Unconfessed sin.

It festers. It spoils, It tries to devour you.

Confession. I was rocking along, living my lovely life, going to work and coming home, going to church and the grocery store…doing all the things. But even though I was acting like life was fine, I was crumbling inside. I have always had anxiety but this was new. It was festering, unrelenting, a poison that was trying to destroy me and rob me of my peace.

Now, I didn’t murder anyone or commit what the world would call a “big” sin, but in God’s economy, the “little” sins count the same. For the wages of sin is death. We know that from Romans 6:23. Now I am a Christian, so I never doubted my salvation, but that did not change my self-inflicted suffering here on earth. Oh how I wanted to escape my guilt and shame, but the truth is, I was not finished wallowing in it. I chose to hold on to my sin and let it become a disease in my heart. 

Thankfully, that isn’t the end of the story. In the Bible, Proverbs 28:13 says, ‘Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.’ So I confessed my sins to God and let me say, mercy is sweet, y’all. God isn’t shaking His fist at me in anger, but is waiting for me to come to Him for forgiveness. He loves me just as much when I sin as when I don’t. And that is the same for you!  James 5:16 says ‘Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power.’

So, after wallowing for a time, I confessed my sin to God. I said sorry. I asked Him to forgive me. And you know what? He did. The weight of my shame was lifted. His forgiveness feels like a hug, a deep, easy breath, and freedom.

Because of His great love for us, God sent his son Jesus to die on a criminal’s cross and be buried in a borrowed tomb. In victory Jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin forever. Now all who confess their sin and ask Jesus to be Lord of their life will be saved. Then you can have the peace of forgiveness.

Guess what the silliest thing about my story is? God already knew. He was waiting to forgive me the whole time. Now when I feel the urge to sin, I try to praise God for forgiving me and remind myself of the strength we have in Jesus. If you have some unconfessed sin in your life, don’t let it eat you alive.  I urge you to confess to your Heavenly Father. His mercies are new every morning!