Today's promise: God is always calling us back to him
The consequences of unconfessed sin
"If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord
would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my
prayer."
Psalm 66:18-19 NLT
The elephant in
the room
It is bad to be in trouble. It is worse to be in trouble
and on the outs with God. According to this passage, penned by King David, if
we are harboring sinful attitudes in our hearts or willfully indulging in
sinful activities, we should not expect God to respond to our prayers.
This is not because God doesn't love us. He does — more than we realize. It's not because God doesn't want to help us. He longs to deliver us. It's simply that a holy God cannot wink at sin or look the other way. Intimacy with God requires honesty, humility, purity.
For us to attempt to approach God without first addressing the ways in which we have knowingly offended and wronged him is an exercise in futility. Sin is the "elephant in the room" that must be acknowledged and dealt with. Once we do that, we again enjoy sweet fellowship with God. Clean and forgiven, we can be sure he hears our pleas for help.
Praying God's Promise:
Lord, you do not listen to my prayers when I have unconfessed sin in my life. By your Spirit give me the humility I need to take a hard look at my soul. Show me, God, any wrong attitudes and actions that I need to acknowledge. I want to be right with you. I want to be close to you. Thank you for pledging to hear those who humble themselves and acknowledge their sin. May my sins, which block me from you when I don't confess them, become a bridge to you as I admit them, forsake them, and experience your forgiveness.
From the Praying God's Promises in Tough Times by Len Wood (Tyndale) pp 8-9"
This is not because God doesn't love us. He does — more than we realize. It's not because God doesn't want to help us. He longs to deliver us. It's simply that a holy God cannot wink at sin or look the other way. Intimacy with God requires honesty, humility, purity.
For us to attempt to approach God without first addressing the ways in which we have knowingly offended and wronged him is an exercise in futility. Sin is the "elephant in the room" that must be acknowledged and dealt with. Once we do that, we again enjoy sweet fellowship with God. Clean and forgiven, we can be sure he hears our pleas for help.
Praying God's Promise:
Lord, you do not listen to my prayers when I have unconfessed sin in my life. By your Spirit give me the humility I need to take a hard look at my soul. Show me, God, any wrong attitudes and actions that I need to acknowledge. I want to be right with you. I want to be close to you. Thank you for pledging to hear those who humble themselves and acknowledge their sin. May my sins, which block me from you when I don't confess them, become a bridge to you as I admit them, forsake them, and experience your forgiveness.
From the Praying God's Promises in Tough Times by Len Wood (Tyndale) pp 8-9"
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living
Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
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