Why am I such a judgmental jerk? I recently asked God this question while in prayer and, just as promised in His Word (Luke 11:9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you), He answered me. I am going to share His answer with you.

Once saved, believers in Christ Jesus are given the amazing opportunity to come to know the almighty God of the Universe (wow, right?). We are blessed with the Bible, filled with His thoughts and commands as well as stories of those who have walked before us, including the life and teachings of the God-man, Jesus Christ. On top of that, we are then blessed with a Pastor who teaches the Word and “shepherds” us, providing much needed spiritual guidance. As we faithfully read our Bibles, hear God’s Word taught by our Pastor, and our relationship with God develops, we come to see just how perfect He is and how utterly wretched we are.

Deuteronomy 32:4 The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.

Romans 7:18-19; 24 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

With that in mind, the North Christian Church pulpit messages of late have been wonderful reminders about the importance of continually confessing our sins. Merriam-Webster defines “confess” as, to tell or make known, admit, declare faith in or adherence to, to acknowledge, to disclose. So, we must admit our sins to God, acknowledging our disobedience, and declare our faith in His forgiveness. Neglecting to confess your sin is to stymie your relationship with Him and reap the results of ignoring and harboring that sin. King David described the lack of peace from, as well as the physical manifestation of, unconfessed sin.

Psalm 32:1-4 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

So, what does all of this have to do with my sinful tendency towards judging others? God revealed to me that I was living in self-condemnation, suffering due to my own personal sins. The only “reprieve” from my misery came when I focused on the “wrongs” of others, as it served to take the focus off of me, even if just for a moment. But, wait a minute…didn’t I just cite verses about the importance of confession as well as the blessing of forgiveness? Why was I living in self-condemnation? Did I not confess these sins that were weighing on my conscience? I did, but, as Pastor mentioned in a recent message, confession is only the first step. For example- let’s say your friend punches you in the face and then agrees with you that it was wrong, that’s great; however, until there is an expression of both remorse and intent to never repeat the offense, intimate fellowship will be hindered. Confession is merely words of acknowledgement without a repentant heart.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

When you love the Lord, you want to please Him. This can only be accomplished when we, by faith (Hebrews 11:6), obey His commands. When we disobey His commands, we feel sorrow for offending both Him as well as our own God-given conscience. This pain is designed to serve as motivation for repentance and avoidance of that sin in the future.

Job 42:6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

We must learn God’s Word so we understand His expectations for us. We must be in constant prayer with Him so He may guide our thoughts and actions throughout every day. We must confess the evil thoughts and actions with a repentant heart, one that longs for sanctification and unity with both Him and His Body. We must expect that when we either fail to confess our sins or confess them without repentance, we will suffer mentally, emotionally, and/or even physically. We must never forget that He ordains all of this for His glorification as well as for our sanctification.

God loves His children but He hates evil. He will not ignore it and we should not want Him to; if He did, He would not be the perfect and just God described in Deuteronomy 32:4.

So, I have learned, from experience, that the omission of repentance from confession only serves to compound the sin and misery in life, and I am so very grateful for this truth; since it is by this pain and suffering that we are led to repentance and humble obedience. Even our prototype, the perfect One, Jesus Christ learned obedience through His sufferings.

Hebrews 5:8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.

Read your Bible. Pray. Confess. Repent. Rejoice.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

In Him,

Monica