You cannot begin the journey to holiness without first acknowledging your sins and the corruption in your heart. Recognising your depravity is essential to genuine confession, which pleases God and precedes cleansing. To truly confess, you must systematically, patiently, deliberately and analytically acknowledge your guilt, pleading for God’s mercy. As Scripture promises, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When you sincerely confess and plead for mercy, God forgives your sins, cleanses you from all unrighteousness and transforms your life. Just as David demonstrated, sincerity of heart attracts God’s forgiveness and cleansing. With a clear conscience, you must then live a life of holiness, free from hypocrisy. God’s gracious forgiveness should compel you to maintain a clear conscience. With your past forgiven, nothing remains, but to live in holiness and sincerity for the rest of your life. Confession, cleansing and holiness are not isolated events, but a continuous process of surrendering, transformation and obedience.

The goal of every believer should be to pursue clear conscience and a life of genuine holiness, free from hypocrisy. Such decision, desire and determination require a personal commitment to integrity and righteousness. Sadly, many individuals focus on urging others to make amends, while neglecting their need for restitution. They prioritise others’ spiritual well-being over their own, failing to examine their lives.

In contrast, our aim should be to “always have a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.” Striving for a clear conscience eliminates sin, disobedience, guilt and condemnation from our lives.

We must be different from those that rationalise wrongdoing and ignore the prompting of their conscience. True transformation begins with making amends, restoring what has been taken unjustly and renouncing “the hidden things of dishonesty.” As we surrender to God’s cleansing and righteousness, holy thoughts and actions will follow. Corruption often starts with our thought patterns, but by focusing on righteousness, we maintain holiness of heart and life. As we begin to count down towards the end of the year, “think on these things” (Philippians 4:8), and intentionally pursue a lifestyle of integrity that pleases God.

• Further reading (King James Version): Psalms 139:23,24; 19:12; Job 34:31,32; Isaiah 1:16-18; James 4:6-8. 1 John 1:7-10; 2:1-6; Psalms 51:1-17; 24:3,4. Acts 24:16; Luke 19:8-10; 2 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Colossians 3:16,17,23; Philippians 4:8.