For another New Year’s resolution, how about no more cheating. Cheating of any form… Cheating on your spouse, friendships, taxes, elections, business deals, filings, etc.
Cheating is a form of betrayal, that’s rooted in deception. This behavior evolves from a seed (thought) into the character (foundation) of a person. Its origin is directly from the heart of satan. He created it and has the proprietary license to it. Cheating opens a direct pipeline to the spirits of murder and suicide when a person agrees to use that product in their life without payment. Satan always comes to collect his payment(s) for use of his proprietary license if not dealt with properly— through repentance and confession.
There is freedom in repentance and confession. Jesus awaits you with open arms and he will not identify you as a cheater. He will forgive and give you an entirely new reputation.
Confession invites the forgiveness and cleansing of God on to our broken lives, but it is repentance that ultimately changes the course of our recovery over the long haul. Repentance is the process of turning away from anything opposed to truth. Repentance provides the balance to confession. Repentance is jump-started by confessing our sin to one another (1 John 1:9–10), but it must extend further. We have to become repulsed by this sin. Cheating is sinful behavior, and believe it or not some people are so addicted to cheating they literally cannot stop on their own volition. This is called a yoke that becomes stronghold.
But how many times have we seen a person confess without genuine or lasting change? Why does genuine transformation still evade them?
Perhaps it’s because we don’t understand that confession and repentance aren’t the same thing. In our genuine desperation to be done with the shame and the shackles of our sin, we confess. But then, sometimes, we foolishly exhale and believe our work is done. Not wanting to talk about or be bothered by our sin again, we fail to realize that confession is just the beginning. This failure is why many people experience false transformation. I need to plug this very important warning, wisdom is needed before confessing to another. We need not confess our sins without wisdom. Not everyone is a safe place for our sins to be exposed to and our souls to be vulnerable with. Ask for wisdom and the leading of the Holy Spirit on who is a safe space for confession. There are ethics when it comes to such topics that unfortunately not everyone understands.
“A person who confesses cannot shirk repentance. After confessing, you must make no provisions for the flesh, viciously renounce temptation (Matthew 5:24–27), and eagerly walk the tangible road of godly grief.” (2 Corinthians 7:10–11)
Repentance requires no foot-dragging, blame-shifting, excuse-ridden compliance that bends under someone else’s forced demands on us. Instead, true repentance is earnestly expressed in fellowship within your local church as a genuine surrender to biblical truth inserted into our lives by those who love God and care about us. When we’re repentant, we see the necessity of rebuilding trust with others, even if it takes longer than we planned. After confessing and repenting, there is no room for suspicion in the soul. This is a root from fear. Suspicion of others does not allow the Holy Spirit to teach you how to be accountable and submitted to proper authority. Kick suspicion out of your soul today.
I’ve been sensing in my spirit we are in a time of some serious self-examination. The narrow road is becoming even more narrow. The Holy Spirit gave me the prompting to write this today therefore, I know that it is Him who is giving some of you a heart-wrenching conviction of secret sin that’s either newly uncovered or well known sin that is old and rusty. Either way, emotional brokenness and convincing contrition quickly follow His promptings. I encourage you, get into a glorious agreement with God about your sin and shed those pesky chains, vile thoughts that hinder your progress in life. You can have the beautiful destiny filled with loving memories and a respectful reputation that will be honorable and worth being proud of.
As I mentioned above, there is freedom in repentance and confession. Jesus awaits you with open arms and he will not identify you as a cheater. He will forgive and give you an entirely new reputation. For every believer, Christ-likeness will come through prayerfully depending on God in true confession and repentance. It’s time to look like Christ no matter what it will cost you.
Ciara Leilani
Ciara Leilani 