Integrity Begins with Confession
By Rick Warren
“There’s not one totally good person on earth, Not one who is truly pure and sinless” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 The Message).
God wants you to agree with him about your sin. He’s not asking you to agree so you’ll feel bad; his purpose is to free you from your sin and guilt so that you can live a life of integrity.
Stepping into a life of godliness starts with confession. Augustine is credited with saying, “The confession of bad works is the beginning of good works."
What is confession? It’s agreeing with God that we’ve failed to live according to his standards, that we’ve ignored his commands, that we’ve broken our promises to him.
When you start thinking about your failures, it’s easy to criticize yourself and think you’ll never be able to get things right. You’re not alone in that feeling. We all fail at times, even when we’re trying to live with integrity.
The Bible says, “There’s not one totally good person on earth, Not one who is truly pure and sinless” (Ecclesiastes 7:20 The Message).
God is not surprised by your sin. He knows all about it, yet there’s nothing you can do that will make him love you less. And so confess. Don’t hide your sin. Don’t excuse it. Confess it.
Instead of condemnation, God gives us grace. It’s why Jesus came to die on the cross for us. When we place our trust in Jesus, he is faithful to give us forgiveness.
First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right” (NCV).
Confession is the first step into a life of integrity. Why not take that step today?
Perhaps you need to take one other step: Trusting Jesus to present you clean before God and giving him control of your life—including the decision you make about integrity.
If that’s what you want to do, then here’s a prayer you can follow: “God, I’ve blown it. I know you’ve created me to live a life of integrity, but I’ve not been doing that. I’ve lied. I’ve cheated. I’ve acted one way to hide what I’ve actually been doing.
“I’m sorry, and I confess my sin. You promise that if I confess my sin and place my trust in Jesus as my Savior, I will be saved. I trust you when you say that forgiveness and salvation come by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. Jesus, today I’m turning over every part of my life to your management. Teach me how to live my life, and help me be a person of integrity.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at [email protected] and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free material to help you as you begin your journey with Jesus.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Be Encouraged Each Day to Live Out God’s Purposes
As thanks for your gift below to help share the gospel with more people around the world through Daily Hope, we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s new book, Daily Hope Devotional: 365 Days of Purpose, Peace, and Promise.
Each devotional starts out with a Bible verse, followed by teaching that explains God’s Word and shows you how to apply it daily so you can face any challenge and live the life you were created to live.
As a special bonus when you give, we’ll also send you What's Driving Your Life?: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start. Featuring 10 hand-picked devotions from Pastor Rick’s new book, they’ll guide anyone feeling stressed, worried, or discouraged toward seeking God for a fresh start.
Request your copy below when you give—and take the first step towards a year of real purpose, lasting peace, and unfailing promises.
Thank you for your partnership!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
