Step Six in Crisis: Humbly Confess Your Sin to God
By Rick Warren
“We have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land” (Daniel 9:5-6 NLT).
In the last few days we’ve looked at how to pray during a crisis. Daniel shows us six key principles during his prayer in Daniel 9. The first five of these principles are:
● Let God speak to us before we speak to him.
● Focus our attention on God and seek him.
● Express our desires with passion.
● Demonstrate our seriousness.
● Thank God for his love and promises.
Finally, we need to humbly confess our sin.
God won’t listen to prideful complaining, but he will listen to humble confessing. God responds to humility.
God already knows every foolish thing you’ve ever done in your life, but he still wants you to confess your sin.
How does God respond when you humbly admit you blew it? He responds with forgiveness, mercy, and grace.
Confessing simply means agreeing with God about your sin. You tell God he is right. What you did was sin. You don’t make excuses. You don’t call it a mistake. You admit that you were wrong.
Get specific with your confession like Daniel did in Daniel 9:5-6:“We have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land” (NLT).
Daniel didn’t end here either. His confession went on for another 10 verses as he painstakingly described his sin.
He agreed with God that the Israelites had:
● Brought disgrace and shame on themselves.
● Been unfaithful to God.
● Paid no attention to what the Lord had told them.
● Been oblivious to God’s warnings.
That’s specific.
Daniel’s prayer helps us understand how our unconfessed sin creates distance between God and us — and it’s a powerful reminder of how God answers our prayers as we agree with him about our sin. Always remember, God is for us, not against us.
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Talk It Over
Why do we often struggle to be honest with God about our sin?
How have you seen others undermine their faith by refusing to admit their sin?
If you haven’t done this already today, how can you make time to talk to God and confess your sins to him?
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This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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