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If we confess our sins, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

The power of God is clearly engraved in His love for justice, His ability to stand by His own covenants, laws and rules but yet merciful enough to forgive and forget. He is able to keep promises and He promised to act justly towards all.

Pursuant to godly sorrow, leads us to confession and the importance of leaving our sinful past to history. To confess is to disclose of one’s sins in the sacrament of reconciliation. Without reconciliation, a confession remains worthless dialogue having no desire or intent to disunite from the transgression itself.

In James 5:16, the Bible taught us to confess our trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that we may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of the party in the right is the one possessing much authority towards accomplishing repentance. This is pure, natural justice demonstrated by Biblical demands.

To confess and to seek forgiveness is crucial in the process of obtaining clemency from God. And seeking forgiveness from God or from the ones we oppressed, is God’s way of educating us on humbling ourselves. Confessing and seeking forgiveness are the pillars of the Christian faith that leads to true salvation.

And make no mistake about this; to seek forgiveness from God is not the same as assuming we are automatically forgiven by mere professing alone.

What We Must Do

Make a list of the sins that we have had committed. Write down as many as possible. For most of us, this could be a lifetime process. Repentance is not instant business, that we can accomplish in one day or one week. Repentance is a life long process and it never ends until the day of our redemption. The continuity in repentance is the sign indicating that we are serious in wanting to deal with our sins and to forgo them in exchange for righteousness and holiness.

This is how we should pray. “Our Father in heaven, allow me to come into Your presence. Holy Spirit, I pray and seek Your favor, to deliver my prayer to the Father in the Most High. Please do not weigh my sins, for they are many. But consider what My Lord Jesus Christ did for me at the Cross. And through the cleansing power of His blood, I hereby humbly come before You, and with the hope that my prayer is received and heard by the Father.”

Present ourselves properly in the presence of the Father with full honor and by kneeling before Him. Remember, we are sinners approaching a Holy God, He owes us nothing. And if the Lord decides to listen to our pleas, realize that this is an opportunity given by the Father that we should not take lightly. To assume that God is always willingly tuning in to listen to us, is a sinister mistake that many people make.

Continue praying with confession according to the list that you have made. Seek help from the Holy Spirit to teach us the truth regarding confession and the correct approach towards it. Be sensitive to the demands of the Father and what He requires from us during the process of confession. Confession is not a one way train, and like a Father who disciplines his child, confession will involve reconciliation, compromise and/or settlement.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show us the truth about repentance that leads to true salvation. Give God the highest honor and glory that He deserves. Seek the Holy Spirit, to show us the Way, the Truth and the Life and who He is. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to the narrow road that brings us to Him.

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