Dear COA Family,
How do we recover from a fall? By this I do not mean a physical fall but a spiritual stumble into sin.
All of us are weak and liable to succumb to temptations. While we know that the Lord is faithful and has restricted the scale of our testing and provided a way out for us (1 Corinthians 10:13), we also know that we are not perfect and fall into sin. This is why the Scriptures tells us: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9.
So how do we go about confessing our sins and recover from a fall?
1. We do so first with remorse. We must have a deep sense of grief over our sins as we consider how much we have hurt God and have taken him for granted. Our right emotions over our sinfulness will help us recover from our wrongdoings. 1 Corinthians 7:10 affirms this: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
2. We must not hold anything back nor give any excuses. We should not say like Adam did: “Yes Lord, I ate of the fruit… but the woman you gave me made me do it!” The truth is that we sin of our own will, according to our own depraved intentions and choices. King David declared in Psalm 32:5: “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.” Forgiveness and healing come about when we are honest before God.
3. We must humble ourselves to ask for God’s forgiveness. It is the Lord alone who can forgive sins and it is upon his mercy and grace towards us in Christ Jesus that we depend. As we ask of God for forgiveness like King David (Psalm 51:7): “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow,” he hears us and washes us of our sins.
Why am I sharing this with you all? It is because we all do fall into sin, but we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He prays for us and desires us to come back to the Father.
May we walk in constant and immediate confession of our sins whenever we sin, so that we can keep in close communion with God and receive his grace!
Revd Ian