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CONFESSION OF SIN IN THE LIFE OF THE DISCIPLE OF JESUS — Part 2 “Jesus said to him (Peter), ‘He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.’ For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, ‘You are not all clean’” (John 13:10-11). It is impossible to live a “spirit empowered life” without a consistent pattern of “having our feet washed” through a daily confession and repentance of sin. On the other hand, the failure to practice a regular time of “having your feet washed” by the Lord and Savior will completely block the flow to answered prayer. The Psalmist wrote, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” How could the Holy Lord God choose to hear me if I am clinging to some selfish and sinful way? Friend, nothing hamstrings your prayer-life like a pet sin or darling lust that is being harbored, and not confessed and forsaken. May I further add, “any follower of Jesus, who is not heeding the Lord’s call to have his feet washed (in confession and repentance), is instead choosing to listen to the deceptive voice of his avowed enemy.” Tragically, many rush through a time of confession to get to their personal petitions. When the need to give significant time to the Lord to search our attitudes, affections, actions, reactions, and words first needs to be addressed. Dear believer, you will not walk in the fullness of the Spirit while neglecting to have your feet thoroughly washed by your Advocate. I have had the joy of proclaiming the Word of God (on multiple occasions) in Romania. It is very interesting to note that born-again believers are not always called “Christians” in that country. They are labeled as “repenters”. This is a term of derision, which is employed by the Orthodox religion (an enemy of the true Gospel). Although these Romanian disciples wear the name “repenter” with joy and thankfulness. Likewise, every born-again follower of Jesus should be known as a repenter! It is not only that I repented in 1980; I am a recurring repenter! So, like every believer, we must continue to place our feet in the holy hands of our blessed Lord and Savior and walk on a pathway of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. One will not be carried along down the pathway of obedience to the will of the Spirit of God without repetitively having one's feet washed in confession and repentance. Moreover, you will not be carried along down the pathway of triumphant effectiveness in prayer without having your feet washed by the Lord Jesus Christ. In Proverbs, the book of godly wisdom, we are warned with these instructions: “He who COVERS his sin will not prosper. But whoever CONFESSES and FORSAKES them, will have mercy.” Take note that in the first half of the above verse, you find an individual attempting to conceal their sins. Of course, this is not only worthless before an omniscient Lord, but it is also markedly wicked. Thankfully, in the second half of the verse, we find the results of having one's feet washed by the Great High Priest! As a direct result of confession and forsaking of sin, God is cleansing those sins, which is gracious and glorious. But it is our responsibility to have our feet washed, in confessing and forsaking those sins. These two must go together. Confession must be honestly made to the Lord Himself, which includes a personal acknowledgment of the wrong; a realistic sense of the evil of that sin, a transparent abhorrence of it, and then a practical turning away from it. Observe the words: “He who COVERS.” There are many ways and methods sinners attempt to cover their own sins. Some attempt to deny that they have sinned at all. Others attempt to exonerate themselves by blaming their sin on their particular circumstances or on others. Others simply excuse their sin by claiming that it is only natural for them to have attempted to satisfy their passions and propensities. The “coverers of sin” impugn the moral law of God for the purpose of attempting to vindicate themselves. In doing so, they are actually blaming God's law for their law-breaking. This self-deception is equivalent to a prisoner blaming the Judge for his crimes. This is nothing less than treason against God. Oh, but those who confess their sins and forsake them in genuine repentance soon enjoy the precious peace of a clean conscience before God. Only God can lawfully cover those sins because of the Person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.