So I said, “Oh, no!
I’m doomed.
Every word that passes through my lips is sinful.
I live among people with sinful lips.
I have seen the king, the Lord of Armies!”
Isaiah 6:5
When you confess, be specific. Don’t just say, “I’m a sinner,” but give details. God doesn’t need your confession to know what you did, but you need to say what you did was a sin, not that you are a sinner—of course you are! But call a spade a spade, as the saying goes, and fess up all of your stuff. When you are in the presence of God, you will know you are a sinful creature, but if you are afraid to look at him and to get to know his Word, then you’ll have a hard time finding any specific sin to confess.
When God brings some kind of sin to your mind, confess it immediately, and then don’t be surprised if he starts to bring more ideas of your mistakes to mind. Don’t freak out—it’s a good thing. It’s like house cleaning: it needs to be done or your house will get overrun with junk. Confession takes a lot of work and honesty, but don’t avoid confession any more than you avoid washing your hair or clothes. It’s easier to ignore your spiritual mess than your physical mess, but you can’t do it any longer. If you don’t have something to confess every day, then you just aren’t looking at yourself. So get real, dig into God’s Word to know what’s right and what’s wrong, and get right today.