“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word is not in us.” — 1 John 1:5-10
Watch the Game Film
Every great athlete is his or her worst critic. Even before the game film is being analyzed by the coaching staff, great players already have a good idea of what mistakes they made during a game. Reviewing and examining the game film only highlights those mistakes, and great players immediately begin to work on fixing them. Great athletes are objective when analyzing themselves. They don’t make excuses.
The Godly man or woman also doesn’t make excuses. Their opinion is firmly rooted in God’s Word. They don’t call sin in their lives a “mistake” or a “slip-up.” The follower of Christ agrees with God when they sin.
First John 1:9 tells us we need to “confess our sins.” The word “confess” means to speak the same thing. If God calls it sin, you must call it sin. Honest self-examination is a character trait that is found in all mature believers who follow Jesus. The writer of Psalm 51:3 is very familiar with his sin as he writes, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”
This is a reminder that we are to pay close attention to what we say, think and do, and confess those things that God calls sin.
— Sam Johnson, San Antonio Spurs chaplain
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