stephen R Harrison

My dad helped me memorize lots of Scripture. Almost every night, he would listen as I recited Psalm 1, 23, 100, the Beatitudes, Romans 12, and many others. I can still recall them to this day! I’m thankful for those times of discipleship with my dad. During this time (K-2nd grade), we would “compete” in our church with others our age. Whoever knew more advanced to the regional and State level. If you won there, you went to Nationals. I competed in Bible Memorization in Phoenix and Tampa during those years.

One of those times, I also entered the art division by “drawing” a picture of a little girl kneeling and praying beside her bed. I can still see the image in my mind. I advanced to Nationals, but there was an issue…I cheated. I lied. I traced the picture, claimed it as my own, and lied to others in my church, to other churches, my parents, and to the Lord. I couldn’t lie about the Bible Memorization part as there was just no way to do that. Here’s what hit me like a ton of bricks: while I was memorizing the most Scripture of any kid my age in my church, State, and now in the Nation (I placed 2nd), I was simultaneously deceiving and lying in another area of life! That proved to me we can read, memorize, and even recall the Scriptures while still actively and knowingly committing sin! While the picture of that little girl looked innocent, sweet, and prayerful, the little boy who traced it had sin and wickedness in his heart. The heart is desperately wicked, even from an early age. David knew this when he said, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies” (Psalm 58:3).

While at a pastor’s retreat with some friends, we were sharing, repenting, and praying, and the Spirit brought this to memory. I had not thought about it for 40 years and I don’t remember ever confessing this to someone or repenting from it. Instantly, conviction came over me. I confessed it to those pastors and repented to the Lord at that retreat. The Spirit convicts us of sin, even those we committed 40 years ago, if we allow him!

Some may say, “Why bother? That was a long time ago. You were a kid. It was such a “small” thing.” The Spirit brought it to memory for a reason…to confess and repent. Unconfessed sin blocks the presence of the Lord! In those moments when the Spirit convicts, we must be quick to obey. Last week, I remembered the book from which I had traced that picture. It was in an old commentary set my parents had that I still had in my library. I went downstairs and found it, thanked God for forgiveness, thanked him for the Spirit’s conviction, enjoyed the presence of the Lord, and asked him to search my heart and mind for more things to confess that would hinder his Spirit from moving in my life.

I wish I could have told my mom and dad about it. Some of my FB friends were in my church back when I was a kid and can read my confession (forgive me!). I told the story to my church today. The good news is we can be forgiven from anything – yesterday or 40+ years ago, “little” or “big”, isolated or ongoing. How refreshing repentance is! How much healing we receive from confessing our sins to others! It’s never too late to confess, repent, and be refreshed and healed by the Lord!

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” – Acts 3:19

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” – James 5:16