(I write this for those who have never confessed their sins)
Let me first say this.. If you don't believe in God you are going to die. If you do believe in God you are going to die. If God is real then being a Christian is the only thing that makes sense. If God is not real, how is it bad to live a life full of love? Jesus is a historical fact is he not?? Food for thought..
J.B.Philips had a unique way of making things understandable. In His interpretation of Ephesians 5, I understand just a little bit more about the meaning of the Light shining on things and making it light as well.
When God shines His light in the darkness.. nothing can hide from it. Every lie, every deceit, every thought is revealed for what it is. This light (namely Christ) shines on our hearts and sees the hidden things.. the sin we like to deny exists. However, even though we may be able to get away with some of these things here on earth.. there will come a day, when the veil is removed and all will be visible; after all, this body is going to die.
How do we deal with the things of darkness in our own hearts right now? If we confess it to a man, that means someone knows. Sin is sin in God's eyes, it is the stuff that keeps us too impure to come near Him. We do not need a priest in a booth or a robe, we only need some quiet.
My stealing as a teenager is equivalent to another person murdering someone. Only we put different levels on sin based on our understandings and values.
Sin will be different for every human being alive.
Psalm 103 vs 11-12 confirm that God takes our sins (after we have confessed them to Him) and removes them as far as the east is from the west..
That is a long way.. considering East & West never meet! They can never be used against you because once they are forgiven by your creator, you can let them go and move on ( the consequences may still exist though).
If you don't own a Bible, Google Psalm 103 in the 'Message' translation, and read just how much He loves you!
How do we confess? It is so simple that it seems almost ridiculous to think that this is all we have to do.
We are told "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness". (1 John 1:5-9)
So from this one simple scripture it is clear that all we have to do is confess our sins, people like to complicate God's word, like the Catholics.. but we see Jesus in constant battle in the new Testament with 'Religious leaders', so do not be fooled into thinking that Salvation is based on what we do ( like the Seventh Day Adventists, or Jehovah's witnesses, there is freedom in Jesus from mans expectation).
There will always be natural consequences, for example - jail for a murderer. However, outside of natural consequences, we have a clean slate before the Judge of the world.
Imagine this... A person hurts you and they are a Christian, they confess to God that they hurt you and ask for forgiveness and help to make it right and never hurt a person like that again. On judgement day you and that person are standing before the creator of the universe. He turns to the one who hurt you and says "Well done, good and faithful child, you may go to my right and enter into my kingdom". Then he turns to you and you say "What about me?".. He will reply "go away from me, I do not know you. You may go to my left and enter eternity without goodness and love and light and joy"...
Right there is where you will throw your accusations against the Christian, trying to argue that he was just like you.
The only difference in this scenario, is that one humbly asked for forgiveness and the other didn't think he needed it (all that I am typing is backed up in Scripture and I can give you verses if you ask).
Right here, right now - tell him what it is that is keeping you from Him..
Is it pride - 'I don't need a God who you can't see'...
Is it a crime - 'this is what I have done'...
Is it shame that makes you embarrassed?
"Lord please forgive me for.... in the name of Jesus I ask..Amen" Jesus' death covers our punishment, so in His name we are covered to stand before our creator.
It doesn't matter what it is. He is an ever present God, just waiting for us to answer His call. As a loving Father, He just waits for us to come to Him with our joys and our sorrows, our triumphs and our losses. He loves you! If you have asked for His forgiveness, don't stop there! Get your hands on a Bible and start reading the book of John. It will give you an overview of who Christ is and what His message was. Read it in the NIV (New International Version). Then you can read Luke, Mark and Matthew followed by Acts; In this you will have a fuller understanding of what all the fuss is about! Jesus was and is amazing!
If you have confessed your sins, now ask Him to show Himself to you in a way you have never seen before.. be ready to have more sins revealed to you as you go deeper into God.. His light will always shine in the dark places of our heart.. but there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus for the Spirit has set us free...Romans 8:1-2...
I hope you enjoy the song I have chosen to share about His love http://youtu.be/vcLiMEmpZlE
I found this page on Christianity in its simplest form... uncomplicated. http://christiananswers.net/q-comfort/growing.html Hope it opens your eyes and heart. Bec
Here is the J.B.Philips translation I told you about from the beginning....
Evil is as utterly different from good as light from darkness
5-14 For of this much you can be certain: that neither the immoral nor the dirty-minded nor the covetous man (which latter is, in effect, worshipping a false god) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Don’t let anyone fool you on this point, however plausible his argument. It is these very things which bring down the wrath of God upon the disobedient. Have nothing to do with men like that—once you were “darkness” but now you are “light”. Live then as children of the light. The light produces in men quite the opposite of sins like these—everything that is wholesome and good and true. Let your lives be living proofs of the things which please God. Steer clear of the activities of darkness; let your lives show by contrast how dreary and futile these things are. (You know the sort of things I mean—to detail their secret doings is really too shameful). For light is capable of “showing up” everything for what it really is. It is even possible (after all, it happened to you!) for light to turn the thing it shines upon into light also.
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Thanks for your encouragement......