"Forgive Us Our Sins"

I’ve noticed that whenever I wear light-colored pants, I tend to spill on myself more often. What I’ve realized, however, is that I’m always spilling on myself. I just don’t see the stains because I usually wear dark jeans.

The same can be true of our lives. I think we sin more than we think we do. There are sins of commission and sins of omission. A sin of commission, of course, is doing what we shouldn’t do. A sin of omission is not doing what we should do.

That’s why it’s a good thing to pray on a regular basis (or maybe even a daily or hourly basis), “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12 NLT). Start there. Admit your sin. Don’t make excuses for it. Own it. Repent of it. That establishes communication with your Father in Heaven.

The prophet Isaiah said, “The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore” (Isaiah 59:1–2 NLT). The psalmist wrote, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (66:18 NLT).

If we don’t confess our sins, it’s like hanging up on God. There still may be a relationship, but our fellowship and communication with Him are temporarily severed.

Maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t know whether I have any sins to confess.” If you spend any time in God’s presence, you will be immediately aware of how much you’re in need of God’s forgiveness. The more we see God in His glory, the more we’ll see ourselves in our sinfulness.