Estelle Fusco couldn't believe what her cousin was saying. Her cousin's husband is a Naval officer with a new duty station in Italy. When the movers delivered their belongings to their new quarters they smelled a terrible odor. Finally, after opening several boxes they found the source of the odor. The movers had packed up their garbage into a box instead of throwing it out.

That is exactly what we do in our lives when we don't confess our sins. Instead of "throwing them out," we box them up and carry them around with us. And before you know it, our life begins to stink. Instead, we should confess our sins, so God can forgive us and cleanse our life.

1 John 1:9 KJV "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

On June 18, 2001, Andrea Yates "allegedly" murdered her 5 children by drowning them one by one, in the bathtub.

Our society is so caught up with the anxiety of being politically correct, that we refuse to face the truth. Andrea Yates admitted murdering her children. Why then do we say that she "allegedly" murdered them? Some people say that she needs to receive a fair trial and so we use the word "allegedly". She allegedly gave herself a fair trial by admitting her deed. Or did she

"allegedly" admit to killing her children? The fact is she was at home, alone with her children. They are now all dead. She said she killed them.

The press now attempts to explain why she murdered her children by stating that she had been suffering from "postpartum depression". Fine. I have seen that phenomenon before.

Although the experience is something that I would rather not repeat, it did not result in murdered children.

The latest claim Andrea is making is that she thinks the devil is in her. We're getting closer. She and her husband have been married for years. Let's ask him what he thinks. Surely he would have a clue if he had been living with the devil, don't you think?

Regarding the possibility of receiving the death penalty: "It's important to keep this in perspective: Death rows are not filled with family murderers," said Jordan Steiker, a professor and death penalty expert at the University of Texas Law School.

Of course! We need to keep this in perspective. What could I have been thinking?

Does heaven operate under our rules of justice? Here's what it might look like if it did:

Jesus: "Allegedly" murdering her children, Your Honor. We have to examine the facts.

Jesus: That doesn't mean anything. She was suffering from postpartum depression. The moon was in the third quarter, the wind was out of the north and she couldn't see to catch the ball.

God: That means we have to open the gates of hell and let the others go. No one is responsible for what they do. There are always extenuating circumstances.

Sound ridiculous? The scripture doesn't say that all have "allegedly" sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but neither does it say Christ "allegedly" died for us?

But to experience the real forgiveness made possible by Christ's real sacrifice, we must admit that we've really sinned.

1 John 1:9 KJV "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Traveling from Europe to other parts of the country isn't as easy as it used to be. Because of the spread of Foot and Mouth disease throughout the UK, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) is disinfecting traveler's footwear as they pass through point-of-entry airports in the United States. The disease can easily spread onto people's clothing and be transmitted by the wind to other animals.

—http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/03/05/usda.foot/index.html Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

It is nearly impossible for a Christian not to come into contact with sin and become infected with it. Confession is the way God disinfects our souls, and makes us pure again.

1 John 1:9 KJV "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Following the lead set by the United States Senate a couple of months ago, churches in Abbeville South Carolina are planning to hold reconciliation services to apologize for not trying to stop racial strife decades ago. During the service, white church leaders will confess the sins of their ancestors and apologize to African American for incidents such as lynchings that took place in the early part of the twentieth century.

Ministers representing the African American community plan to accept the apology and then extend forgiveness. Dora Dee Johnson, the great-great granddaughter of one prominent victim of a lynching says she thinks the special reconciliation services are a good idea.

—USA TODAY, S.C. town sorry for sins of the past, July8-10, 2005, pg. 3A. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

James 5:16 (NASB77) "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

In her book, "Carolyn 101", Carolyn Kepcher writes, "Contrary to popular wisdom, and this is something I wish more politicians understood, saying you're sorry doesn't make you seem weak, it makes you seem strong."—pg. 102. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Numbers 14:40 (HCSB) "They got up early the next morning and went up the ridge of the hill country, saying, 'Let's go to the place the Lord promised, for we were wrong.'"

After 16 years in ministry, the founder of Life Church Craig Groeschel, says he knew the smiles and eager handshakes the greeted him each week often masked a lot of pain. After bringing a sermon series dealing with confession, the evangelical network that operates nine locations across the country set up a website as a forum for people to confess anonymously on the Internet at http://www.mysecret.tv.

The response has been huge with the site receiving over 150,000 hits and more than 1,500 confessions in the first month. The confessions range from those who have abused others to those who have suffered abuse, and even those in the middle of affairs. Groshel says the web site confirmed his belief in the need for confession. He said, "I realized that people are carrying around dark secrets, and the Web site is giving them a first place for confession." He added, "We confess to God for forgiveness but to each other for healing. Secrets isolate you, and keep you away from God, from those people closest to you."

—http://www.religionnewsblog.com/15799. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

James 5:16 (MSG) "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with."

In his book, "Making Sense of Church: Eavesdropping on Emerging Conversations About God, Community, and Culture", Spencer Burke writes, "While I justified my silence for a while, eventually I just couldn't do it anymore. While my sins may have seemed small compared to others, they were sins just the same—and I knew they were destroying me. They were spiritual kryptonite to my Superman persona."

—"Making Sense of Church", p. 72. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson

Psalm 32:5 (NASB) "I acknowledged my sin to Thee, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord'; And Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin."

A new App called Confession is available for the iPhone and iPad. With it, a Roman Catholic can confess their sins remotely, without visiting a confessional or a priest. A Roman Catholic bishop has approved its use. The App allows them to type their sins into a confessional box and receive instructions on how to make penance.

Long distance remote confession of sins has long been a part of my religious experience. The Psalmist tells us to confess our sins to the Lord, and we don’t even need an App from the App Store to carry it out.

Whether you use your iPad or your kneepads, confession of sin is important for forgiveness.

1 John 1:9 (NASB) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

An elderly man who claims he stole money from a Sears cash register sixty years ago recently returned to repay the store with interest. A local TV station reported that the man hand-delivered an envelope addressed to “Sears Manager.” Inside the envelope was a note confessing the theft and a $100 bill. The note read,”During the late (forties) I stole some money from the cash register in the amount of $20-$30. I want to pay you back this money in the amount of $100 to put in your theft account.”

Many customers who heard about the man’s actions said they thought it was a genuine, heartfelt act that must have made him feel good. Manager Gary Lorenston said store security cameras caught the man on video, but said Sears did not know who the man was, nor would they release the tape. He said the store plans to use the money to help families in need during the holiday season. Lorenston added, the man’s conscience “has been bothering him for the past 60 years.”

--Elderly man repays Sears for cash he stole in 1940s, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57332845-504083/elderly-man-repays-sears-for-cash-he-stole-in-1940s ; November 29, 2011, Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Luke 19:8 (CEV) Later that day Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "I will give half of my property to the poor. And I will now pay back four times as much to everyone I have ever cheated."

On the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address, the editorial board of Pennsylvania newspaper retracted its predecessor’s famous panning of the speech calling to the address as “silly remarks.” In 1863, the Patriot and Union newspaper, the predecessor of today’s Harrisburg paper thought so little of the speech that they said they hoped the veil of oblivion would be dropped over it and that it would not be reposted or event thought of again. History proved that statement wrong because the Gettysburg Address has become one of the most famous pieces of writing in American history. Using words similar to Lincoln’s in 1863, the Harrisburg paper said, “The world will little note nor long remember our emendation of this institution’s record—but we must do as conscience demands,” they wrote. “In the editorial about President Lincoln’s speech delivered November 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, the Patriot & Union failed to recognize its momentous importance, timeless eloquence, and lasting significance. The Patriot-News regrets the error.”—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

150 years later, newspaper retracts editorial panning Gettysburg Address, by Michael Pearson,http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/15/us/gettysburg-address-editorial-retraction/index.html?hpt=hp_t3, Accessed November 19, 2013.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Is it ever too late to admit a mistake? Evidently there is no statute of limitations for the New York Times. After the movie, “12 Years a Slave,” won an Academy Award readers began researching the Author and the original book from over 100 years ago. In the story about the author’s work published in the Jan. 20, 1853 edition, the author’s name was misspelled. In the March 4, 2014 edition of the paper, they published a correction.

As long as we are living it is never too late to confess our sin before God. Just as we confess our sins, He will be faithful to forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

1 John 1:9 (HCSB) (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confession

In “A Portrait of the Christian Life,” Stephen Brucker writes, “The Beatitudes create a portrait of the Christian man and woman. They are to read like a mirror, gazing at the Spirit’s work in a Christian’s life. Starting with the heart, bowing to God in humble submission and sorrowful contrition leads to actions of mercy, peacemaking and righteousness. Christians are not perfect. However, Christians who are devastated by their sins can turn their affection toward God. The Beatitudes do not teach perfectionism, yet they do teach that a Christian should be content to worship the perfect God, who lived a perfect life, sacrificing his perfect nature, imputing his perfect righteousness, for imperfect humans, whose imperfections know no bounds. To live the beatitudes you will need to admit your sinfulness, and submit yourself to God’s control—then and only then will you live a blessed life.”

1 John 1:9 (HCSB)“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

For more information on Living the Sermon on the Mount, go to: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1523787473/fm082-20

When an armed Oregon man caught three teenage boys burglarizing his home, he forced them to call authorities and report their own crime. Dispatchers said he told one of the boys to call police to report the burglary in progress and then made them wait for authorities to arrive. When they did arrive, they took the three into custody. They now face charges of burglary, criminal trespass, and possession of marijuana. --Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

Man catches teens breaking into house, makes them call 9-1-1 to report themselves;

http://katu.com/news/local/man-catches-teens-breaking-into-house-makes-them-call-9-1-1-to-report-themselves; ACCESSED MAY 24, 2016.

The mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts paid one dollar out of his own pocket to settle a dispute with a man who complained after unnecessarily paying for parking. Bill Pharmer, from Pennsylvania, said he paid a dollar to park when he took his wife to dinner. He put money in the parking kiosk, but did not know that he parked 15 minutes after the city stopped enforcing paid parking. In his complaint, Pharmer said the issue was not losing a dollar, but the number of people who had lost money in Northampton because they were not aware of the city’s policies. After reading the complaint, the mayor sent Pharmer a dollar bill along with a handwritten note apologizing for the inconvenience.—Jim L. Wilson & Jim Sandell

https://www.yahoo.com/news/massachusetts-mayor-sends-man-1-settle-parking-dispute-134800139.html, accessed June 15, 2017.

Psalm 38:18 (CSB) “So I confess my iniquity; I am anxious because of my sin.”

A few years ago, the productivity expert, Merlin Mann, coined a phrase that is gaining traction more and more—“inbox zero.” It’s all about staying on top of your email inbox in order to reclaim your attention and retake control of your life. An inbox overflowing with unread messages is not only distracting but highly inefficient. The thinking goes that if people can clear out their inbox each day, they will experience higher productivity, successful time management, and a sense of stability, inner peace, and lower stress levels. Today “inbox zero” reemerges as a popular ambition for millennials. In this technology era, productivity still seems elusive in our culture. “Inbox zero” is now trending all over Twitter as people pursue the quest for inner peace. —Jim L. Wilson and Casey Withers

Imagine if believers treated their lives the same way when it comes to sin. While we are being sanctified day by day through the indwelling of the Spirit, we still fall to sin and are in need of daily repentance. Yet how often do we confess sin? The truth is that unconfessed sin does the same thing in our lives that those chasing “inbox zero” seek to avoid. Unconfessed sin brings stress and chaos to our lives because it disrupts our fellowship with God. The solution for us is to leave no sin unaddressed in our hearts. Rather, we should meticulously search our hearts for hidden sin, confess it to the Lord, receive forgiveness, and experience the stability and peace that comes from resting in His presence.

In China, officials are forgiving the fine for minor driving offenses if the driver confesses to the error on social media and gets 20 likes. —Jim L. Wilson

https://www.npr.org/2018/04/19/603844682/avoid-traffic-fines-by-confessing-online

The old adage says that “confession is good for the soul,” in this case, it is also good for the pocketbook. But the ultimate value of confession comes when we confess our sin before a holy God, who because of his faithfulness and justice will forgive the sin and cleans us of our unrighteousness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

For just over two minutes, Chris Gursky held on for dear life because his hang gliding pilot failed to attach his harness on the glider. When he saw his error, the pilot flew with one hand and held onto the unattached harness with the other. He landed the glider as soon as he could in the mountainous Swiss terrain.—Jim L. Wilson

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-gursky-hang-gliding-no-harness_us_5bfd26f8e4b03b230fa6b22e

Not every mistake results in a life and death situation like this one. Paying attention to details matter. Especially, details like attaching the harness to a glider. Or confessing our sins.

1 John 1:9 (CSB)“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

In his book, Enemies of the Heart: Breaking Free from the Four Emotions That Control You, Andy Stanley writes, "Secrets lose their power when exposed to light. The light that exposes our secrets and frees the heart from the oppressive power of guilt is confession." –Jim L. Wilson

1 John 1:9 (CSB)^“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic Pope Francis told the planet’s 1.2 billion Catholics that if they can’t confess in person to a priest during the pandemic, they should “speak directly to God.”

That is what protestants have been telling people since the reformation. I am glad the Pope recognizes God can hear my confession directly. He assures them that God will forgive them, but recommends they go to a confessional as soon as possible afterward.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Matt Herges played parts of 11 seasons in the major leagues. He got off to a rough start in 1994 by crossing the players union picket lines to play as a replacement player during the player strike. Four years later he made it onto the roster of a major league team. In 2007 Herges was one of 89 players named in the Mitchell report that listed player discovered to be using performance enhancing drugs. He was so ashamed. He winces when he recalls the pain his family and friends felt when they found out he had used steroids.

Today he explains, “This was a moral thing. I failed morally. I failed massive. Big time. I claim to be a Christian and trust God and I completely turned my back on him.”

Herges says the outing forced him to search his soul and his faith. “A lot of times you don’t want to dig deep. But I did. And I didn’t like what I found. What I found really was what I had probably known my whole life: That I’m an unbelievably selfish person.”

Confession, began with his wife, then the rest of his family. It was incredibly difficult, but that is when healing was able to begin in his relationships to his family, his teammates, and to God. –Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0804-baxter-on-baseball-20130804-story.html

An Iowa man received an unexpected post card from his sister and was surprised to discover the note had originally been mailed in 1987. Paul Willis said the postcard appeared in his mailbox. It came from his sister and had a picture of her hiking in the Grand Canyon in 1987. He noticed the card a postmark from San Francisco dated December, 1987. When he looked closer, Willis noticed there was a second postmark on the card dated April 29, 2020 from Des Moines, Iowa. Willis called the post office in Des Moines to see if they could explain the reason for the delay. He was told that many post offices were going through a deep cleaning because of coronavirus and it was possible the card had fallen under a machine or a piece of furniture and had been rediscovered when things were moved for cleaning.—Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell

The pandemic has caused many people to reflect on their lives. Some have discovered a need for a deep-cleaning of their souls. Why knows what blessing they will uncover when they do.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Following Caron McBride’s wedding she did what many brides do, she took on her husband’s last name. However, when she did, she learned that she had a felony charge on her record. When she investigated, she learned that “The Movie Place,” a movie rental store in Norman, OK that went out of business in 2008, reported her for not returning a VHS tape of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” in 1999.

The District Attorney has since dropped the charges, but McBride is left wondering if this mark on her record is why she “may have been let go from different jobs during over the last 21 years due to the felony charge showing up on background checks.”

For this incident to go away, she will need to take the additional steps of getting the charge expunged from her record.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/vhs-tape-caron-mcbride-texas-felony-charge-sabrina-the-teenage-witch/

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.