1 John 1:9 says that "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." We are fortunate and beyond blessed to have a God who is faithful to us and finds it just to forgive us of all of our sins. This is a great gift that we do not deserve, and should not toy with.
Proverbs 28:13 says, "he who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." We must not hide our sins, because God is omniscient and knows everything. He is omnipresent and was there when you did it. Nothing can be hidden from God, so why would we try to hide our sins? Yes, it can be embarrassing or shameful, but God already knows and wants to take all of that away from you.
Sometimes, the hardest part isn't being too ashamed or too embarrassed. In fact, the more shameful or embarrassing the sin, the more you want forgiveness for it. Sometimes, it is the other way around. Sometimes, we are not ashamed of our sin and try to make excuses to justify them so that we may continue doing them. Some excuses may be: "well, it's not that bad," or "it's not really a sin," or "I'm just numb right now. I'll ask for forgiveness when it's over and I can feel God again." It all comes down to different versions of, "I am human and I like my sin." Sometimes we like our sin more than we hate it. Sometimes we like the feeling that we get from the sin more than the guilt afterwards. What do we do in these cases?
We must remember what Jesus Christ did for us. He took on every sin we have ever committed and ever will commit. We must remind ourselves, daily, especially during sin, that Jesus paid the ultimate price for us and sinning would be spitting in His face. When we feel the temptation coming on and we know we will not feel guilty, we must ask the Holy Spirit for help. It all comes down to our hearts. "Are we really looking for forgiveness or are we just doing the Christian thing?"
When we ask God for forgiveness, are we asking for it the way we want others to apologize to us? Are we being sincere and genuine? Are we being authentic and humble? If we are not, and we know we are about to sin, we can only ask God to change our hearts and help us. We must not let our emotions dictate our relationship with Christ. If you were married and you woke up angry, you wouldn't say, "I don't love my wife anymore. I need to go find someone else." No, you are just in a bad mood. It does not need to effect your relationship with your spouse; just like our emotions do not need to interfere with our relationship with Christ. We must put emotions aside and look at Christ for who He is. Our Lord and Savior. Does He not deserve some loyalty after everything that He has done for you?
-D
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