Let Your Thinking Turn Into Thanking
Day 64 · Leviticus 5:1-5 · 18 July 2026
📖 TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Leviticus 5:1-5 (NIV)
“‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible. If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty — if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground) and they are unaware that they have become unclean, but then they come to realize their guilt; or if they touch human uncleanness (anything that would make them unclean) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt — when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned.'”
Today’s John 15 thread: The branch that stays connected to the Vine does not remain numb to conviction. When we abide in Christ, His Spirit creates sensitivity — an awareness of where we have drifted. Confession is not a burden the healthy branch dreads; it is the natural response of one whose roots go deep into the Vine.
✍️ REFLECTION
Leviticus 5 lists a category of sins that might surprise you — not deliberate rebellion, but things done unknowingly. Touching something unclean without realising it, taking an oath carelessly or failing to speak up when you heard a public charge. In each case, the person didn’t set out to sin. But when they became aware of it, God said: they are guilty, and they must confess.
That word “aware” is the key. The moment of awareness was the moment of responsibility. There was no hiding behind “I didn’t mean to.” When you knew, you had to act. And the action required was costly — bringing an animal to the priest, confessing specifically what you had done, watching the priest make atonement for you with blood.
Just thinking about this process we will be going through if it wasn’t for the atonement of Christ.
NO CHANCE! No chance that I could keep up with that kind of ongoing sacrifice every time I sinned carelessly, forgot something I should have said, or failed to notice what I was walking into. Every unintentional sin, every careless moment, every thing I became aware of – An animal – A priest – Blood. Again and again.
But Christ did it once for all. “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18) Once. Not once a year. Not once per sin. Once, and it was enough for everything.
Someone has said that the first step towards thanking is thinking. Think, therefore, of how marvellously God has dealt with your sin in Christ, and let your THINKING turn into THANKING!
Think about what that process in Leviticus actually looked like. Think about the weight of it. Think about what it would mean to still be living under it. And then think about the cross — where one sacrifice settled all of it, permanently, in your favour.
Let that thinking become the ground of genuine gratitude today.
Q1: What is one specific thing God has done for you — through the cross or in your own history with Him — that you have not genuinely stopped to thank Him for? Take a moment and actually name it.
Q2: Is there something you have recently become “aware” of — something said carelessly, left undone, or avoided — that needs to move from awareness to confession? The passage says: when you become aware, you must confess. What is the step you need to take?
🌿 REMAIN IN HIM
Take a moment before you move on. This is not a to-do. It is an invitation to stay.
Reflect honestly:
Is there anything you have become aware of lately — something you said, left unsaid, or did carelessly — that you have not yet brought to God? The passage says “when anyone becomes aware… they must confess.” Awareness is the doorway.
Bring it to Jesus:
Tell Him what you’ve been carrying. Not a performance of confession — just honesty. He already knows. He’s waiting for you to say it.
Trust the Gardener:
The branch that confesses quickly stays clean and fruitful. Don’t let unaddressed guilt create distance from the Vine. Bring it to Him now, and let your thinking turn into thanking.
🙏 PRAYER
Father, thank You for speaking through Your Word today. Holy Spirit, is there anything I am not aware of that I should be? Please bring it to the front of my mind today so that I can confess it before You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
💡 MEMORY VERSE
1 Peter 3:18 (NIV): “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”
This post is part of the Abide in Him Daily devotional series, reading Scripture through the lens of John 15:1–17. The branch doesn’t manufacture the fruit. It bears it because it stays connected to the Vine.
