That Gut Feeling

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.  When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm 32:1-5 NIV)

You can hide it, but you can’t ignore it.  That feeling in your gut that just won’t go away.  You know you’ve done something wrong, but you don’t want to acknowledge it.  I can imagine David having it the morning after he slept with Bathsheba. (II Samuel 11) And Sapphira after she and her husband kept back part of the money they had pledged to the Church. (Acts 6) And John Mark after he had deserted Paul and Barnabas. (Acts 15:37-38) 

We know when we have sinned.  The question always is, will we be willing to confess it?  David used manipulation and, finally, murder in an attempt to cover up his sin.  In the end, however, after being confronted by a close advisor, he finally confessed and repented. And John Mark, too, obviously confessed and repented because, first Barnabas and then, Paul were willing to have him rejoin them in their evangelistic efforts.  Sapphira, however, failed to confess.  And she paid for that mistake with her life.  

The Lord won’t necessarily strike us dead if we fail to confess sin in our lives, but He does take sin very seriously. And that “gut feeling” is a way of getting our attention.  It is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  He wants us to deal with our sin so that He can forgive it and clear it out of our lives.  

What sin lies unconfessed in your life?  Can you feel it in your gut?  Today, acknowledge it and lay claim to the promise of the Lord, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9 NIV)  Then begin experiencing the joy of a life unburdened by sin.

© Jim Musser 2012