He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 28:13

The new system of two-step authentication on websites can be maddening for me at times. I am not a super patient person, and waiting for a text or email to come through to provide me with an authentication code can create quite a bit of frustration for me. But, in a world where pretending to be someone you aren’t is so easy, it has become a necessary evil. I prefer to take the time to prove my identity and avoid the chance that someone might get into my private information, even though it takes longer.

Proverbs 28:13 made me stop and take note earlier this week as I considered God’s own system of authenticating our response to His Word. It’s not enough to acknowledge our sins. Even as Christians, we can be guilty of admitting that we shouldn’t do something, and then continuing with that behavior. There are so many things that we do, or fail to do, and then justify as something that ‘everyone is guilty of’. God calls us to ‘confess and forsake.’ Acknowledging our sins is a good start, and necessary for salvation, but forsaking those sins, is the proof that we are in a right relationship with our Lord.

I have at times, even though I was in Christ, lived in a manner that was not pleasing to God. And during those times, I sought to justify my behavior. People do it in many different ways: we cast the blame on others, we justify by claiming we’re not the only one doing it, we even look for reasons our behavior is excusable.

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17

However, the Word is clear: if you know better, and you still do it… it’s sin, plain and simple. If the Word is true, and we know it is… the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins. We, as Christians, have the indwelling of that Spirit to teach us all things, and bring all things to our remembrance. The Comforter is here to guide us in the ways of righteousness. When we listen to that still small voice, when we heed the voice of God in our hearts, we begin to build a life that shows proof positive that we belong to Him

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you? Luke 6:46

Jesus followed this rhetorical question with the parable of the house built on a rock. When we do more than just acknowledging Him as Lord, when we push away all of the sand and debris that this world creates in our live and dig down deep to place our foundation on Christ, we build a life that can weather the storms of this world. We, with His help, build a life that is authenticated, proven, and safe… not from seeing the storms that come in this sinful world, but of folding underneath them.

Our lives aren’t ours to do with as we please. We can’t walk with the world 6 1/2 days a week and show public obeisance to the Lord for a couple of hours on Sunday morning and expect to have a foundation that is strong. We must dig deep, we must give Him true Lordship of our lives, every aspect, and then watch as our faith grows.

Does your life authenticate your faith in our Lord, Have you confessed your sins, and forsaken them?