VICAR

Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine I trust that You have had a good week and that You are all well and happy this blustery Sunday in October.

This week I’d like to focus on forgiveness. For, as I urge You to prayer, it is more difficult to pray when You have your sins nagging in your head. There is an explanation for this:

Because God is holy, He cannot be in relationship with sin. When we live with unconfessed and unforgiven sin, we are unholy. But when we confess and turn from our sin (1 John 1:9), God forgives us. Jesus’ death on the cross made Him the substitute for the punishment we deserve (1 Peter 2:24). Therefore, God sees Jesus instead of our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) when we repent. Until we confess our sins to God and ask Jesus to be our Saviour, we will never fully experience God’s forgiveness (Romans 10:13).

Asking for forgiveness is not an opportunity to sin more. Don’t be like Jimmy Savile and kneel before the Pope then go off and continue your endless cycle of sin. But be sorry for your sins – genuinely sorry – and get closer to God with your prayers.

I wish You all a very special week during which I hope You all find peace, success and good health. Here is a good prayer of confession:

Dear God, I’m sorry for my sin. I ______________ (what you did), which was a sin against you, as well as a sin against __________ (who you hurt). Please help me turn from this behaviour. I will begin ________________  (how you’ll change) instead of what I have done. Please forgive me and help me to grow in my relationship to you and _________, whom I’ve hurt. Thank you for your love and mercy. Thank you for forgiving me and choosing to forget my sin. In Jesus’ name, Amen.