Day 15: Coming Clean with God
Bible passage: 1 John 1:5–10; Psalm 51
The Final Week
Today is Friday 15th of January 2021. Welcome to Day 15 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. For this last week we are going to fix our eyes on what Jesus did for us on the cross, and on the victory of His resurrection.
We begin where the cross always begins with us: with honesty. The writer of Ecclesiastes observed that there is not a single person on earth who always does good and never sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20). That includes every one of us.
Walking in the Light
God Is Light
John writes that God is light, and that there is no darkness in Him at all (1 John 1:5). If we claim that we have no sin, he says, we are only fooling ourselves (1 John 1:8). Everybody has something to bring into the light.
What Confession Is
To confess means to agree with God. It is saying the same thing about our sin that He says. Confession is not making excuses or blaming somebody else. Nor is it punishing ourselves. It is simply telling the truth: that was wrong.
God is never shocked by what we tell Him. He knew before we did, and He loves us still.
Faithful and Just
John tells us what happens when we confess. “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” 1 John 1:9 (NLT)
God is faithful, which means that He keeps His promise to forgive. He is also just. The penalty for our sin has already been paid in full by Jesus, and God will not demand payment twice.
John goes on to say that when we do sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the One who is truly righteous, and He Himself is the sacrifice for our sins (1 John 2:1–2).
David’s Example
In Psalm 51, David makes no excuses. He admits that he has sinned against God (Psalm 51:4). He asks for mercy on the basis of God’s unfailing love and not his own record (Psalm 51:1). And he is sure of one thing: God will not turn away a broken and repentant heart (Psalm 51:17).
Stepping into the Light
Guilt Says Hide, Grace Says Come
Ever since the garden of Eden, our instinct has been to hide from God when we have done wrong. The cross tells us that we do not need to. Confession is the door through which we walk back into freedom.
Three Steps for Today
Pray Psalm 51. Read it aloud, slowly, as your own prayer.
Be specific. Name your sins plainly, one at a time. After each one, thank God that it is forgiven.
Leave it there. Do not pick up again what God has put away. If there is something you need to put right with another person, make a plan to do it.
If something is weighing on you and you cannot shake it off, please talk to one of our pastors or to a mature Christian you trust. James tells us to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other, so that we may be healed (James 5:16).
Prayer for Today:
Father, You are light, and nothing is hidden from You. I stop hiding today. I confess my sins to You, and I make no excuses. Thank You that Jesus has paid for them all. Thank You that You are faithful and just to forgive me and to make me clean. Give me a clean heart, and teach me the joy of walking in the light. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Keep going
See every day of this guide on our Prayer & Fasting page.
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