Do You Want To Be Cleansed?

We are already forgiven of our sins if we are born again! But in order to move forward in holiness we must confess them. 

If we do not confess them, we miss blessings in heaven and have consequences on earth. 

 A person cannot forsake a sin or grow past the bondage of it until they admit the sin to God and if necessary, to others.

Confessing sin shows a willingness and desire to be changed by Christ Who lives in us. Confessing to a sibling in Christ shows them that we value their fellowship and companionship.

James 5:16
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

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

Proverbs 28:13
"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."

When we do not confess our sins, we are in danger of physical illness.  There seems to be a built in mechanism, a connection between sin and the toll it takes on the physical body. Not everyone who has illness is in sin as we see from the story of Job, but sometimes our bitterness, anger and denial cause physical ailments. We think we feel fine in our sin but the stress on the body causes illness.

Psalm 32:2-5
"2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah "

When we do confess, God forgives us and begins cleaning our hearts to free us from the bondage of that sin, creating humility in our hearts and turning us from the sin from which we could not release ourselves.

No one has an excuse that they were in bondage to sin, God will not ignore the cries of the sinful heart to be cleansed by Him.

James 4:7-10
"7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."