INTRODUCTION

The Lord sees and knows everything, but this does not eliminate man’s responsibility to confess his sins. Confession unveils or makes known what is already open before God (Psalm 32:5I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
See All...; Proverbs 28:13He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
See All...). In order to maintain proper fellowship with God, man’s sins must be followed by confession (Leviticus 5:5And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing:
See All...; Numbers 5:7Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.
See All...), and the sooner the better. At times, confession is a personal issue, but at other times it is a national issue (Ezra 10:1Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
See All..., 11; Nehemiah 1:6Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
See All...; Nehemiah 9:2And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
See All...; Daniel 9:4And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
See All..., 20). Regardless, confession always precedes forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
See All...). Failure on man’s part to confess his sins is to forfeit God’s mercy (Proverbs 28:13He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
See All...).

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For smaller children) God used Jephthah to deliver Israel after they confessed their sin (Judges 10:6-10 [6] And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. [7] And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. [8] And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. [9] Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed. [10] And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
  See All..., 16; Judges 11:32So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.
  See All...). Jeremiah told the people how to get right with God (Jeremiah 3:12-13 [12] Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. [13] Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
  See All...). Consider other examples: Psalm 51:3-4 [3] For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. [4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
  See All...; Isaiah 55:7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
  See All...; Jonah 3:8-10 [8] But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. [9] Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? [10] And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
  See All...; Luke 15:21-24 [21] And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. [22] But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: [23] And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: [24] For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
  See All....
• Are there sins you have committed against the Lord that you have failed to confess? Why? Would you not rather enjoy the forgiveness, cleansing, and mercy from the Lord? What would keep you from making it right?
• When is the last time you called upon God and confessed the sins of your family and your nation?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Confess any personal sins that you need to confess.
• Confess the sins of your nation, and beg God’s forgiveness.

HYMN

Just As I Am

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