He who cover his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. Proverbs 28:13 NLT
He who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his sins will obtain mercy. AMPC
You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it. You find mercy by admitting and leaving them. MSG
In Proverbs 28 verse 13 we have a comparison of two different types of people. People who act differently, which leads to two different results. The fact is when we make various choices the results will vary. If we continue to do the same thing without heeding instruction or warning, no one can take us off the path of destruction except ourselves— by changing our choices.
The writer of Proverbs 28, tells us about an individual who covers his transgression, this person will not prosper. Let’s give this person a random name, “Aee”. Aee covers her transgressions, she will not prosper. ( I really hope that Aee isn’t someone’s real name. I don’t want to make this type of declaration over anyone’s life). What exactly is Aee doing? In Hebrew the word covers is kasah, to conceal, to make passive, to cloth, and secrecy. Aee is hiding her transgression, not acknowledging the full weight of her actions or in-action. She is choosing to brush past her transgression as if it holds no consequence. Aee sees her transgression with a level of comfort because she uses it to cloth herself— to cover herself from everyone else. No one knows about it and because of that Aee never has to acknowledge that she’s living in a lifestyle of destruction.
My mind immediately began to think about Adam and Eve. Before Adam and Eve sinned they were naked but unaware. When Adam and Eve sinned their eyes were open and they saw their nakedness. Immediately, they clothed themselves.. Remember, their entire time in the garden they were naked but it wasn’t until after they sinned they saw the need to “ cloth and cover” themselves. When God asked them where they were they said “I heard you walking and I was afraid because I was naked so I hid myself (Gen 3:7-11).” Before and Adam and Eve heard God walking, they used fig leaves to make aprons. Yet when they heard God they still hid. They told Him they hid because they were naked. But they weren’t naked because they had on the aprons they made… Adam and Eve tried within their own capacity to cover themselves but that’s the thing about sin… eventually it must come to light. We can only do so much. It is not hidden from God. Adam and Eve hid because they tried to conceal their sin… but the fact they knew they were naked could not be concealed. When we know we have sinned and we conceal it we are in doing the opposite of what God wants – nakedness, openness.
We have another individual, “Si”. Si confesses and forsakes her transgression. Let’s look at what Si does. In Hebrew the word confesses is yada to throw out, cast, and shoot. The word forsakes is azab to loose, forsake, leave, leave safely, having nothing to do with, abandon, loosen, relinquish and refuse. Si is doing what is pleasing to the Lord. Si is not allowing her transgressions to keep her from God. Si’s response to sin is what God desires from us, His children. Si recognizes that her sins are not beneficial for her, she chooses to throw it out there. Si is airing it out or putting it in the open. She casts and shoots it out, so it has no control over her. Si looses herself of the transgression because she knows that there is life in confession and she has the power to forsake sin. There is life in turning her back to a lifestyle of sin. Si leaves the transgression but she not only leaves , she leaves it safely. No strings attached, no residue of the past destruction. She leaves it in one piece. By leaving sin she moves toward wholeness, because she is whole in Christ. Si relinquishes the control it had over her, abandoning it for a greater choice. Si refuses that transgression.
Both Aee and Si transgressed. Both were in rebellion. But it was their action that led to the two contrasting results. According to the Word, the Aees of the world will not prosper but the people like Si will obtain mercy.
The truth is when we cover sin we cannot obtain mercy. God wants us to confess our sins so that He can cover us with His mercy and His love. By covering sin we are inadvertently saying “God I don’t need mercy”. But my love we all need mercy. God is willing and able to give that plus so much more to us. God makes it available to those who recognize their need for it. He has His arms open, ready to receive us. God wants us to be in His presence naked, unconcealed so that He may cover us. Some of us are yearning for a deeper intimacy with God but we have concealed sins creating a distance… God is kind because He convicts and corrects us privately but we have a responsibility to heed the conviction and correction privately.
‘ Clothe yourselves therefore, as God’s own chosen ones (His own picked representatives), [who are] purified and holy and well-beloved [by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by] tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper].’ Colossians 3:12 AMP
I am not sure why I’ve taken this path in sharing this scripture but WE CANNOT BE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST WITH UNCONFESSED AND UNFORSAKEN SINS IN OUR LIFE.
I truly believe that God’s grace is sufficient to strengthen us to confess and gives us the power to forsake sin. Repentance should be a daily practice for all of us who are children of God. Repentance that begins with evaluating ourselves according to the word of God. When we are convicted we are quick to seek forgiveness, turn away from the sin ( ask God for help, utilize the word, seek accountability) and TURN BACK TO GOD. I was always good with the other stuff but it was difficult for me to turn back to God.
Confession time… I’ve found that I struggle with this… I would commit a sin, and be convicted. I would repent but I would subconsciously push myself away from God. Even though I knew God forgave me I would feel disappointment because of my sin. I think that’s what prevents a lot of us from confessing and forsaking… shame… But I’ll tell you like I tell myself.. Nothing is hidden from God.. Yet His love towards you hasn’t changed.
One Sunday, I was in church and randomly I began thinking something negative about another young lady. I heard the Holy Spirit in that moment say “ that there is grave thinking”. He began to explain to me that when we walk/think in darkness we return to the grave. A place where we don’t belong. A place where we were separated from God. In that moment, God still loved me( His correction was sign of that), but my thinking was contrary to God’s word to love others and to think more highly of them than myself. I repented and have been practicing praying for her and declaring that she is loved by God.
‘The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. ‘ Romans 8:11-12 NLT
It’s not enough to ask for forgiveness and turn away from sin. We have to turn back to God. In His arms we won’t feel condemned or forgotten(some of the lies the enemy whispers in our ears when we sin).
When I first wrote down this scripture in my book I wrote “ He who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes his will obtain mercy”. When I re-read my notes, I thought I made a mistake, but I realized I didn’t. I looked up sin in Hebrew and it means rebellion. Rebellion in essence is choosing your will over anything else. The mindset is “ I don’t care what they say, THIS IS WHAT I WANT, so that’s what I am going to do”. When we sin/transgress we are in rebellion to God’s will and in obedience to our own.
I mentioned earlier that Adam and Eve were naked the entire time in the Garden but they didn’t feel shame about it until after they sinned. In the Garden there was no shame, because Adam and Eve were covered by God. After sin they gave up that covering. In Genesis 3: 21 AMP The Lord God made tunics of [animal] skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them. This is the first time blood is shed in the garden. God shed the blood of the animal to make covering for Adam and Eve to cloth them. Doesn’t this sound like foreshadowing… The blood of Jesus was shed so that we may be clothed in Jesus Christ Himself! Covered in and by Him.
Galatians 3: 27 AMPC states For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ.
The only thing we should be clothed with is Jesus. This type of covering does not hide us, make us passive or cause us to walk in sin.
Romans 13: 14 AMPC But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts).
If we are like Aee and cloth ourselves in our sins, how can we be clothed in Jesus? The blood of Jesus wasn’t shed so we can cling to the comforts of sin. It was shed to create a relationship where we can be naked before God without shame, because we know that when we CONFESS and FORSAKE we are forgiven. There’s no need to hide because Jesus has us covered. The blood of Jesus was shed so that we would no longer live according to the desires of our flesh.
I say this in the most genuine way I know how: I have been asking God to change my outlook on sin. To help me to hate sin the way He does. After reading this I felt some internal pressure about whether or not I should post it. To some it might seem harsh, but it is the Word. We have to see sin the same way God does. SIN IS SIN and He hates it. He hates lying, cursing, engaging in homosexuality, gossip, murder, rape, unforgiveness, bitterness, malice, fornicate, commit adultery, steal, hating people, using our words/thoughts to tear each other down, etc( these are just examples-we tend to put degrees on the types of sins-but all sin when not confessed, forgiven and forsaken leads to death). He hates sin because of what it does to our relationship with Him. When we make a mistake and sin and we repent, He forgives us and gives us opportunity to stand firm when temptations come against us. The temptation is not sin, but when we yield to the temptation we have yielded to satan. God empowers us with His Word, His Spirit, His power so that we can stand in the evil days. So that we may never compromise, so that we will know that He does indeed love us. He loves all of us, but the question is who amongst us loves Him back? We have to respond to God’s love. It’s not okay to say “ God loves me, so I can keep on sinning”… God’s love should motivate us to say “ God I know you love me, help me to respond to your love through obedience, by getting to know you better, by talking to you. and listening to you”. All of things we do, pray, worship, read, study, love othersm fellowship, give, and serve is a response to God’s love. Not to earn it but a way of saying ‘ I love you too God, thank you.” At church on Sunday, one of our worship Pastors said God is after the worshipper not the worship. God desires a people that CHOOSES Him. A people that makes a decision to serve Him and does it faithfully. How can we say we are children of God if we are riddled by sin or captive to it. Yes, no one is perfect. Yes, we all fall short. But remember it’s what happens next that determines whether you will obtain mercy or not prosper. God is light, what communion can light have with darkness? How can God cover us with Himself if we are already covered by darkness. This is a message to those of us who profess to be children of God. The world is full of sin but we are to be full of light! I pray we take some time and truly ask God “ what am I covered by? and where have I allowed sin to rest in my life?
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].’1 John 1:9
With the Love of Christ