WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DECEMBER 20, 2023
TOPIC: CONFESS AND FORSAKE YOUR SINS
BY T. O. BANSO
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13 New King James Version)
It is easier for human beings to lie to others than to confess their sins and forsake them. It is more convenient for us to deny than confess and forsake our sins. Some will even engage others to defend them rather than own up. Sometimes, people succeed with these lies and propaganda, but this is dangerous. It gives them the impression that they can always get away with anything. Therefore, the devil deceives them to continue in their sinful ways just to set them up for great humiliation, punishment, and destruction.
Your sin will find you out. It will catch up with you (Numbers 32:23). If it doesn’t now, surely, it will later. Hardly is there anyone who has not lied to cover up a sin in the past, either before or after salvation. Abraham lied when he was Abram (Genesis 12:10-13, 19) and after his name has been changed to Abraham (Genesis 20:2).
Lying is part of the desires of the sinful nature, and should be part of the old things that are passed away when anyone becomes a child of God (2 Corinthians 5:17). All liars shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone (Revelations 21:8).
God knows the truth about every sin you commit. It is useless trying to make excuses or completely deny. Human beings may not know; you may deceive them. As long as you continue hiding your sin, Satan will not only blackmail you with it, but he will encourage you not to repent, confess, and forsake them.
David says in Psalm 32:3-4 “When I did not confess my sins, I was worn out from crying all day long. Day and night you punished me, LORD; my strength was completely drained, as moisture is dried up by the summer heat” (Good News Translation). This is what happens when you don’t confess your sins. But see what David did: “Then I confessed my sins to you; I did not conceal my wrongdoings. I decided to confess them to you, and you forgave all my sins” (verse 5 Good News Translation).
All God is asking for from the sinner is genuine repentance and faith in His son, Jesus Christ. Sinners will go to hellfire not because of their sins but because they did not repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ. God told the Israelites in Jeremiah 3:12-13 to acknowledge their sins. “Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: ‘Return, backsliding Israel,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not cause My anger to fall on you. For I am merciful,’ says the Lord; ‘I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God, and have scattered your charms to alien deities under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord” (Jeremiah 3:12-13 New King James Version). Forgiveness and healing always follow the confession of sins and obedience to God (2 Chronicles 7:14-15). Confess and forsake your sins.
Saul did not immediately confess his sin. On the two occasions that he flagrantly disobeyed the LORD; he never asked for His forgiveness. In the second instance, he even reduced it to a personal issue between himself and Samuel and begged Samuel to forgive him (1 Samuel 15:24-25). He asked for Samuel’s pardon, but what of the LORD’s forgiveness?
Saul promoted sacrifice above genuine repentance. “Then he said, ‘I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.’ So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD” (1 Samuel 15:30-31 New King James Version). That was not genuine repentance. He was only interested in looking good before men.
Initially, he lied to Samuel that he had obeyed the LORD (1 Samuel 15:13). It was after Samuel asked him about the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen he was hearing (verse 14) that he confessed that he had not obeyed God completely. He was unlike David who immediately confessed his adultery with Bathsheba and the killing of her husband, Uriah, when the Prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin.
David said he had sinned before the LORD and the Prophet Nathan immediately said the LORD also had put away his sin and he would not die (2 Samuel 12:13). That was genuine repentance – no lie. In Saul’s case, Samuel didn’t say the LORD had forgiven him, apparently because he hadn’t repented genuinely. He only wanted to worship the LORD. Imagine! Worship the God he had disobeyed. David said in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise” (New King James Version). The Amplified Bible puts it this way: “My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.”
In 1 Kings 21:27-29, after Ahab had heard the judgment of God over him and his house, the Bible says he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his body, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning. God noted this and exempted him from the promised disaster. He postponed the calamity on Ahab’s house until after his death (verses 28-29). Confess and forsake your sins.
Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (New King James Version). Note the phrase “confesses and forsakes.” The Amplified Bible renders the scripture thus: “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.” Don’t keep your sins secret and continue in them. World English Bible renders Proverbs 28:13 thus: “He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” Confess and forsake your sins. To forsake your sins means to abandon them, renounce them, give them up, or turn away from them.
If you’ve covered or concealed your sin before, as a child of God, you’ll notice that you lost your peace and joy but when you confessed it, your joy was restored though each time you remember the incident you still feel bad. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Do not trivialize sin. Don’t cover up your sin – confess to God, and to men where necessary, and stop sinning. “Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects (James 5:16 Revised Standard Version). Covering your sin is one sure way to give the devil an inroad into your life and torment you with guilt and loss of peace and joy. Confess and put the devil to shame! Ezra the priest told the men of Judah and Benjamin, “You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel. Now therefore, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers, and do His will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the pagan wives” (Ezra 10:10-11 New King James Version).
Confess and forsake your sins. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (New King James Version). Confess and forsake your sins; don’t continue sinning. “No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him” (1 John 3:9 Amplified Bible).
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, I repent and confess my sins to You. I shall not cover or conceal my sins but confess and forsake them. I receive the grace to confess to men where necessary. By the power in the blood of Jesus, I have victory over sin in Jesus’ name.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
