Confession Is Good For The Soul

“I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” (Psalm 32:5)


They say confession is good for the soul. I think it is probably good for the spirit, soul and body. A guilty conscience can affect your whole life. In Psalm 51:17, David was encouraging us to come to the Father with a humble and contrite heart because this He will not despise. David had a lot of problems with deliberate sins such as adultery and murder, but he was quick to come back to God and confess his sins and God was just as quick to forgive his sins because He knew David’s heart and He knew he was humble and contrite.

To recognize our sins and confess them (agree with God), is to receive forgiveness and cleansing from all of our sins (I Jn.1:9). We confess that we have rebelled against God and His principles and have crossed the righteous boundaries God has set up, over into sin territory, and call the sin/s by name. In our text verse David was saying he would confess his transgressions (sins) to the Lord. David wanted clean hands and a pure heart. He was willing to humble himself to gain forgiveness and a relationship with the living God.

Like Adam and Eve in the garden after they had sinned, when we don’t confess our sins, we end up trying to hide from God. The guilt from our sin will cause us to think if we hide our sin no one will ever know. Guilt can make us fearful (even paranoid), make us have an angry spirit, and cause us to have much depression. All these symptoms can destroy relationships, jobs, dreams, homes and even lives. That is why confessing our sins to God is good for the spirit, soul and body.

That is why Jesus went to the cross – to take away our sin, and the guilt that accompanies it. Only after we confess our sin and accept God’s forgiveness and cleansing can we have peace, joy and a real life, all because the burden of guilt has been forgiven and we have been given a new pure heart.

Cleanse Me
Edwin Orr (Based on Psalm 139:23)

Search me, O God, and know my heart today. Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray.
See if there be some wicked way in me. Cleanse me from every sin and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin. Fulfill Your Word and made me pure within.
Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame. Grant my desire to magnify Your name.

Lord, take my life and make it wholly Thine. Fill my poor heart with Your great love divine.
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride. I now surrender, Lord – in me abide.