LEARN TO ACKNOWLEDGE

‘I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and You forgave the iniquity of my sin’. – Psalm 32:5  
It is one thing to do something wrong, it’s another to admit and accept that you have done something wrong. Most times, our pride gets in the way and rather than humbly accept that we have done something wrong, we have sinned against God or we have offended someone, we try to justify, make excuses for our sins, or pass the buck; blame someone else for our wrong doing, instead of take full responsibility for our actions.

When the Prophet Nathan confronted David with his sin of adultery and murder, David didn’t defend his actions with statements like ‘nobody is perfect,’ ‘I have been under a lot of pressure of late,’ ‘It’ s all because of her skimpy dressing that this happened, ‘the devil made me do it.’

David told God ‘For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me’ (Psalm 51:3). David told God, I am conscious of what I have done, I am aware that I have sinned against you, I can’t hide or cover up what I have done, I have messed up, I have gone astray, please forgive me. With these words, God showed David mercy, compassion and forgiveness.

For forgiveness to flow, we must see the need to be forgiven. As long as we refuse to own up to the fact that we have done something wrong, we have committed a sin, we are empowering sin in our lives, we are giving that sin or that bad habit a cosy seat in our lives.

God’s forgiveness is a powerful blessing from God. When God says He has forgiven you, He doesn’t forgive with one hand and then hold in the other hand a list of all the sins you have committed. God is not like man who says I have forgiven you, I have nothing against you, yet keeps remembering and referring to what you did to hurt him or her. God says in Hebrews 8:12, ‘For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more’.  In Isaiah 43:25, God says ‘I even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake; and I will not remember your sins.’  The Lord is ready to forgive us, pick us up when we have fallen, wipe away the filth on us, blot away our sins and give us a new beginning. The question is are we ready to acknowledge when we are wrong; when we have fallen headlong into sin?

Let’s check our lives today. Is there a sin we have committed? Are there things we are doing that doesn’t bring glory to God? God wants us to acknowledge and admit it, not deny, ignore or excuse sinful behaviour.

Let’s ACKNOWLEDGE so God can pour down His mercy on us and free us from the shackles of sin.

PRAYER

O Lord, please give me a humble heart that is never too proud to say I am wrong, I have sinned.

PHOTO CREDIT: Etty Fidele on Unsplash