A truly
repentant heart brings a timely confession with God’s full loving forgiveness
assured.
June’s Awakening, Day 17
Admission of wrongdoing is not an
admission of weakness, but a sign of strength.
—Author Unknown
We must lay before Him what is in us,
not what ought to be in us.
—C. S. Lewis
If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 NIV
Therefore,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1
NIV
And
the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise
them up. If they have sinned, they 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 person is powerful and effective. James
5:15–16 NIV
We have completed our discussions of
the inward and outward spiritual disciplines and now we will look at the last
three disciplines, the corporate spiritual disciplines—confession, guidance,
and celebration. The corporate spiritual disciples are those which you
would undertake with a trusted spiritual companion or in group settings.
Confession.
The spiritual discipline of confession is both inward, directed to God
Himself, and corporate, when you are prompted by the Holy Spirit to confess a
sin directly to a person you’ve wronged, or to another trusted spiritual mentor
such as a pastor. Likewise, you yourself may be a trusted spiritual mentor, and
others may desire to confess their sins to you as a confidant.
Confession is one of the most
important things that we must continually do to live life beyond regret. It is
both healing and cleansing and helps us to focus on what’s right and to turn
from that which is contrary to God’s Word. It also serves to keep our
relationships viable and is a reflection of our honesty, integrity, and noble
character. Remember, we are all the worst of sinners and there is none righteous,
so we are all in this equally together, especially in God’s eyes. Also, since
all sin is rebellion against God, we should always be repentant and confess our
sins to Him first and acknowledge and be assured of His forgiveness for us.
There is no sin that cannot be forgiven by Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and
the blood He shed—He did not die in vain, for every sin is covered. The next
most important step we should take is confessing a sin directly to someone
we’ve wronged and ask them for forgiveness and seek reconciliation. This
releases the burden from us and cleans the slate, providing that we are truly
remorseful and seek to make amends. If the person you’ve wronged is not
receptive, then so be it for the time, as you have done your due diligent part
and the rest is on them, not you. If you have done and said all that the Holy
Spirit has prompted, but still have a heavy heart, you may need to confess the
sin to a trusted confidant. Pray about who to seek out in this matter and let
God’s Spirit direct you. The individual must be a trusted confidant,
spiritually mature and wise, compassionate, knowledgeable, understanding,
upholding the highest of integrity, and be open and approachable. This person
could be your pastor, another pastor, or anyone who fits those criteria.
Tomorrow we will look at the two
aspects of confession—confessing your sin to a trusted confidant and
conversely, someone confessing their sin to you as their confidant.
Author Web Page Link
No comments:
Post a Comment