Have you ever asked God to show your faults to you?

Job 13:23 “How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin.”

Someone told me this is a good thing to do. To ask God to show you what you have done wrong in the past, and what you are doing wrong now, so you can ask Him to forgive you, and change. Then trust in Him, that He has forgiven you, as the psalmist David did. Only, it took him a while (like some of us) to realize that he needed to ask God to forgive him. He hid from his sin and transgressions, and didn't want to take his sins to the Lord and ask for forgiveness.

Psalm 38:4 “For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.”

Psalm 40:12 “For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.”

David suffered, like many of us have suffered, until he finally bared his soul to God and asked for forgiveness. Today some people may be suffering with afflictions in their health because there are un-repented sins in their life. When we repent and ask God to forgive us, He heals us.

Definition of iniquity: great injustice or extreme immorality

Acts 8:21-23 “21You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. 22Repent of your wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive your evil thoughts, 23 for I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.” NLT

God is a God of heart, and He dwells in our hearts, and knows our hearts, and searches our hearts; therefore He knows all those sins in our hearts that we have thought, but not actually done.

Jesus told some He healed, that their sins were forgiven also! He forgives and heals at the same time! Here are some examples:

Matthew 9:2 “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; “Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”

Luke 5:18-24 “18And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.

19And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.

20And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

21And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?

22But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?

23Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?

24But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.”

And here’s what Jesus told Paul (when he was still going by the name of Saul) in Acts 26:15-18 “15And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, “I am Jesus whom thou persecutes”.

16But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;

17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

James 5:15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”

Speaking for myself, when I asked God to show me to me, He did (and it wasn’t pretty). Thank God I have His Word to read that reassures me He loves me and has forgiven me. It’s very difficult to forgive ourselves for our failures, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, so we can lean on Him and His Word for strength. The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

When my thoughts begin to cause me to feel bad about past mistakes I try to remember Isaiah 43:25 - “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”

In Romans 8:37, Paul said “32He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?

33Who shall bring any charge against God's elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?]

34Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us?

35Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?

36Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.

37Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.”

Yea! Thank You, Jesus. “1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” Psalm 32:1