Prov. 28:13-14
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
How many people enjoy confessing a sin? Not that many, in fact, many people like to cover that sin and pretend it didn't exist. But in the kingdom of God, not so!! Confession brings mercy and spiritual prosperity. Thankfully, there is a benefit in confessing! First the confessor receives mercy as opposed to judgment or discipline. God has promised, and His promises are always true, that He will discipline His children because He loves them and desires His best for them. He has also promised that If I confess my sin, He is faithful and just to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. If I am cleansed and forgiven, what is the benefit in concealing? I think it comes down to pride. It takes humility to confess, to admit, and to reveal. But I must remember that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. I must Humble myself under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt me. What is this spiritual prosperity that the sinner forfeits by hiding his sin? It is living with nothing between God and me, no sin, no pride, no hidden issues. It is growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus unhindered and unfettered by the weaknesses of my flesh. It is desiring the presence of God more than anything else, even my own pride and sin.
Secondly, if the sinner conceals the sin, his heart hardens and the end result of that is calamity. Heb. 3:12-13 warns against that when it says, Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you and evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Sin, by its very nature, is deceitful. It convinces the sinner that it is far better to conceal than to confess, but it is the exact opposite of the truth! Confessing keeps my heart tender and responsive before God. It keeps my eyes seeing and my ears hearing what God has to say so that I will be able to perceive the things of God and understand His great mercies, faithfulness, and love.
Finally, confession keeps me fearing the Lord, and there is great blessing in that! When I fear Him, no other fear has control of my life. I am resting in Him, yoked to Him as He walks with me through this life. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, of right choices, of blessings, of growth, of abiding, yes, and even of suffering and affliction. It is the way that God designed for me to journey, to run the race not looking back but straining forward to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Father,
Reveal my heart, the hidden areas that try and pull me away from You. Keep me ever confessing, repentant, and rejoicing in You. As we journey, teach me more what it means to fear You.
In Jesus name,
Amen
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