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4. Confess Your Sins to God and Don’t Lie!
Once, two men went up to the temple to pray. One of them appeared very pious, but the other seemed to be a wicked and despised thief. The religious man stood upright near the altar and proudly prayed before the people: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men: robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” (Luke 18:11,12)
But the other man, who was a thief, stood away in the corner. He was ashamed of himself. Convicted of his sins, he did not want to raise his eyes to heaven. He bowed his head and stammered:
Jesus clearly showed that the man who was outwardly religious was actually a selfish hypocrite. His prayer was not heard. But the thief went home justified with peace in his heart, because he had openly confessed his sins and repented in his heart.
Dear Reader: We advise you to uncover your sins before your Lord. If you think that you have not committed any sin, ask the holy God with a humble, surrendered spirit:
“God, please reveal to me every injustice and all my other sins. Let your light reveal the cruelty of my heart and show me the hate in my thoughts. Let me remember the bad words I have said, and all the bad deeds I have done. Amen.”
Have the courage to ask God to lift the veil of your conscience. Let him break the mask covering the secrets of your soul. Then you will recognize the enormity of your sins. There is no human being who does not sin. Only God is infallible. Seek living knowledge from the merciful God. Realize the truth about yourself. Then, God will teach you his ten commandments. They are the divine mirror for your sinful soul. Through THE LAW OF GOD you will learn that you are not better than any other person.
How often have we ignored a sick or weak person? Did you ever care for a refugee? And how often have we even been abhorred by the existence of poor and uneducated people? Mercy does not dwell in our heart; it is full of egoism and arrogance. Therefore, God inspired the apostle Paul to describe the reality of our society:
Dear Friend: Can you still claim to be a good person, or have you accepted the judgment of your conscience? Have you seen the great and deep gulf, which separates us from the holy God? Have you realized the enormity of your sins and the ugliness of your trespasses?
If you are honest with yourself you will confess everything to God and cry out to him from the depth of your soul:
“Be merciful to me, O God, because my sins are separating me from you. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done all my evil in your sight. I am guilty and unclean. I am an evil person. Accept my broken heart and don’t cast me away. Cleanse me and make me whole. Cover me with your salvation. Thank you Lord for hearing my heart’s prayer. Amen.