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The only hope for wretches like us is found in confession and forgiveness. It starts with a long, hard look in the mirror of God's Word. We would like to pretend that we're better than the "bad guys." We'd like to believe that we're more civilized, more mature, more refined, and more godly. We have to stop denying our enormous capacity for personal wickedness, and throw ourselves on God's enormous capacity for mercy. Proverbs 28:13 says, "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

There is monstrous evil to be fought in our world, and it's up to Christ's followers to lead the way. But the fact is, we're all terminally broken on both the soul and behavioral levels. Until we are willing to deal with the internal monsters that always threaten to take us down, we're just kidding ourselves. We will go into battle as proud Pharisees breathing retribution and judgment, ready to fry the evildoers. Instead, let's go as wounded healers who have reaped the benefits of God's amazing grace and are more than ready to assist other broken folks in finding his mercy as well.

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Kay Warren's previous Seriously Disturbed columns include:

Joining the Resistance | It took seeing seven-year-old prostitutes to jolt me out of my apathy. (August 13, 2008)

Talk and Walk | Getting our body in sync with our message. (June 5, 2008)

Wiping out HIV | It's good for the soul to fight the virus. (April 28, 2008)

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October 2008, Vol. 52, No. 10