Daily Reading - "When I Kept Silent About My Sin...Your Hand Was Heavy Upon Me." Psalm 32:3-4 NAS

Here is how it read today...

Mon. April 6
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"WHEN I KEPT SILENT ABOUT MY SIN...YOUR HAND WAS HEAVY UPON ME." (PSALM 32:3-4 NAS)
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Coming clean with God

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A therapist who graduated 34 years earlier called the University of Oregon and admitted she'd cheated on a final exam. Instead of revoking her degree the University asked her to write an article on integrity. A woman who completed a walk around the world confessed she traveled partway in a support truck. "I shouldn't be remembered as the first woman to walk round the world when I cheated," she said. How many of us would have admitted our deception?

.........The Psalmist said, "When I kept silent about my sin...Your hand was heavy upon me." Confessing your sins: (a) Lets you experience God's forgiveness: He already knows about them anyway, but He won't forgive you while you're busy making excuses and blame-shifting. John says, "If we confess...he will forgive our sins" (1Jn 1:9 NCV). The first move is up to you. (b) Restores your emotional and physical energy: Nothing's more draining than denial and nothing's more invigorating than a clean slate. David said, "My strength...failed because of my iniquity" (Ps 31:10 NAS). Reflecting on his affair with Bathesheba, he said, "When I kept silent...my vitality was drained...I acknowledge my sin...and You forgave the guilt" (Ps 32:3-5 NAS). (c) Allows you to move on: Confession allows you to hit the "reset" button and start again. It's also important to draw a line between the past and the future in case you're tempted to repeat your behavior. (d) Lets you grow: Thomas Edison said failure taught him over a thousand ways not to make a light bulb! Making your mistakes work for you instead of against you, starts with confessing them to God and accepting His forgiveness.