Confess Your Sins
“Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (ERV)
Do you have some hidden sin that is blocking your success and prosperity? Concealing sins can prove to be a road block or a hindrance to us. Hidden and unconfessed sin can also cause anxiety and inner turmoil. It can begin to eat away at us.
“When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.” Psalm 32:3 (NLT)
“I am dying from grief; my years are shortened by sadness. Sin has drained my strength; I am wasting away from within.” Psalm 31:10 (NLT)
God knows this and therefore has given us confession as an outlet. Weights can be lifted and refreshing can come when we confess things and come clean. Proverbs 28:13 promises us mercy when we confess our sins and stop doing wrong. Today I’d like to share four observations that I took away from this verse about hiding sins versus confessing them.
Observation #1: Hiding sins blocks success
“Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (ERV)
Don’t hide or try to conceal your sins. You shouldn’t cover them up. Don’t act fake. Don’t act as if you never do anything wrong. Claiming to be without sin is just deceiving yourself and others. Everyone has sinned. So be transparent! Concealing sins blocks success and prosperity.
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10 (NIV)
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23 (NLT)
Observation #2: Confess your sins
“Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (ERV)
Admit your wrongs. Tell God. Tell someone else so that you may receive help, healing and accountability. Confession of sins can bring healing (emotional, physical, etc.) to yourself and to others involved.
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16 (NLT)
It will also lift weights to get them off of your chest. It’s important to get sins into the light so that the darkness can be dispelled. Satan wants to keep them in darkness.
“All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” John 3:20-21 (NLT)
However, keep in mind that all things in darkness and hidden will eventually be revealed anyway!
All things hidden will be revealed…
“For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” Luke 8:17 (NLT)
“The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!” Luke 12:2-3 (NLT)
“But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.” Matthew 10:26 (NLT)
“For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light.” Mark 4:22 (NLT)
“So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time–before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.” 1 Corinthians 4:5 (NLT)
“He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.” Daniel 2:22 (ESV)
“These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:10 (ESV)
Observation #3: It’s not enough just to confess your sins
“Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (ERV)
It’s not enough to just confess your sins. You need to STOP doing them. This is repentance, which means to turn from them. Below are the original Hebrew definitions of the words used in this verse.
“Confess” = “yadah”—to cast, to throw, to shoot (like an arrow)
“stop/forsake” = “azab”—to depart from, to leave behind, to abandon, to let loose, let go of or set free
You are to confess our sins and repent, to send them off as if shooting an arrow NOT a boomerang. You don’t want them back! Set them free and quit holding on to them. Let them go and abandon them so as not to repeat them.
Observation #4: You will receive mercy
“Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (ERV)
There is a promise of mercy if you confess your sins and stop doing them. Times of refreshing may come once your sin is admitted and out of the way. It is better to reveal yourself first than to be found out and corrected. I tell my kids this all the time. The consequences are more severe if we discover it ourselves, thus resulting in less mercy.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” Acts 3:19 (NIV)
Take Some Practical Steps to Confess Your Sins:
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As soon as you’ve done something wrong OR when God reveals something that you need to confess, you need to stop right then and there and confess your sins to God first. Don’t deceive yourself any longer.
“When you become aware of your guilt in any of these ways, you must confess your sin.” Leviticus 5:5 (NLT)
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Then consider another trustworthy, safe person to whom you can confess your sins. This will bring healing to you to admit it out loud to another person who can encourage you.
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16 (NLT)
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)
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Stop trying to save face and hide your wrongdoings. Stop being fearful of what will happen—You are promised mercy when you confess your sins. However, do keep in mind that there may still be some natural consequences even with confession.
“Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” Psalm 32:5 (NLT)
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (ESV)
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” Acts 3:19 (NIV)
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Say a prayer: “Lord, help me to quickly be transparent and make things right. Convict me when I’m trying to hide things. Remind me that hiding sin blocks success.”
How does it help you when you confess your sins? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.
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