Integrity Begins with Confession - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - January 13, 2020
2020Jan 13
Integrity Begins with Confession By Rick Warren
“There’s not one totally good person on earth, Not one who is truly pure and sinless” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 The Message).
God wants you to agree with him about your sin. He’s not asking you to agree so you’ll feel bad; his purpose is to free you from your sin and guilt so that you can live a life of integrity.
Stepping into a life of godliness starts with confession. Augustine is credited with saying, “The confession of bad works is the beginning of good works."
What is confession? It’s agreeing with God that we’ve failed to live according to his standards, that we’ve ignored his commands, that we’ve broken our promises to him.
When you start thinking about your failures, it’s easy to criticize yourself and think you’ll never be able to get things right. You’re not alone in that feeling. We all fail at times, even when we’re trying to live with integrity.
The Bible says, “There’s not one totally good person on earth, Not one who is truly pure and sinless” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 The Message).
God is not surprised by your sin. He knows all about it, yet there’s nothing you can do that will make him love you less. And so confess. Don’t hide your sin. Don’t excuse it. Confess it.
Instead of condemnation, God gives us grace. It’s why Jesus came to die on the cross for us. When we place our trust in Jesus, he is faithful to give us forgiveness.
First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right” (NCV).
Confession is the first step into a life of integrity. Why not take that step today?
Perhaps you need to take one other step: Trusting Jesus to present you clean before God and giving him control of your life—including the decision you make about integrity.
If that’s what you want to do, then here’s a prayer you can follow: “God, I’ve blown it. I know you’ve created me to live a life of integrity, but I’ve not been doing that. I’ve lied. I’ve cheated. I’ve acted one way to hide what I’ve actually been doing.
“I’m sorry, and I confess my sin. You promise that if I confess my sin and place my trust in Jesus as my Savior, I will be saved. I trust you when you say that forgiveness and salvation come by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. Jesus, today I’m turning over every part of my life to your management. Teach me how to live my life, and help me be a person of integrity.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free material to help you as you begin your journey with Jesus.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Build a Firm Foundation of Prayer in the Next Generation!
“Perhaps the most important role you can play in the life of a child is teaching them to trust God through prayer. It’s the key to living with hope.” —Pastor Rick
That’s why it’s so important to strengthen the hope of kids by introducing them to Jesus’ model for prayer at an early age. And we’re excited to help you do that with Pastor Rick’s children’s book, The Lord’s Prayer: Words of Hope and Happiness.
Filled with thoughtful insights from Pastor Rick as well as stunning illustrations from award-winning artist, Richard Jesse Watson, this book brings the poetic scripture from the King James Version alive for readers young and old. It’s sure to become a meaningful bedtime ritual, a treasured memory, and by God’s grace, a legacy that bears good fruit for generations to come.
This book is a perfect way to share the beauty and richness of The Lord’s Prayer with the children the Lord has placed in your life. And it’s our thanks for your gift below to help Daily Hope take the Good News to more people everywhere. So please request a copy for yourself or a friend today, and thanks for your generosity!
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