He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces finds mercy. ~Proverbs 28:13
But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; you may be sure that your sin will find you out. ~Numbers 32:23
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ~1 John 1:8-9
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sins the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. ~Psalm 32:1-5
The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. ~James 5:15-16
Surely, confession is good for the soul. Without confession, how can there be forgiveness? Without confession, how can there be healing?
Steps 4 through 8, of the Celebrate Recovery Guide to recovery are as follows: 4. “We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” 5. “We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” 6. “We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.” 7. “We humbly asked Him to remove all our short-comings.” 8. “We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”
When a person enters recovery, they are no longer in denial about their sinful nature. They know that they have caused harm to themselves and others. They are tired of the life, with its games, that they had been living, and they are willing to do the work required of them to make positive changes. So that it won’t be overwhelming, the steps in recovery are broken down into twelve steps that lead from acknowledging their sin, their hurt, habit or hang up, through taking responsibility for themselves, and on to helping another walk the same path beside them.
Sometimes, as Kathy and I fellowship with those in the recovery community, we can’t help but think that they are the fortunate ones. They know they are sinners. They can usually point out their exact wrongs or struggles. They have the burning desire to stop the games and change and grow and redeem the years that the locusts have eaten.
When I mention to church goers that we are all sinners, it is more often greeted with an attitude something like, “Yes, yes, we know. I wonder what will be served during fellowship today?” The news of our sinful condition is more often treated as if a person has been told “There’s a stain on the hem of your shirt,” not, “There is a defect in your soul that hinders you from becoming all that God has planned for you.” To not acknowledge that is to live in denial.
In our prayer insert, after the section on Adoration, I always include a line of confession. However, it is a confession that I have written. You may read it, but is it really yours? If, instead, we had a moment of silence, would you have anything to pray, in secret? If I asked for a verbal confession, would there still be silence? Would that silence be out of fear of what others would say, or think of you, because you don’t trust them to be understanding and supportive, or because you can’t think of anything? As your Pastor, I often find myself wrestling with these things.
Many churches don’t even like talking about sin. When Kathy was involved with Child Evangelism Fellowship in Maine, one other woman, who had wanted to help with the program, was strongly opposed to telling children that they are sinners! She thought that would be cruel. She thought that Kathy should only speak of God’s love and save the talk about sin until the children were older, or better yet, skip it all together. She missed the point that, only in acknowledging all of our sinful natures, from small children through adults, is God’s love able to be talked about at all.
He doesn’t love us because we are lovable, or good or nice. We were enemies, bent on destruction of all He had done. Then, when we are brought to the foot of the cross, we see just how much God loves us anyway. The more deeply we acknowledge our sin, the more deeply we appreciate God’s love for us. Children can appreciate that too. As adults, we often play “footsy” with our sins, thinking that the little ones: white lies, unofficially acquired office supplies, stolen time, won’t hurt anything, but they do. Even the tiniest sins hurt Him, which is why He paid for it.
“He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces finds mercy.” When we continue to think that our sin is no big deal, we do not grow. We can’t, because we are willing to continue to keep peace with poison and let it reside within us. It’s like wanting to be healthy but refusing to eat healthy foods or exercise. It’s in the confession, and admitting to our sins and weaknesses that we begin to find release from the power it holds over our lives.
“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was sapped as in the heat of Summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity.” This is the story of those who walk closely with the Lord. He will not let you be comfortable in your sinful condition, but will have it bother you, making you uncomfortable until confession releases it, enabling you to walk in victory over it. It’s a good thing to hate your sin. It is a sign of the Holy Spirit within you, urging you to holiness.
Those in Recovery will tell you that it is when they begin to confess that they find release and mercy; mercy from God and mercy from those around them. Their burden is lightened because, by admitting to their struggles they find others who are willing to help them shoulder the burdens and aid in overcoming them.
Confession of sin is nothing more than admitting that we are human and in need of God’s grace and mercy. “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Confession is not just an opportunity to ask for forgiveness and hopefully be forgiven, but James actually also ties it to healing, certainly of Spirit at least.
I wonder how much of the church is hampered by the sick souls within who are either afraid to acknowledge and confess their sin, or who aren’t even aware of the sin within. I’ve heard the church described as an infirmary for souls. How much stronger the church would be if those within acknowledged their illness and were willing to take the remedy.
Prayer: Father, forgive me for any sins I may find in my heart, (bad attitude, selfishness, lust, greed, envy, [fill in the blank _________]. I confess to you. And if it is good for me to find a brother or sister who can hear my confession, then lead me to the right person who can help me bear this burden and hold me accountable for change. I want to grow! And Father, if I have sinned against a person and need to apologize and make amends, please strengthen me to humble myself, and prepare the way too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Amazing Grace
But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; you may be sure that your sin will find you out. ~Numbers 32:23
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ~1 John 1:8-9
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sins the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; My strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. ~Psalm 32:1-5
The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. ~James 5:15-16
Surely, confession is good for the soul. Without confession, how can there be forgiveness? Without confession, how can there be healing?
Steps 4 through 8, of the Celebrate Recovery Guide to recovery are as follows: 4. “We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.” 5. “We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” 6. “We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.” 7. “We humbly asked Him to remove all our short-comings.” 8. “We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”
When a person enters recovery, they are no longer in denial about their sinful nature. They know that they have caused harm to themselves and others. They are tired of the life, with its games, that they had been living, and they are willing to do the work required of them to make positive changes. So that it won’t be overwhelming, the steps in recovery are broken down into twelve steps that lead from acknowledging their sin, their hurt, habit or hang up, through taking responsibility for themselves, and on to helping another walk the same path beside them.
Sometimes, as Kathy and I fellowship with those in the recovery community, we can’t help but think that they are the fortunate ones. They know they are sinners. They can usually point out their exact wrongs or struggles. They have the burning desire to stop the games and change and grow and redeem the years that the locusts have eaten.
When I mention to church goers that we are all sinners, it is more often greeted with an attitude something like, “Yes, yes, we know. I wonder what will be served during fellowship today?” The news of our sinful condition is more often treated as if a person has been told “There’s a stain on the hem of your shirt,” not, “There is a defect in your soul that hinders you from becoming all that God has planned for you.” To not acknowledge that is to live in denial.
In our prayer insert, after the section on Adoration, I always include a line of confession. However, it is a confession that I have written. You may read it, but is it really yours? If, instead, we had a moment of silence, would you have anything to pray, in secret? If I asked for a verbal confession, would there still be silence? Would that silence be out of fear of what others would say, or think of you, because you don’t trust them to be understanding and supportive, or because you can’t think of anything? As your Pastor, I often find myself wrestling with these things.
Many churches don’t even like talking about sin. When Kathy was involved with Child Evangelism Fellowship in Maine, one other woman, who had wanted to help with the program, was strongly opposed to telling children that they are sinners! She thought that would be cruel. She thought that Kathy should only speak of God’s love and save the talk about sin until the children were older, or better yet, skip it all together. She missed the point that, only in acknowledging all of our sinful natures, from small children through adults, is God’s love able to be talked about at all.
He doesn’t love us because we are lovable, or good or nice. We were enemies, bent on destruction of all He had done. Then, when we are brought to the foot of the cross, we see just how much God loves us anyway. The more deeply we acknowledge our sin, the more deeply we appreciate God’s love for us. Children can appreciate that too. As adults, we often play “footsy” with our sins, thinking that the little ones: white lies, unofficially acquired office supplies, stolen time, won’t hurt anything, but they do. Even the tiniest sins hurt Him, which is why He paid for it.
“He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces finds mercy.” When we continue to think that our sin is no big deal, we do not grow. We can’t, because we are willing to continue to keep peace with poison and let it reside within us. It’s like wanting to be healthy but refusing to eat healthy foods or exercise. It’s in the confession, and admitting to our sins and weaknesses that we begin to find release from the power it holds over our lives.
“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me. My strength was sapped as in the heat of Summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity.” This is the story of those who walk closely with the Lord. He will not let you be comfortable in your sinful condition, but will have it bother you, making you uncomfortable until confession releases it, enabling you to walk in victory over it. It’s a good thing to hate your sin. It is a sign of the Holy Spirit within you, urging you to holiness.
Those in Recovery will tell you that it is when they begin to confess that they find release and mercy; mercy from God and mercy from those around them. Their burden is lightened because, by admitting to their struggles they find others who are willing to help them shoulder the burdens and aid in overcoming them.
Confession of sin is nothing more than admitting that we are human and in need of God’s grace and mercy. “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” Confession is not just an opportunity to ask for forgiveness and hopefully be forgiven, but James actually also ties it to healing, certainly of Spirit at least.
I wonder how much of the church is hampered by the sick souls within who are either afraid to acknowledge and confess their sin, or who aren’t even aware of the sin within. I’ve heard the church described as an infirmary for souls. How much stronger the church would be if those within acknowledged their illness and were willing to take the remedy.
Prayer: Father, forgive me for any sins I may find in my heart, (bad attitude, selfishness, lust, greed, envy, [fill in the blank _________]. I confess to you. And if it is good for me to find a brother or sister who can hear my confession, then lead me to the right person who can help me bear this burden and hold me accountable for change. I want to grow! And Father, if I have sinned against a person and need to apologize and make amends, please strengthen me to humble myself, and prepare the way too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Amazing Grace
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