Forty Days of Peace: Day 3

Focus of the Week: Confessing our sins brings God’s peace

Please read 1 John 1:5-10

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Here we are Soul Sisters, it's our third day of Forty Days of Peace. Our focus of the week (and all the weeks to come), answer the question, "What brings God's peace?" So this week's answer is: "confessing our sin brings God's peace." Before we go on, let's define "confess": to confess our sin is to agree with God, acknowledging that he is right to declare what we have done as sinful, and that we are wrong to desire to do it (Life Application Study Bible, p.935). When we confess our sin, it keeps our fellowship with God unhindered. Where our relationship with God in Christ is eternally secure, our fellowship with him can be blocked. Just like the stacking of bricks creates a wall or a knotted up water hose blocks the flow of water, sin can also create a barrier between us and God. We must choose to keep the communication-line free and clear.

Ugh, I wish I could pretend the messy stuff in me didn't exist! But, it does. As a matter of fact, I can have emotional drama in my heart and deceptive thoughts in my head before I even move out of my morning quiet time spot. THIS is why confession is so important. I do not need to go into the day carrying around these thoughts or feelings, for my sake and for those around me. It's important that you and I pour out our sins to the Lord. When we "agree with God" that our thoughts, words, or actions are offensive to him, then he graciously accepts our confession, and "cleanses us from all unrighteousness."

The passage today also speaks of light: "But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin" (v. 7). Let’s ask God to shine his light on anything that is keeping us from a healthy walking, talking relationship with him on a daily basis. Has the Lord laid anything on your heart over the last three days that you need to confess to him? Be brave; humble yourself; do it now. And then, rejoice in his immediate and complete forgiveness. Breathe in his peace.

For further reading: Isaiah 1:18; Isaiah 59:1, 16-20; Philippians 1:2

Dear Lord,

Thank you for wanting to walk and talk with us, always. Please lovingly convict us of our sin and then help us to quickly confess it so it does not build up and block our friendship with you. Help us to yearn for your light rather than darkness, because it's only in the light that we will experience Your peace. Amen.