Foundations of Faith: What Does It Mean to Be a Christian?Sample

Creating a Clean Heart

As you walk through your faith journey, you will struggle with different sins in different seasons. Sometimes a sin you’ve confessed and repented of can creep back into your life, and you need to confess and turn away from it again.

Jesus is constantly growing and changing you to make you more like Him. He has set you apart for a special purpose, and He will help mold you until He takes you home to heaven.

If you’re living with unconfessed and unrepented sin, you are missing out on some of God’s great blessings and purpose for your life. It doesn’t mean that you aren’t His child anymore, but He has really good things for His children, and when you are actively turning away from your sin and seeking His way, you will reap those rewards whether here on Earth or in Heaven!

As you begin to read Scripture more, you will find that many heroes of the faith, who loved and followed hard after God, also fell short time and time again due to their sinful nature. Never let your tendency to sin convince you that God cannot forgive you and redirect your path for His glory.

Use King David’s prayer from Psalm 51:10 as part of your prayer when you go to the Lord in confession:

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

There is no perfect way to confess your sins; rather, communicate with God as you would with a friend. If you’re unsure how to start, use this example below to help shape your time with the Lord.

1. Humbly come before God in prayer and tell Him about the sin you’re struggling with in your life.
2. Express how sorry you are for committing this sin (whether it’s a one-time thing or you’re a repeat offender).
3. Acknowledge that His way is right and that your way doesn’t honor Him and is offensive to Him.
4. Ask God to help you stop this sin.
5. Ask God to give you the strength to stop and to remove yourself from the temptation to sin.
6. Ask God to help you understand how to build boundaries to protect yourself.
7. And ultimately, ask God for His forgiveness.

God always forgives! Confession is the right thing to do, and it allows you to grow closer to God and receive the great blessings and purpose He has for your life!