Lord, I must be very careful not to be sin conscious lest I become weak and exhausted. The burden of the Lord may be a conviction of my sin and is therefore necessary; but as soon as I am conscious of my sin, I must rid myself of it by confession (Psalm 32:5; 1 John 1:9). And once confessed, I must have nothing more to do with it.
Nehemiah had the correct solution for a sin-conscious people: eat and drink, share with others, and praise God, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
Conviction of sin, while necessary, is weakening and must be turned into confession and praise in order to save my sanity. The in-ward look is depressing and discouraging, and I must avoid, at all costs, people who are continually turning me inward. Many people are turned from Christ because they see morbidity in Christians who have not gotten beyond sin’s conviction to sin’s confession.
I must never treat sin lightly; neither must I give it so much time, attention, and place in me that I am actually enslaved by it. Many Christians seem to enjoy looking within and relish seeing themselves corrupt and sinful. I must never give sin any more of my time than it takes to let it do a redemptive work in me—to drive me to my God and His cleansing, and then to praise, strength, and growth! For God wants me alive and well, not caught in the octopus arms of sin. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!” (Psalm 32:1).
“Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love” (Micah 7:18).
Daily with the King 