“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…” Matthew 6:12
When we pray, we have to realize and confess ourselves before the Lord that we still have many shortages and weaknesses. Therefore, we must always ask for His compassion and forgiveness. He is the One who is able to forgive us and that forgiveness is only found in Christ Jesus because of His sacrifice on the cross. Two thousand years ago, Jesus died on the cross to redeem all of our sins and transgressions. People will only receive the work of the cross and His resurrection when they are willing to come to the Lord and believe in Him. After believing, the Bible says we must confess all of our sins and ask for forgiveness, because forgiveness is not automatically given. But, we receive it when we come to Him, confess our sins and ask to be forgiven.
Coming to the Lord and confessing our sins are equivalent to living in repentance. Realize, confess and repent – that is the Lord’s will. Many people confess they are Christians but do not live in repentance. They never realize or want to confess their sins before the Lord. Their thinking is that: “as long as I believe in Jesus, there is no need to repent from sin or an old life, because everything has been borne on the cross.” This is a false mindset!
There are a few reasons why we need to always come before the Lord and ask for His forgiveness, like what Jesus taught us in “The Lord’s Prayer.” First, is to prevent us from falling further from the Lord. There is a saying that says, “Sin produces more sins.” This means if a sin is not confessed or taken care of immediately, it will continue to result in more sins, one after the next. Until we realize it and confess it, the sin will stop. For example, a lie that is not confessed will make us continue to lie in order to cover up that lie, until we eventually confess it, ask for forgiveness, repent and start to be honest.
The second reason is that we have to be ready at any given time He comes to take us. The Bible teaches us to always live in peace with the Lord. Christ has made peace between the Heavenly Father and us through His precious blood. Our response is to live in holiness and peace with Him until He comes again for the second time to take us – His Church. The Holy Spirit will enable us to live in holiness and be ready for His second coming.
Realizing our weaknesses and shortages gives us a longing to have a fellowship with the Lord and walk with Him because He is the only source of everything. He alone holds the blessings, grace, miracles, healing and deliverance completely. We can receive all of these things when we come to Him and humble ourselves before Him. Amen.
Taken from: GBI Gatot Subroto, Jakarta article