keeps us from receiving forgiveness from God and hence receiving his presence in our lives again and his protection.
Considering the horrible things many people have been through because of other people it is understandable for them to have extreme difficulty forgiving those who have caused hurt, harm, trauma, identity crisis, fear, or death in their lives. But the word of God is clear: “ But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Do you know the devil is like a lawyer, he is very well studied in the laws of God (spiritual laws) and while some laws maybe just for saved people other laws apply to anyone or any spirit including the devil himself. Knowing this the devil makes it a point to try to put traumatic situations in peoples lives so that they “can’t” forgive and then are hence blocked from forgiveness. The devil plays chess not checkers and he is a master of the long game (a plan that can span years and decades even). So please believe when you find yourself unable to forgive you are playing into the devils plans and perhaps putting yourself in a bad situation…allowing the devil access to you and your life so that he can do his job (stealing, killing, and destroying). [I reject that for you and your life in Jesus name.]
Now That You Know Better, Do Better!
It’s time to get your sins off your chest by telling God all about it
it’s time to forgive those who have wronged you even those who may have done the unthinkable to you
it is time to stop all behaviors and thinking and relationships that are not what God would want
and most importantly if you have not already, it is time to make Jesus Christ your Lord and savior— through him alone you can get unconditional discharge.
