When we recognize we have sinned,

First we ask God to forgive us.

Then we repent of the sin we recognize,  first to God, to ourselves and then to others.

Next we overcome the flesh so we  don't go  back to our old behavior.

This requires renewing our mind to the Mind of Christ…

Repentance is different from asking God to forgive us. 

But both are necessary to overcome sin. 

Even without temptation to sin again, there will always be the flesh

 that wants to do things our way verses God’S way.

All the above are conditional and are preceded with the word if, 

which mean it requires a choice, if we decide to or not.

This is saying the outcome we experience,

 after the revelation received that we have sinned, is entirely up to us

 as to what we do next.

 There are basic sins we recognize without needing God to reveal them, 

we just know we have sinned because the Holy Spirit convicts us we have.

Then there are sins that we don’t recognize so easily. 

 This is another level entirely. 

God says, “What is not of faith is sin.” 

This means God wants us to trust Him completely 

and put all our faith in who He is…

not faith in our circumstances but 

faith in the One who is in control of everything.

There is a consequence of obedience (life more abundantly) 

and a consequence of disobedience

 (an abatement of the blessing God would have you receive).

Confessing our sins first requires acknowledging we have opposed God. 

Taking responsibility should be the result of our recognition.

We cannot repent till we recognize where and how we sinned, where our faith has been in something other than God. Once we understand, we can choose to do something about what we have participated with based in what God has shown us.

To repent means to change your mind and agree with God about what you did by putting actions to what we say we believe. 

When we agree only in our mind, our repentance is not complete until there is a fruit of repentance which reveals we have actually changed from our former way of thinking and behavior to agree now with God in that we no longer participate with the sin.

So many times we often use the words, I repent

 like a mantra where we say the words I repent over and over again,

 and then go on and continue as before never changing our behavior.

I think there comes a place and a time in our life

 where God wants to see if we will obey Him without

 our feelings lining up with anything in the natural.

 Our feelings often represent our flesh nature 

when we make our own decisions without consulting God

about what He had in mind.

It’s a place of warfare because the enemy is using everything

 he has in his arsenal regarding feelings to get us to go

 in the opposite way or embrace the opposing desire 

to keep us from pressing forward into GOD.

Until we can obey God and not let our feelings interfere with what we do, 

we can’t go to the next level in our life where God can trust us 

to do what he says no matter what.

I believe this is a place in everyone’s journey with God 

where we have to pass God’s test of not asking ourselves what we think or want to do 

.in regards to what we know God is asking us to do.. we just have to do it.

It’s called overcoming the flesh. 

It is where our will crosses God’s will 

and we cannot fully be used by God at a level that God would like, 

until we die to our own way of doing things 

and embrace God’s way no matter what. 

I think this is the hardest test that any of us will ever have to pass.

There was someone that asked a friend of mine a question. 

This person travels continually, holds conferences, 

has a lot of set up and tear down to make the overall presentation work 

and it is a lot of work. 

 This person does it sometimes 2 and 3 times a month. 

The question asked was how do you keep such a rugged schedule… 

don’t you ever just get tired and not want to do the next event. 

 The person replied, you know, 

I haven’t asked myself in a very long time what I want to do,

 I have trained myself and responded to GOD years ago and told Him,

 I would do what He asked me do do…

I really am not entitled to my own opinion about what I would like anymore. 

This person simply chose to obey not matter what.

There are no in between steps…

the response is either yes or no. No response at all is still a no.

When we agree with God it will produce a change in behavior. 

 Action follows revelation.

To see we have sinned is to understand what David understood. 

Against You and You only God have I sinned or 

chosen my flesh over Your will.

When I sin I am opposing God.

When I refuse to repent I am opposing myself. 

When I do what I want to versus what God wants me to do, 

it’s a form of self-idolatry and rebellion to God.

Sin is always against God.

The outcome of sin are the results it did to either myself or others.

“If we confess our sins, 

He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 

and to cleanse us from all. unrighteousness." 

1 John 1:9 

 Confessing sin is recognizing, repenting, overcoming the flesh, 

and then GOD will be faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

A lack of asking God for forgiveness and a lack of repentance 

is a block from our being healed by God… .

anything that is hidden (even those things we refuse to deal with), 

or not recognized and confessed produces diseases in our body,

 or our mental state where we are not content 

because we know we are not following God completely and doing His will.

God would have us open up to Him first 

and then even confess our faults to one to another

 where it involves letting go of something that we would rather just not deal with

 or let anyone know about… but rather just leave it on the back burner.

Something we should always remember 

when we confess our sins to others. 

We first need to develop a friendship where we can trust 

one another in a way we can be accountable to each other and God. 

If we are not a safe place for someone to share, 

we can do more damage than good 

by listening to someone speak to us from their heart. 

Sometimes we should only talk to God…

other times God will place people in our lives 

where we have similar situations or past areas 

where knowing someone else has been through 

what we have experienced can give insight 

we may not see on our own. 

 God will use this interchange of information to help heal both people.

Anytime sin is not repented and released to God, 

guilt and shame is usually involved. 

We are not free from the event 

and ever able to freely talk about it or even give a testimony 

regarding what God did in our life to help others, 

if guilt and shame remain. 

The enemy will use secret regrets,

 sin, hurts against us to keep us in bondage's 

called strongholds of the past. 

There is a form of torment that goes with living a life 

n secret even before God (as if we could) and others. 

So many people are ashamed of their past 

they hold onto it but God would have you be free from it and the shame removed.

God says what is hidden will be revealed 

so don’t allow Satan, 

shame and guilt to keep you from being free. 

Confess whatever it is that God would have you let go of 

and God can heal your broken heart 

and any part of your body that is broken as well.

God can fix

anything we let Him have access to recreate.

God says I wish above all things 

that you prosper and be in health 

even as your soul prospers.

FATHER, we thank you 

because You fix us continually. 

Amen

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