Five Habits of a Cleaned-Up Sinner – Habit #1: ’Fess Up!

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me” Psalm 51:3

I used to occupy my free time by refinishing used furniture. It wasn’t a hobby. It was a necessity! Early in our marriage, Martie and I searched through antique shops and used furniture stores to find affordable things that would be useable if we fixed them up. (Or, to be more specific . . . if I would fix them up!) I soon learned that refinishing furniture is not a quick, one-step deal but rather a time-consuming process of stripping layer after layer off until the beauty of the wood began to show through.

Refinishing furniture is not unlike God’s cleansing work in our lives. Given our bent toward sin, it doesn’t take long to build up layers of grit and grime that tarnish the reality of His glorious presence in our lives. The sooner we come to grips with the problem of our sin, the sooner we are ready for God’s refinishing touch.

And coming to grips with our sin is an important matter. God hates sin. He doesn’t wink at it, overlook it, or excuse it. And, He doesn’t play favorites. But the good news is that He is a God of mercy who delights in refinishing projects like you and me so that the beauty of His presence can be revealed.

Psalm 51 paints a vivid picture of the process of restoration. David, after deeply offending God with his sin, cries out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions” (v. 1 ESV). Then, beginning in verse three, David takes us through a five-step process that leads to the joy of a pure heart under the restoring mercy of God.

Confession is the first and most vital step in getting the process started. In short, if you want freedom from the grime of your sin, then it’s time to ’fess up! To admit, like David: “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (Psalm 51:3). The Hebrew word for “know” indicates far more than an intellectual exercise. It involves brokenness from experiencing the ramifications of sin. We probably don’t need David to tell us that living with known sin is a haunting reality. When sin is unconfessed, we are haunted by the fear of getting caught and the loss of the joy of a clear conscience. This is why David admits, “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” (Psalm 32:3-4).

After trying to manage his sin in a massive cover-up plot, David finally broke. Why? Because he was confronted with the word of God through the prophet Nathan. God’s Word consistently confronts us with the reality and ramifications of our sin and begins the process of bringing us back to Him. There’s an old saying that’s so true, “Sin will keep you from this Book, or this Book will keep you from sin.” It wasn’t until David encountered the word of God’s reproof through the prophet Nathan that he finally confessed: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13).

We all know the sin that we harbor deep inside. And, we all need some R&R—that is, to experience the restoring and refinishing touch that only God’s grace can bring. There is a special blessedness that is only found in God’s cleansing, and only confession will turn the tide on your sin!

YOUR JOURNEY…

• If you are unfamiliar with the story of David’s sin, read 2 Samuel 11–12. Then, read his heartfelt expressions of the experience of restoration in Psalms 32 and 51. As you read through these texts, write down any parallels in your own life in the way you have tried to deal with your sin.
• What makes confession difficult for you?
• Take some time to personally consider the statement, “Sin will keep you from this Book, or this Book will keep you from sin.” How has that proven true in your life, for better or worse?
• Start the process of restoration! Having been confronted with the Word of God today, is there something He is prompting you to confess? Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for part two of "Five Habits of a Cleaned-Up Sinner"!