Sin and Prayer

A three-year-old’s innocent prayer “I thank Thee, Lord, for all my sins!” was quickly corrected, yet her mistake mirrors the attitude of many adults who seem strangely content with their sins and deeply burdened by their duties. While Scripture calls us to confess our sins, most people prefer vague generalities: they will admit to being “a sinner,” but never to specific failures like stinginess toward God, harshness toward family, dishonesty, or cherished “darling lusts.” Yet God transforms only what we honestly name before Him. One redeemed man prayed with gratitude that God had “tripped me up, laid me out, and stomped me down in my sin, and then made me a new man in Jesus.” We must stop treasuring our sins and start confessing them specifically if we expect victory over them. The question is unavoidable: how many sins have you named and how many remain unconfessed?