What Is a First Step for Making Character Correction?

A proverb of old states, “Confession is good for the soul.” A contemporary equal could be, “Owning up to embarrassing failures and missteps demonstrates strong character.” It is difficult to prevent lapses in character from contributing to failures.

I missed role call only once when I was in the Air Force. My unit Sergeant came to my barracks to make an inquiry. It was obvious I’d overslept, so I spent the next two week-ends painting offices. I made sure my character would never allow me to oversleep again.

Professing ownership, like confessing, is good for the soul, in that each provides freedom from guilt and cover-ups. Acknowledging ownership is a first step toward making corrections for a lapse in character.

Accountability demonstrates faithfulness for facing future temptations. Proverbs 16: 6 assures us, “Through love and faithfulness, sin is atoned for.” You can trust in God’s promises.        

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When you are guilty, you must confess the sin. 

~Leviticus 5:5 Good News Bible  

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. 

~Proverbs 28:13 New International Version  

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How Do We Learn from Past Mistakes?

Have you known someone who refused to take responsibility to do a special task out of fear of making a mistake that they assumed would be unforgivable? Mistakes are a vital component to learning in addition to being a primary source for understanding what to avoid in the future.

Learning from mistakes is linked to accountability, which in turn is connected to maturing throughout life. In the American Civil War of the 1860’s Robert E. Lee, commander of the Southern forces, made a choice that led to his defeat at Gettysburg.

For Lee, it was a lesson too late for learning, but for most people it is not too late to learn from bad choices. 

God promises if you accept accountability, he will give you knowledge and understanding that enable you to change your life’s pathway. Accountability means learning from mistakes, taking responsibility for them, and then applying corrective action to ensure they will not be repeated.  

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Whoever conceals their sins will not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

~Proverbs 28:13 New International Version

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What Can Give You a Clear Conscience?

Stress and anxiety often parallel each other. Can you imagine the stress and anxiety Adam and Eve felt realizing they had triggered God’s disfavor? They immediately went into hiding. Here is the first account of a lapse in judgment and bad choices that resulted in a clash with God’s rules.

Anxiety creates a "fight or flight" reaction. Adam and Eve chose flight by trying to hide from God’s response to their disobedience. Imagine their anxiety and shame as they tried to hide from God. To their credit, they came out to face him, which eventually reduced their stress and fear.

God explained the future for Adam and Eve, and they accepted. All human beings are subject to moral failure by disregarding his boundaries and what is acceptable to him. Yet God comes looking for you and will never fail to find you. God will give you the essentials to help your recovery so you can have a new beginning and a clear conscience.  

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You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.

~Proverbs 28:13 Good News Bible

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When Is a Wrong Choice Not a Mistake?

Children and adults often insist that a wrong choice was just a bad mistake. An honest mistake is usually linked to confusion, limited facts, or leaving home before being mature enough to establish proper boundaries. Mistakes encourage you to evaluate choices since a choice can be tantamount to violating your conscience.

The Prodigal Son made several bad choices that proved costly. Leaving home before being mature enough to establish proper boundaries for himself made it possible for him to lose his inheritance by reckless living and bad choices.

His mistake was trusting friends to stick by him when his money evaporated. God’s mercy and kindness allow for immaturity and mistakes as well as bad choices, but still reality has to be faced. When forced to face reality, the Prodigal Son recognized his failures and repented. God gave him hope for the future and a new beginning.           

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You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up, then God will show mercy to you.

~Proverbs 28:13 Good News Bible

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A Clean Heart and a Renewed Spirit

Deuteronomy 6:5 commands us to love God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind. In order to accomplish this awesome task we, like the Psalmist, must petition God to create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us, for he indeed knows the secrets of our heart. What does it mean to “love God with all your heart”?

Consider putting absolutely nothing before God by giving him your complete trust, respect, devotion and faithfulness. For most of us that requires growth and maturity, plus learning to prioritize where to place our loyalties. If we get bogged down with worldly cares, then God will renew a right spirit within us.

God does not leave us to ourselves in committing our entire being into his care. He provides his unconditional love plus the gift of faith to all who accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We then have peace and security as anchors for life. What a wonderful blessing!                             

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My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

~Psalm 51:17 New International Version

 

Whoever conceals their sins, does not prosper; but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

~Proverbs 28:13 New International Version

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Hidden Briar Patches

 When the problems of life become prolonged and intense, it’s not unusual to wish for a way to escape. Life isn’t always a rose garden but includes briar patches, which prick the skin and create pain. An emotional briar patch filled with anger or hurt feelings is the source for prolonged grief and unhappiness.

The idea of secret keeping alludes to what is beyond exposure because of embarrassment, fear, or shame. Secret sins rooted in evil mean that unconfessed guilt must wait for disclosure and punishment. Yet  some secrets are enjoyed, but nothing can be kept from God no matter how deeply buried they may be.

Listen to Jeremiah 23. "Can anyone hide in a secret place so I cannot see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?" Forgiveness and cleansing are available when you place your life into God’s hands, for he is your place of safety. Entrust your complete self beneath his love and mercy where hope and security are readily available.  

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Nothing is hidden from God! He sees through everything, and we will have to tell him the truth.

~Hebrews 4:13 Contemporary English Version

 

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.

~Proverbs 28:13 Amplified Bible 

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The Costs of Insecurity

Insecurity is one of the most difficult feelings to manage when
activating forgiveness. Insecurity produced by a personal weakness might be attributed to the inability to trust even when conditions appear safe. Another weakness is lack of impulse control, which allows for spontaneous actions before analyzing their consequences. 

The desire to please is so strong in some people, they fail to establish boundaries against being hurt in the future. An unrealistic desire to please could be based on the need to keep life predictable. Whether true forgiveness can take place under these conditions is questionable, but as conflict diminishes, hopefully life returns to a controlled normal.

Feelings of insecurity create suffering; therefore, it’s imperative to examine the source, so forgiveness can take place. While God will not force anyone to be forgiving, he paves the way to make forgiveness a viable choice. Trust God to create situations where forgiveness can move forward as he makes your forgiveness possible.  

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You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you.

~Proverbs 28:13 Good News Bible

Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand, and this peace will control the way you think and feel.

~Philippians 4:4-7 Contemporary English Version 

Crisis and Compromise: Choosing God's Way - Part 1

Middle-aged men and women are subject to having the wind knocked out of their sails just when they should be the happiest and most content with their life's achievements. The twenty year period between ages forty and sixty produce an alarming number of divorces. What do you think could be the reason for this sense of discouragement and alienation?

Researchers refer to the emergence of a crisis of integrity. It's not unusual for a person's integrity, that personal sense of respectability and uprightness, to become fragmented and damaged. The movie Liar Liar was based on a person's agreeing not to tell a lie, even an insignificant, small lie, for twenty-four hours. Have you tried this test of integrity?

White lies and other misrepresentations of oneself diminish integrity; yet there is hope for restoring damaged integrity. The Lord Jesus Christ makes this possible through confession, repentance, and forgiveness. Jesus enables and empowers each person to choose righteousness and faith, which is a decision for healthy, positive change. 

Identity Formation: Who Am I? - Part 2

God created order for all of life to follow. We as humans are first infants, then children, teenagers, and finally go on to adulthood. Adolescence is devoted to establishing an identity that expands for the rest of life. The more correct and true our identity foundation, the better our chances for building long-lasting, intimate relationships.

The more uncertainty about our identity, the more difficult it is to establish solid attachments. Where shallow attachment exists, there is a lack of closeness with another person. Healthy intimacy portrays a mutual balance in giving to and receiving from an intimate other. God's desire for us is to be dependent on him, not only for our identity, but for our belonging  and purpose.

Confessing to God who and what you are is scary, but necessary for changing and strengthening your sense of identity. Confession implies openness and vulnerability. Proverbs 28:13 offers these encouraging words, "Whoever confesses finds mercy." This is my hope and prayer for you.