Day 1 – Prayer of Confession and Repentance

"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lᴏʀᴅ has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, 'I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.' And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." (Psalm 32:1-5, NLT)

Hi, Saddleback family, and welcome to 21 Days of Praying for Breakthrough. Over the next three weeks, we are going to be praying for breakthrough in three areas of our lives. Our first week is about praying for Personal Breakthrough—what is the one area of your life where you need a breakthrough from God? It could be a habit or a healing, a point of clarity or provision, but something in your personal life where you need a breakthrough. In our second week, we will be praying for a relationship where you need a breakthrough from God. It could be with your spouse, your kids, or even your parents. It could be a relationship with a friend, neighbor, or co-worker. In our third week, we will be praying for what we call missional breakthrough—who is one person in your life who does not know Jesus Christ that you can invite to our Easter services at Saddleback Church?

So that's our focus for the next three weeks: Personal Breakthrough, Relational Breakthrough, and Missional Breakthrough. Each day, we will send you an email with a short, 2-3 minute devotion by one of our Saddleback pastors to help guide your prayer for that day. You can read the devotion in the email or click the link to watch it on video.

I am praying you would encounter the Holy Spirit through our times together. Before we begin,  take a moment to invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Let's begin with a simple prayer: "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening."

As you reflect on the words from Psalm 32, you can probably relate to David from the Bible. Guilt sets heavy on the human heart. I remember a time in fourth grade when I got caught cheating on a science test. I unwisely thought it would be a good idea to write the answers on my hand with a permanent marker before the test. After the test I went to the restroom and unsuccessfully tried to wash the answers off my hand. The evidence of my guilt remained.

When my classmate Roby reported me to Mrs. Butler, I was sent to the hallway outside the classroom. I don't remember the exact words she said to me, but I do remember the shame and guilt I felt at that moment. It set heavy on my heart. I felt like a failure, a cheater, and a liar. Have you ever felt that way? Perhaps you're experiencing shame right now.

There's good news — God gives us a way out! Confession is the first step toward getting breakthrough in our guilt and shame. When I confess my sin, I'm acknowledging my brokenness and taking full responsibility for my choices. It's good to know that when you bring your sin to God in confession, you will be met by his mercy and grace. Confession leads to joy, peace, and renewal in your heart.

Jesus died on a cross for your sins. He paid the price so you can live forgiven and free. The beginning of freedom is willingness to come clean and get to the bottom of our issues.
I believe the more we understand God's grace, the more likely we are to confess our sins and ask for God's help.

Before we finish today, would you join me in a moment of confession? Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind any sins in your life that you've yet to confess. There are two types of confession: There is the initial prayer of confession where we acknowledge our need for a Savior. This is the confession that leads to salvation. But there is another form of confession — the ongoing, daily work of asking for God's help to clean up our lives. This is confession that leads to transformation.

As the Holy Spirit brings sins to mind, tell him you are sorry. Then take a moment to thank him for his forgiveness, and ask him for help to change in the future. You might also ask him to show you any specific actions he wants you to take today in response to your confession. He may encourage you to share with a friend or your small group leader. He may prompt you to tell someone you are sorry. He may just want to encourage you to receive his love at this moment. Just make space right now for God to speak and he will.

I'm proud of you for walking this journey of confession today. That probably was tough, but it's worth it. The pain of confession is worth the progress that will come. I love you and I'm praying for you today.

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