This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

- John 3:19-21

What happens if we don't confess our sins?

We become isolated.

The person who hides their sin has to keep everyone else at an arm's length. Let people too close and they'll discover the truth: we aren't perfect. And if we can't acknowledge our flaws to others, how will we resist the temptation to deceive ourselves?

We grow exhausted.

Hiding is hard work. Piling up justifications and rationalizations for our behavior requires a great deal of creative energy. We divert all our resources to protect our facade. We have little left for anything or anyone else. We'd like to love God and love neighbor, but we just don't have it in us.

We get worse.

Dark things grow in the darkness. Little lies grow into big ones. Addictions dig their roots in deeply. The brambles of bitterness branch out across the hard surface of our hardening hearts. Unconfessed sin is unresisted. And it grows.

Light comes anyways.

Light always comes. God won't leave us in darkness. He exposes our sin. Nothing stays hidden forever. If we don't confess our sin to God in prayer, it will come to the surface somewhere else. And though that will be infinitely more painful than praying a prayer of confession, it too will be for your ultimate good.

What have you hidden in darkness that needs to come to the light? What keeps you from confessing your sin to God?

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