Christian Crisis Management

“Tell it early. Tell it all. Tell it yourself.” - Lanny Davis, lawyer and media spin doctor for Michael Cohen, the Clintons and others. 

Lanny Davis is a media fixer.. He gives this same advice to all of his clients. Great advice on its own. It feels dirty once you know to whom he has given it. 

I read the advice before I realized who had given it and I thought, “This is great advice for me when I am talking to God to repent!” 

Something has happened to me in the last few years. I am starting to remember past sins that I had forgotten. These are things I had done or said that I had not even acknowledged to myself. When I was baptized I thought all of my sins were washed away. There is this little caveat I think. John the Baptist said that as a part of baptism we need to repent of our sins, (Matthew 3:1-6, Mark 1:1-4). Have I really repented?

My repentance at the time of my baptism was a little sparse. I think it was, “Forgive me for everything, I mean it.” I did not really consider the part of true repentance. Through baptism,  I was relieved and released from my past sins and had become a part of Jesus Christ’s followers. I thought that understanding the teachings of Christ, being baptized and following the Great Commission was it. It probably is, except there are these past sins surfacing in my mind. They tear at me and I am ashamed. 

I know that God knows everything. It’s not like I can hide anything. It is more me. I am re-knowing things for which I have not repented. I have to acknowledge them and then repent. It seems to eliminate, for me, some of my shame. God then knows that I know that I have sinned and I take accountability as I ask and receive His forgiveness.

Simple advice when talking to God about sins, current or past:

Tell it early. Tell it all. Tell it yourself.