Romans 14:11

It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' "

For the penitent sinner, confession is a cleansing of the heart and mind.

In prayer, confession is an act of willingly making ourselves transparent before God.

To confess is to verbally acknowledge our own weaknesses and our dependence upon the power and forgiveness of God.

Psalm 70:5 --Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.

Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places."

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

1 John 1:8-9 -- If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness

Romans 3:10 – There is no one righteous, not even one…

Psalm 25:11 -- For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Psalm 38:18 -- I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin

James 4:8 -- Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

For God’s Patience and Mercy

Psalm 86:3 -- Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.

He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

2 Peter 3:9 -- The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Romans 2:4 -- Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

One of the reasons we don't confess our sins completely to God, is

because a tremendous amount of pain is involved in true confession.

It's painful to confess when we recognize our responsibility to change that which we have told

God we're doing

-- Bob Stone