Living in Truth
Can you name a vital piece of living in truth?
Verse of the Day
‘If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.’
Today’s Devotional
Recently my husband and I did a couple days of yard work. In July. In Texas. At the end of each day, we were filthy. Before we went to bed each of those days, we each took a long shower. For me, there is a wonderful feeling of going to bed after having worked hard and then being really clean. It feels like all is right in the world.
This verse tells me that confession is a cleansing shower for my soul. Confessing our sins and shortcomings is a vital part of being a person of truth. While it is true that when God looks at us He sees Jesus, there is never an expectation that any of us will achieve perfection in our human life. Instead, as we become aware of our imperfections, we are given very clear instructions. We confess our failures to God. As we do this, He turns on the heavenly shower of forgiveness and cleansing.
One of the most vital components of confession is being able to see our own faults. Many of us spend much of our lives blissfully unaware of where and how we are missing the mark. The axiom “ignorance is bliss” is a lie when it comes to our struggles. Ignorance is bondage that we can’t even see. Jeremiah 17:9 says that the human heart is more deceitful than anything else. But…awareness and confession lead to freedom.
In order to see our own faults, which we must be able to do to confess them to God, there are some things I have found really important.
- Godly counsel. Psalms 37:30 says, “The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.” There have been many times in my life when I was venting my frustrations to a godly friend and that person gently pointed out where I was missing the mark.
- Prayer. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Imagine that a high school student really struggles with procrastination and he just can’t see it. So he goes to his mom and says, “I can’t stay on top of my grades. Can you help me see what I’m doing wrong?” Is there a human parent that wouldn’t point out the procrastination that this kid can’t see? God wants us to know what things that are tripping us up. Maybe he wants us to have the humility to ask.
- Inviting the Holy Spirit to show me where I’m wrong. In John 16, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, and that part of the Holy Spirit’s job is to convict the world of sin. I can’t do anything about sin I am not aware of. Conviction is another word for awareness of sin. The Holy Spirit is gentle in these convictions of our sin.
- Silence. Psalm 62:5 says, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” This is the difference between praying TO God and listening FOR God. God wants us to see our sin and confess it so that we can turn from it and be free. I wonder sometimes in my prayer life if I’m ever quiet long enough for God to speak to me.
- Journaling. There’s no scripture reference for this one, just personal experience. There have been many times when I have poured out my heart on paper in my journal. Then I go back and read it the next day and think, “Wow. I’m really being selfish.” Or controlling. Or fearful. Or prideful. Or judgmental. Or full of doubt. In those moments I am convicted by my own words. At that point I know what to confess.
There is beauty, power, and humility in the confession of our sins to God. Psalm 119:18 says, “Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.” God wants us to see His wonderful truths. Sometimes those wonderful truths are in the places where we are wrong. Our confession then washes us clean because of Jesus. People who live in truth are not perfect, but they are quick to confess their sin.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How easy is it for you to confess your sins to God?
How good are you at seeing where you are wrong?
How self-aware do you think you are?
Which of the techniques listed could you put more effort into?
How has confession helped you in the past?
In your journal, confess your sin to God today.