ARE YOU DRAINED? Unconfessed sin drains our strength. When our thoughts, words, or actions displease God – and we do not run to Him for forgiveness – we will sense a spiritual drain that, if ignored long enough, saps us of physical and emotional vigor. David noted a critically important concept when he penned these words of God, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer” (Psalm 32:3-4, NASB). I wonder how many times our low points – periods when we just cannot seem to “rise above” – are the direct result of refusing to deal with an area of our life in which we know God is not being honored. God Himself knows how arduous it can be to humbly go to Him and confess our wretched disposition; for when we go to Him confessing shameful ways, we are brought low. However, our loving God “regards the lowly,” while “the haughty He knows from afar” (Psalm 138:6, NASB). In other words, the painful act of confession and realization of our wrong causes God to look our direction and react with His mercy. Oftentimes, I pray aloud to God when I need to admit sin. If acknowledging bitterness, for example, I dread the sound of the words describing my nasty heart attitude. Afterward, though, I sense God’s nearness and cleansing because I have been real with Him. God is asking that we demonstrate our knowledge of the great cost of sin. If my transgression is difficult to speak aloud, I know it grieves the heart of God. I begin to realize how ugly sin is – to God and to others. In my honest confession, I reckon with the crushing, serious nature of rebellion against God Almighty. David proclaims, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!” (Psalm 32:1-2, NASB) To be people of complete joy and stability, we must be people who confess sin and do not hide from God or ourselves. How often we may have deceit in our own spirit because we are not honest about our sin. We need to run constantly to the Bible and pray consistently in order that God’s Spirit keeps our heart tender and able to discern sinfulness. Once discerned, we must be quick to confess. In this way, God will not have to impute the iniquity to us, but He will allow the death of His Son to cover the penalty. The righteousness of Jesus Christ gets credited to us (I Corinthians 1:30). Notice how David tells us that unconfessed sin led to his human vitality being drained away as with the fever heat of summer (Psalm 32:4). How amazingly we see the work of Jesus on our behalf in a parallel verse found in Psalm 22:15 (NASB), “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death.” This prophetic passage alludes to Jesus on the cross – sapped of strength, thirsty, and dying. Can you see it? Jesus endured for us the depletion of vitality we should have to face. He took the brunt of sin’s penalty and its damning, draining effects! He lay in the dust of death that we might stand in the light of life! Please do not allow your life to be depleted of strength and joy because of unconfessed sin. Run to the God who emptied Himself for the sake of our filling. Be blessed – filled with the stability of joy and peace – by having your sins forgiven through Jesus Christ. In a broken world, there may exist other physical or emotional reasons for a lack of vitality; but do not allow unconfessed sin to drain away your life. Be truly blessed! - Shelli Prindle, in her book Living In Awe!
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 16:11:00 +0000
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