Hello, I'm Eric Garloff, your
host for Walking With Jesus.
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This is our fourth program
in this series of thirteen,
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and we pray you'll be
able to watch them all.
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Today we're answering
the question, If God knows
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everything about us,
He also knows our sins.
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So why then do we need
to confess our sins to God?
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Well, the short answer is found
in Proverbs 28:13 which says,
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He that covers his sins shall
not prosper, but everyone who
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confesses and
forsakes them shall have mercy.
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Now, as I said,
this is the short answer,
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but we're going to dig a
little deeper into this question
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and uncover some nuggets of
truth, which will greatly help
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you in your walk with Jesus.
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Now, let's begin our session
today with a word of prayer,
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shall we?
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Lord God, we come to You today
and ask that You would give us
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Your Holy Spirit to open
our minds to this message.
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And if need be, subdue
our hearts and our ego,
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that we would be found walking
in Your ways, and living a life
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filled with Your
peace, joy, and happiness.
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In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.
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Alright, let's
get started, shall we?
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Do you know that there is
a time to confess our faults
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to one another, as well as a
time to confess our sins to God?
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If you've done harm to
your neighbor, or your friend,
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you should confess your fault
to him or her, and ask for his
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or her forgiveness.
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It is then your neighbor's
duty to freely forgive you.
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The Apostle James wrote
in James 5:16 the following:
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So not only are we to confess
our faults to one another,
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but we are also told
to pray for one another.
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Once you've made things right
between you and your neighbor,
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you're then counseled
to seek God's forgiveness
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for your own sin.
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For in hurting your
neighbor, you have also injured
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your neighbor's Creator.
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Your neighbor can forgive
your faults, but only God
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can forgive your sin.
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In the book, Steps to Christ,
page 24 we read the following:
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True confession is
always of a specific character
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and
acknowledges particular sins.
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They may be of such a nature as
to be brought before God only.
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They may be wrongs that should
be confessed to individuals
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who have suffered
injury through them.
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Or they may be of a
public character and should then
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be publicly confessed.
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But all confession should
be definite and to the point,
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acknowledging the very
sin's of which you are guilty.
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Now that gives you something
to think about, and it does make
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sense, doesn't it?
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After all, if the shoe was on
the other foot, if someone did
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something to hurt you, you'd
want that person to come to you
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and admit what they
had done, wouldn't you?
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Of course you would!
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So we should be mindful to how
we ourselves would like to be
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treated if someone
did something against us.
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If you keep this principle
in mind throughout your walk
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with Jesus, it will prove to be
a tremendous spiritual blessing
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to you.
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Let me share an illustration
with you of something that I
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had done when I
was sixteen years old.
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It all started out with
a propensity to drive fast,
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and to hang out with my
buddies who drove fast cars.
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I had a rather small car with
a large engine, and I liked to
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drive fast on the back
country roads where I grew up.
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I remember one turn that I used
to make at 60 miles an hour.
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I'd say it was about a
seventy-five degree turn
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with a tight radius.
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And when I went around the
turn, my tires would squeal
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on the asphalt,
or on the street.
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That was a sign to me that if
I went any faster the back of my
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car just might start skidding
out and cause me to crash.
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Well, about half a mile
farther down the road from where
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this turn was, was another
turn which was quite gradual
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and non-threatening.
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Or so I thought!
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Anyway, it was dark and I was
driving much faster than anyone
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should have been driving.
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And as I entered this turn my
car hit some small gravel stones
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along the edge of the road.
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Those stones caused the
back of my car to skid out.
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Now the front of my car
pretty much stayed on the road.
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I was really side ways though.
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The back of the car was
skidding out across the entrance
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to a driveway, and it was
coming around to my right.
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Then all of a sudden I heard
a loud crashing noise as my car
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hit something.
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It felt very solid.
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In the dark, and out of
the corner of my eye, I thought
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I saw something being
thrown up into the yard.
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At the same time, the impact of
hitting whatever it was that I
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hit actually threw my
car back towards the road.
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As I was trying to gain control
over the car, I could feel a
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sense of fear and
anger coming over me.
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Fear for not knowing what it was
that I had hit, and for what my
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father was going to say in
the morning when he saw my car,
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and anger because I was driving
so carelessly, and there was
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no one else to blame but myself.
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I didn't stop right away because
my car was still going about
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50 miles an hour after
I got back onto the road.
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So when I got down the road
about a mile or so, I found a
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place that I could pull over and
I took a good look at my car.
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When I saw the damage that was
done to it, my thoughts began to
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to turn away from the car, and
I began thinking about what had
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just happened.
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What was it that I really hit?
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Then my heart started
pounding all over again.
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Then I started to
fear for another reason.
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I was contemplating the
possibility that someone could
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have been walking at
night, and perhaps I hit them.
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When this came across my mind,
I knew that I had to go back
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there immediately and
see what it was that I hit.
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If it was a person, then they
would need help immediately,
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but then again I'd already
lost a lot of critical time
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looking at my car.
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So I went back to the scene of
the accident, and my heart was
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thumping in my chest.
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I was trying to see what
was lying in the front yard.
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And as I'm approaching,
I'm saying, What is it?
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Was it a person or
was it something else?
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It was hard to see in the dark.
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Then as I approached I saw
something, but I didn't quite
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know until I got closer.
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Finally I could see well enough
to determine it wasn't a person.
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It was a demolished mail box!
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This was no ordinary mail
box because it was mounted on a
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steel I-beam, and it had been
cemented into the ground with
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about 120 pounds of cement.
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That's why the impact
was so great against the car.
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I went home that night, and
the next day, after telling my
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parents what had happened, I
went back to that house and I
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knocked on the door.
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I told the owners that it was
I who destroyed their mail box.
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I asked them to forgive me and I
offered to pay for the damages.
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The man of the house said that
he was planning on going out and
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building a new mail box, and
in addition to paying for it,
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I could help
him make it as well.
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You know, admitting that I did
wrong and correcting what I had
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done made me feel good inside.
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Not good that I did it,
but good that I corrected it.
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If I hadn't done that I'd still
be living with the guilt today
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of what I had done.
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And a life of guilt is a life
of regrets, not to mention the
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negative health impact
that guilt brings also.
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In order for confession
to be acceptable unto God,
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one must show repentance
and make decided changes in his,
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or her, life.
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We should seek to purge from
our lives everything which is
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offensive to God.
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Indeed, these will be the
actions of a repentant sinner.
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To seek and correct anything
known to be wrong within
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the character, and to
make amends wherever possible.
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Now Ezekiel
33:15 puts it this way:
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Now isn't that good news?
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Turning once again to the
book, Steps to Christ, page 25,
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we read the following:
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In other words, Eve was
saying to God, Why did you make
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the serpent?
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Why did you allow him
into the garden? as if He were
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responsible for her sin.
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Now I'll tell you what's
truly amazing about confession,
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and it's found in John 1:9 which
says, If we confess our sins
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He is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins,
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and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
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The one thing you can count
on, my friend, is that God says
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what he means, and
He means what He says.
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Let me say it again, God
says if we confess our sins,
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He is faithful and just
to forgive us of our sins,
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and to cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.
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Isn't that a wonderful promise?
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If we confess, He will
forgive and cleanse us.
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That means we don't have to walk
around with the guilt on our
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shoulders anymore.
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We can be free from its burden,
and not worry about it again.
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Amen?
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This brings us back to the
original question that we had
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asked in the
beginning of this program.
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You remember it, don't you?
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We asked, If God
knows everything about us,
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then why do we need to
confess our sins to Him?
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Well, the short answer in
Proverbs 28:13 gives us the
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answer that we're looking for.
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So our confession opens
the door for God's mercy.
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Unconfessed sin becomes
a stumbling block to us.
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It burdens us down, and
it separates us from God.
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And if we don't have God's mercy
then how shall we live with Him?
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Through a confession,
God's mercy is extended to us,
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and we are forgiven.
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The burden of
our guilt is removed.
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Confession is like
medicine to our soul.
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It brings health
and healing of spirit.
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God wants us to confess, not
for His benefit, but for ours.
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He wants us to confess our
sins so we can have forgiveness
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of our past, fellowship with Him
in the present, and everlasting
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life with Him in the future.
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What about you my friend?
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Are there things in your
past which you know you've done
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that, perhaps, you
have not confessed before?
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Is there something that you did
which needs to be set straight?
00:12:40.43\00:12:44.86
Is there some burden
that's been weighing you down?
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Do you feel the guilt constantly
nagging at you, prompting you to
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make amends?
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If you have any of
these thoughts or feelings,
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then I would like to suggest to
you that it's the Holy Spirit of
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God bringing these things
to your memory, giving you the
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opportunity to confess
them, and as best as you can
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make restitution for them.
00:13:08.03\00:13:09.83
God really does have your
best interest on His heart.
00:13:09.86\00:13:12.91
He wants to spend
eternity with you in heaven.
00:13:12.94\00:13:16.27
And while you're here on
this Earth, He wants you to live
00:13:16.30\00:13:19.49
a healthy and happy life.
00:13:19.52\00:13:21.22
God does not want us to
be bound down by the burdens
00:13:21.25\00:13:24.73
which tie us down due
to our unconfessed sin.
00:13:24.76\00:13:27.69
Therefore, as we close this
program, I ask you to pray about
00:13:27.72\00:13:32.91
these things,
and give them to God.
00:13:32.94\00:13:35.21
Your burden will be lifted,
and you'll feel so much better
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about them.
00:13:39.20\00:13:40.17
Follow that still small voice
speaking to your conscience,
00:13:40.18\00:13:45.02
and do the right thing.
00:13:45.05\00:13:46.53
Confess your faults one to
another, and confess your sins
00:13:46.56\00:13:50.70
to God, for only
He can forgive them.
00:13:50.73\00:13:54.23
May God bless you
and your loved ones.
00:13:54.26\00:13:56.79
Growing in your walk
with Jesus is very important,
00:13:58.16\00:14:01.19
so we ask you to read your Bible
every day, and practice what
00:14:01.22\00:14:05.83
you learn on a daily basis.
00:14:05.86\00:14:08.06
Watch Walking With Jesus
again for our next episode,
00:14:08.09\00:14:12.37
The Consecrated Life.
00:14:12.40\00:14:14.38