Day 3 of 5 from The Power of a Simple Prayer by Max Lucado on YouVersion read by Brian and Andi Hale
Take Your Sins to Christ
When we pray, most of us are able to take our problems to Christ, but what about our sin?
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “The Lord has put on him the punishment for all the
evil we have done” (53:6 NCV). Isaiah did not know the name of God’s sin bearer.
But we do. Jesus Christ. He came to “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26). He “was offered once to bear the sins of many” (v. 28).
If you are in Christ, your sin is gone. It was last seen on the back of your Sin Bearer as he headed out to Death Valley. When Jesus cried on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46 NIV), he entered the wilderness on your behalf. He carried your sin away.
Jesus did his part. Now do yours.
Give God your guilt. Pray the Pocket Prayer. Father, you are good. I need help. Forgive me . . . Tell Jesus what you did. Place your guilt on the back of your Sin Bearer. Give it to Jesus with this request: “Will you take this away?” Do this as often as needed. One time, two times, ten times a day? By all means! Hold nothing back. No sin is too ancient or recent, too evil or insignificant. Be abundant in your confession, and . . .
Be concrete in your confession. Go into as much detail as you can. You’re tempted to say, Lord, forgive me. I am a louse. But that doesn’t work. For one thing you are not a louse; you are God’s chosen child, and he loves you. For another, healing happens when the wound is exposed to the atmosphere of grace.
Exactly what is it that you need forgiveness for? For being a bad person? That is too general. For losing your patience in the business meeting and calling your coworker a creep? There, you can confess that.
Confession, you see, is not a punishment for sin; it is an isolation of sin so it can be exposed and extracted.
Come now, let us settle the matter,
says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
Isaiah 1:18
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
Isaiah 55:7
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
1 Peter 1:18-19
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