Asking God for forgiveness lifts a huge burden. Is the Lord calling you today to confess your sins so He can forgive? I remember ministering to a World War II soldier in the hospital. The war had been over for decades, but an action in the war continued to trouble him. He indicated that there was no day that he did not think about what happened.
Humbling himself, he admitted what he had done and asked the Lord to forgive him. As I held his hand, I assured him if we sincerely repent of our sins, the Lord Jesus forgives us. After all those years, God’s forgiveness removed a heavyweight. If you are struggling with past sins, don’t wait any longer. Come to Jesus today. 1 John 1: 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. [1]
God Did Not Design us to Carry the Burden of Sin
The Lord did not design us to carry the burden of sin. Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.[2]
If you are carrying the burden of sin, take your sin to the cross of Jesus and leave it there. As we confess our sins, the Lord forgives us. The Lord gives us a wonderful gift of forgiveness. Jesus bought this gift as He paid the price for our sins on the cross.
When I Refuse to Confess my Sin
The religious leaders had challenged Jesus, so He told them a parable. He wanted them to admit their sin so they could be forgiven and set free. What would they do? They refused to repent. Mark 12:12 The religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away. [3]
Jesus gave them every opportunity to turn from their wicked ways, but they refused. Only the Lord knows if they softened their hearts and came to Him in faith at a later point. These people are now in eternity, but it is not too late for you to come to Jesus and confess your sins. Jesus came to set the captives free. (Ref. Luke 4:18) Let the Lord set you free today if you are wrestling with unconfessed sin. The Lord brings sins to our minds so we can confess and be forgiven, not to condemn us. We can be so thankful for having such a wonderful, forgiving God.
To hear more about asking God for forgiveness, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/mark-jesus-authority-challenged
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.