Tag Archives: confession

Clean at Last

VineWords Devotions and More

The one who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses them and forsakes them will find mercy. ~Proverbs 28:13 NET I am notorious for losing jewelry. Bracelets have slipped off my wrists, necklaces have mysteriously vanished, and years ago my wedding ring disappeared. Thankfully, I’ve since replaced it. Recently, however, I lost my ring again. I searched for weeks and finally gave up. While doing laundry, I found the ring wedged between the wall and the dryer. While inspecting … Continue reading →

I’ve Forgiven But Why Am I Still Upset?

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“I’ve forgiven, but why am I still upset?” Why do I feel the same pain? The Pain of Unforgiveness These questions hit me every time someone hurts me. The emotions tear me down, giving me a heavy heart, even after I have forgiven. But God commands us to forgive because He has forgiven us. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of … Continue reading →

Fully Forgiven

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God There’s not one totally good person on earth, not one who is truly pure and sinless.  ~Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭20‬ ‭MSG‬‬ The enemy wants us to think that we are alone in our sin, the worst human being ever to live. He wants us to forget that we are fully forgiven. God’s Offer Social media presents us with snapshots of others’ lives that look pulled together. It can make us feel alone, worthless, and like a failure. So, we beat ourselves … Continue reading →

Time to Examine and Turn

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I thought about my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies. ~Psalm 119:59 NKJV Cleaning has always been therapeutic for me. Unfortunately, my kitchen countertops are speckled granite, often concealing the grime that’s in plain sight. Each evening, I adjust the lighting and stoop to see if I missed any crumbs. I usually find some in a corner or in plain sight, visible if I look carefully enough. One morning, as I cleaned and inspected, I realized that I … Continue reading →

Caught Red-Handed

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Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. ~James 5:16 NLT No one enjoys being caught red-handed. Children are magnificent little mirrors that reflect our unpolished hearts. Have you ever noticed a child who has done something wrong, but does not know others are observing? One of the first things they do is look around to see … Continue reading →

An Unclean Place

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If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean. It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place. ~Leviticus 14:43-45 NIV Mold is hard to get rid of once it … Continue reading →

For Such a Time as This

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Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this.                                                                                                                                  … Continue reading →

Hidden in the Darkness

VineWords Devotions and More

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me and lead me in the way everlasting! ~Psalm 139:23-24 ESV   SECRET The night was dark and stormy. All the power was out, so I immediately searched for my flashlight, which was hidden in the darkness. I had lived in this house for sixty-two years. I should have known the floor plan and each item in … Continue reading →