Coming Clean

“I will assure you that the longer you walk with God, the more you realize how much you need His cleansing power every day in your life.”

I grew up in a small rural village in Spain. As a young boy I loved exploring the local caves with my friends. As we’d climb through dark crevices with the help of a flashlight, we didn’t realize how dirty we had become. But as we made our way toward the brightly lit entrance of the cave, we’d start laughing. We were filthy!

It can be the same with us, spiritually. Some of us have gotten so used to living in the darkness that we think there isn’t anything about us that needs to be changed. But when we draw near to God’s holiness and walk in the light of His glory, we see area after area, sin after sin, that needs to be conformed to His image.

In 1 John 1:7, we read that when we “walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” But when we walk in the darkness, we grow increasingly unaware of our sinful condition. Many people I meet feel like they are okay. They say, “I know I’m not perfect, but I’m a good person.” But verse 8 says: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” The Bible says, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:10). We all desperately need the work of Jesus in our life.

I will assure you that the longer you walk with God, the more you realize how much you need His cleansing power every day in your life. The apostle Paul, after walking with God for some time, exclaimed, “What a wretched man I am!” (Rom. 7:24). Paul knew that deliverance came only through Jesus Christ.

Verse 9 states: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Confession is not just admitting we are sinful, but saying the same things that God does about our sin. We don’t just confess our sin one time, but on an ongoing basis.

Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t mean I do not sin. But I’ve been washed, cleansed, saved by grace. If I sin, I quickly deal with it and walk in fellowship with the Father because more than anything in life I desire a right relationship with God.