Rebuilding Our Broken WorldSample

The Cleansing of Confession

By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

In Nehemiah 9, we find the longest prayer recorded in the Bible; it is a prayer of confession that frees us to commit to serve. The prayer begins with the people confessing their own sin and worshipping God. They came humbly before Him, clad in sackcloth and with dust on their heads to symbolize their lowliness before God. The people of Israel understood that it was impossible to receive God’s forgiveness without sincere confession and repentance.

Likewise, we cannot receive salvation until we recognize and acknowledge our hopelessness and lostness apart from Jesus Christ. We must come to the end of ourselves and say, “Lord, You are my only hope. You are the one who paid for my sin on the cross. You are the only one who can help me face the endless eternity.” It is then that we can receive the salvation of Jesus Christ. Only a truly broken spirit can receive strength from the Lord.

As you pray, you can follow the model of the prayer of Nehemiah 9:

1. Acknowledge your personal responsibility for sin.
2. Acknowledge God’s justice.
3. Ask God for forgiveness in the name of Jesus.
4. Cling to God’s promise of forgiveness.

Unconfessed sin haunts us. It robs us of sleep. It robs us of our relationship with God. If you are staggering under a weight of guilt and sin right now, turn to the Lord, confess your sins to Him, repent, and receive His cleansing shower of grace and forgiveness. When you go to the Lord in humility, confessing your sin and need for Him, He will grant you His very self. He never withholds His forgiveness to those that sincerely call on His name and believe in His power to redeem and restore through Jesus Christ. We have His Word on it again and again: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9; see also Jeremiah 31:34, Psalm 103:11-12, and Isaiah 1:18).

So go to Him on your knees and pray the prayer of confession and repentance. Then accept the freedom of His forgiveness and commit to live boldly, confidently, and joyfully for Him.

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your unfathomable grace. It is truly astounding. Forgive me for the times I have turned away from You in my pride, forgetting that I am the clay and You are the potter. Purify me according to Your will. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34).

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This devotional material is taken from Dr. Michael Youssef’s book God, Help Me Rebuild My Broken World. Drawing principles from Nehemiah’s servant-leadership as Israel rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, an event chronicled in the book of Nehemiah, Dr. Youssef reveals our own calling to be leaders ready to spend significant time in God’s presence so that we can together rebuild our broken lives, communities, and culture.

For more information and resources from Leading The Way, please visit www.ltw.org.