[Maximum Joy Series] Dealing With DarknessSample

The 3rd Error: Not Confessing when God Shows us our Sin (1:10)

In our journey here on earth, our spiritual health and consequently our joy and intimacy with God, are directly dependent on our willingness to be honest about the sin in our lives and our personal responsibility connected with it. Sin brings guilt, and with guilt comes darkness. All through these days together, we have realized that when we walk in darkness, we cannot fellowship with God. 

The Error: “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 

When God points its light at one of my sins, and I tell Him He is wrong, I leave the light and enter darkness. Guilt will seep into my soul and cloud my vision of God. Self-deception, depression, and defeat follow. Psychologists recognize the problem of guilt, and they just do not know what to do with it. It is like those warning lights in your car that tell you “Check engine.” They are there for a reason; when they light up, have your car checked or you will end up having a bigger problem.

Many Christians have been stuck on the side of the road with engine failure because of ignoring the warning signal of guilt. Pay attention to it and deal with it as soon as the Holy Spirit shows you that something is wrong. 

For centuries, we have tried to repress this signal, to avoid dealing with it, to call it with different names, to attribute the source of it to various causes, and worst of all, to deal with it wrongly. The consequence is clear. Our society is unhappy, depressed, and has not been able to deal with the root of the problem. My dear brothers and sisters, the truth will set you free: the name of the problem is guilt, the source of it is sin, and the solution is confession. 

When we fall short of God’s perfect holiness, we sin and we miss the mark. God set the standard, and falling short causes real guilt; the source is sin, and the only solution is confession. 

Our accuser, Satan, can use unresolved guilt as a whip to keep us enslaved to our sin(ful) natures. We can resolve that guilt with the promises of verses 1:7, 9 and 2:1–2.

My dear brother and sister, confess. Go to your loving Father, talk to Him, enter into His courts with praise and thanksgiving. His loving arms will cover you and cleanse you from all sin.