This is a most remarkable thing – our sins, your sins, my sins, our sins – have been completely and totally blotted out! This is God’s grace at its zenith. We can face tomorrow because our sins have been dealt with.

It has been my experience that those who cannot grasp this fact have serous trouble in their Christian walk. God meant for us to enjoy the pleasure and satisfaction of total forgiveness. Incredible!

However though, since forgiveness is so necessary, so crucial we can expect Satan to muddy up the waters – he has. Now one of his favorite methods is to take grace and turn it into a performance tool. Yes, I am afraid he has done this with forgiveness.

Quite sometime ago, there burst upon the Evangelical scene a teaching which I dubbed, "Confessional Theology." The gist of this teaching was that until a person confessed their sins they were unforgiven. Great emphasis was placed on a person confession each and every sin.

You know something, my Bible tells me that the only one who can forgive sins is Jesus. But this theology puts our forgiveness in our hands – it puts the monkey, as it were right smack on our backs. This is a performance-based theology that throws grace right out the window.

Let me say this, and I say it loud and clear. Confession is not asking for forgiveness! It is of the utmost importance that everyone realizes this, because this is where the error lies.

The word "confession" doesn’t mean, "To ask for," rather it means, "To agree, or to say the same thing." The word "acknowledge" would be closer to its meaning. Since our sins have already been forgiven, you don’t ask for what you already have, you acknowledge that you already have it.

To ask for forgiveness focuses one’s mind on what they have done, the sin they have committed, while acknowledging that you have forgiveness focuses one’s mind on what God has done about their sin. There is a vast difference here.

As long as your mind is on the cross, you will sin less, but the more your mind is on the sin you committed, the more vulnerable you are to sin more. An incredible thing, our sins are no longer an issue with God – overcoming them is.

Keep your minds on Christ, not on your sins.