1 John 1:9 – But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (NLT)

Philippians 4:13 – For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. (NLT)

I hate it when my clothes or furniture fabrics start to pill from the everyday wear and tear of life. Some materials are really bad for this, and once it begins to occur, the look of the outfit or piece of furniture deteriorates quickly. The pilling can also be uncomfortable against one's skin. Picking each little pill off is not only time-consuming but also impossible to complete. What does work well, however, is a little gadget that looks similar to an electric razor and just eats those offending babies up, leaving the material like new.

Likewise, within our Christian walk, we too can get "pilly" amidst the everyday wear and tear of life. Unconfessed sin can cause our spiritual lives to deteriorate quickly inside and out. Sometimes, we try to overlook our sin by telling ourselves that it isn't really sin. After all, nobody is perfect, and everybody else does it — "it" referring to those easy-to-commit sins like gossip, undisciplined thought, impatience, annoyance, and the like. Surely, God doesn't require us to bother Him with such everyday minor occurrences does He? Well, sin is sin. And sin does have its consequences. In fact, I have found it to be rather habit-forming if I don't stay on top of it. One little tidbit of gossip can quickly lead to another and another, as can a bout of impatience, annoyance, or undisciplined thought. Trying to control these sinful habits is impossible within my own strength. When I humbly confess my weakness to Christ, however, He is not only faithful to forgive my sins, He also offers me His strength to continue to work at overcoming them.

Through Him, I truly can do all things — everything He wants me to do — and so can each one of us!

So, the next time we see or feel our lives have become a little "pilly", let's let Jesus renew and recharge us spiritually with His supernatural power that just loves to eat up confessed sin and strengthen us to move on to ever-increasing Christ-like behaviour.

Prayer: Father God, bless us with insight and honesty when it comes to the true condition of our spiritual lives. Encourage us to be open with You about all aspects of our lives, that we might be quick to see and confess any and all sins. Strengthen us by Your power to continue to move forward in holiness. Thanks be to You, in Christ's name. Amen.

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About the author:

Lynne Phipps <lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com>
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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