When we’ve done something wrong, or even many things wrong, we can begin to think that we’ve made too many mistakes for God to ever want us to do kingdom work for Him. We might think there’s no point in confessing to Him. But actually, it makes a massive difference. When we choose to tell Him, we can experience freedom from the guilt we’ve kept bottled up. The psalmist wrote: ‘When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away…My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat…Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt…And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone’ (Psalm 32:3-5 NLT). When we confess, then ask for and accept God’s forgiveness, we’re taking responsibility for our actions while acknowledging that He’s greater than us, and far greater than our sins. It releases us from the prison of guilt and regret that we’ve built up around ourselves, cleanses us and restores our relationship with Him. God can use all our experiences for His purpose, even if those experiences are bad ones. In Psalm 51, after King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, he cried out to God, begging for forgiveness and asking God to purify Him. Then in verse 13, he says: ‘I will teach your ways to those who do wrong, and sinners will turn back to you’ (NCV). Think about it – who would be better placed to reach sinners and tell them about God than someone who’s also done wrong and then gone on to experience God’s grace and forgiveness? So when we’ve done wrong, first we need to confess to God, accept His forgiveness, and then ask Him how we can turn our mistake into something positive for His kingdom.

What now?

Spend some time researching people in the Bible who made mistakes. Have a read of their confessions and the words they use to describe God’s forgiveness and cleansing power. How did God go on to use them?