Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
This conditional promise has a negative and a positive aspect: if you do not cover your sins, then you will not do well; if you do confess and forsake your sins, then you will have mercy. Covering sins is lying: lying to God, which is not actually possible for God knows; lying to self, which is common but self-destructive; and lying to others, which is prideful Pharisaism and the wearing of a mask for outward appearance since we want to be liked. The deception is that we mistakenly think we will prosper in our soul and do well if we can lie to self and others and get away with it. But we are wrong. We will not prosper!
The truth is in the promise: confess your sins and receive mercy. Confess, and believe the promise: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves….If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [1 John 1:8-9].” Covering makes God a liar; confessing believes God’s true verdict upon us. Confessing involves readiness to receive Mercy, in Christ. Remember the Pharisee and the tax-collector: “This one went to his house justified rather than the other.”
Ask yourself: What do I really need? Mercy? Or looking good on the outside? That’s a rhetorical question with an obvious answer. Thank God for mercy. We couldn’t prosper in our soul or live well another day without it. Praise God! I have it!