We dealt with a pretty tough subject on Sunday. As a part of our Life Together series, we explored how the act of confession (as in confessing our sins) can be a tremendously meaningful and necessary habit to develop.
Let me just go ahead and confess that I was preaching to myself on Sunday. This isn’t something that I do well or do much at all. But as I dug into those Biblical passages about the need to confess our sins, I was deeply moved by the power and meaning of that act of confessing.
Now in case you missed it, we looked at James 5:16 where it’s written that we should confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed. And without a doubt, it’s the confessing to one another that’s the hardest and scariest part.
So I just wanted to follow that up with a couple of thoughts for some ways to grow in the exercise of confession.
Practice the habit of confession privately at first. Make it a regular part of your daily routine. Every time you pray, try to include a time where you allow God to show the parts of your heart in which he wants to do a little work.
Practice the habit of specific confession. Identify specific instances and specific behaviors. Remember the point isn’t to make yourself feel guilty. The point is to be set free from the effects of our sin and to experience healing and wholeness. It’s about receiving the deep assurance of complete forgiveness.
Find a close and trusted friend that can be an accountability partner. Someone who will tell you the truth, but will also look you in the eye and say that your sin is washed away by the blood of Jesus. If you are married, consider trying this with your spouse. If that doesn’t work, Pastor Chuck is available for marital counseling.
I pray that we would all find the experience of confessing our sins to be a tremendously healing and sanctifying action within our Life Together.
Peace.
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