Quote:
Originally Posted by greenbear
In a back-slidden state my sins seem vague and undefined like a giant mass of something that can't taken apart and examined. It's a hopeless proposition to try to confess sins in that state. All you can pray is "Lord, forgive me. Lord, help me." A lengthy, carnal walk causes me to doubt my salvation. I know intellectually I'm saved but I sure don't feel saved. It really is a pit that I fall into.
The closer that I am walking with the Lord determines how defined my sins seem to me. Confessing them isn't like beating my chest or groveling on the ground but more like a quiet, yielding response to His still, small voice. Other times, He causes me to trip, or hit my hand on something, or stub my toe, and I just know He caused it to get my attention. At that moment I realize that my mind was nursing some unforgiveness, or judging somebody, etc. He does this when I'm not within earshot of the still small voice! I'm almost always immediately grateful to the Lord when He does this because I always think of this verse when it happens: Hebrews 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
If any of us had to depend upon confessing all of our sins to be saved we would be without hope.
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I know exactly what you mean, sis!! I don't see past sins as well-defined and no matter how I've tried, in the past, to sort through them and define them, in order to confess them, I still felt clueless. That is why I think the Bible gives this Scripture:
Romans 8:26 - "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."
27 - "And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God."
So I don't think we have to beat ourselves over the head and do a WORK of trying to gather up our sins and confess them. But I think, when we are AWARE of sin, and we disregard it and sometimes even knowingly go ahead with it - that needs to be confessed, rather than shoving it under the rug, and being determined not to SEE it. GOD SEES IT... so I do feel that I need to let God know that I did let myself get carried away and fell into sin.
Jassy