Brush-Off

A dental hygienist visited our class when I was in the third grade to stress the importance of proper dental care for healthy teeth and gums. She gave each student a tablet to chew and then passed a mirror around for us to look at our teeth. Some of my teeth had a pink tinge here and there, but many of my classmates’ teeth were red. We knew our teeth needed brushing but didn’t focus on each one to clean them thoroughly.

Do you sometimes pray the way I at times hear myself say, “Lord, forgive me of all my sins,” or “Forgive me where I’ve failed You?” I’m not saying it’s wrong to pray that way or that God won’t forgive you; He will. In the model prayer, Jesus said to pray, “Forgive us our sins.” When we prayed and received Christ as our Savior, we didn’t have to name our sins one by one for Him to forgive us—He forgave all our sins.

We know when we sin and fail God, falling short of His glory; the Holy Spirit lets us know. And if we know we have, we should stop that moment and ask God for forgiveness for that sin or failure. But if we are distracted, neglectful, brush aside or ignore the Holy Spirit’s conviction, and forget God dealt with us about an offense, we can ask Him to remind us of those times. He wants us to remember. God holds us accountable for unconfessed sin—it is ugly and causes decay. He wants our hearts clean of each one without a tinge of residue. There is freedom in confession and repentance, knowing God has thoroughly cleansed and set us free from specific sins that had us bound.