It has been said that confession is good for the soul. I believe that. Psychology has proven it. And it is in fact Biblical. James 5:16 says, “…confess your sins to each
other and pray for each other so that you may be healed…”
There is a process called “risk-reward.” There are certain actions that carry a high
risk and with that high risk comes a potential high reward. I think James 5:16 is talking about this in
part… “confess your sins to each other” – high risk. Now here is the high reward: “pray for each
other so that you may be healed.” Each of us have areas that need healing –
that is the reward. Are we willing to
take the risk – confess our sins to each other?
Here are some areas that I challenge you to confess not only
to God, but to someone else:
THOUGHTS – as many as we have in a day, there are those that
run wild and are clearly defined as SIN.
Be as specific as you feel comfortable sharing. Confess that your thoughts have at times been
less than pure and righteous.
WORDS – Proverbs says where words are many, sin is not
absent. We’ve all done it. Said something that we knew was wrong to say,
but we said it anyway. A judgment
made. A gossip shared. A negative outlook spoken. Confess the sinful words spoken by your mouth.
ACTIONS –things that we do that we know are sinful. And then there are the things that we don’t
do, yet know we should, this inaction is also sin. Confess the active and passive actions of
your life that are in the sin category.
MOTIVES – this cuts right to the heart of the
matter…literally. Our motives reveal
what is in our hearts. It is why we
think what we think, say what we say, and do what we do. Some are good. Some are not.
Confess the motives of your heart that are sinful.
Once your have confessed to another, now you are ready to
receive. At this point, if you have been
honest, you are humble and in need of grace from Jesus! And He is ready to pour it into you through
the prayers of his servant whom you have confessed your sins to.
Who will you confess your sins to this week?
Loving and Leading,
Jeff Powell
