CONFESSING SIN

 

CONFESSING SIN

James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.  NLT

      When was the last time you confessed your sins to another believer?  It’s been a while, hasn’t it?  Now I am not advocating confessing our sins to others for our forgiveness (unless of course we have sinned against them and need their forgiveness); only Christ can forgive us and make us right with God.  However, there is great value in opening up to another about sin in our hearts. 

      Confession gets things out in the open.  It forces us to admit that we are sinners.  It makes us accountable for our sins and responsible for doing something about them.  It humbles us as we no longer are able to be who we appear to be but are not.  It also gives us hope as we realize we are not alone in our struggles, that we all fail from time to time.  I believe this is one of the reasons why altars are still an important part of a church’s life.

      Confession is good for the soul and so is praying for one another.  The goal of all confession is a restoration of the soul with God.  There is no way that a heart can be right with God apart from confession and prayer.  There is great comfort in knowing that others are praying for us when we open up about our sins.  We need to be in continuous prayer for one another so that we may have pure hearts before God.

      Don’t minimize the importance of prayer when it comes to dealing with sin.  The sincere prayers of a righteous person are very effective.  They are powerful for they move the heart of God to act and the result is wonderful to behold.  When needy people are prayed for by righteous people great things begin to happen. 

       If you are struggling with sin issues, find someone who you can trust with your heart and confide in them.  Let them come alongside you, pray with you, and help guide you through the Scriptures as you deal with your sins.  Then, pour out your soul before Christ and you will be forgiven and find the peace of soul that eludes you.

       Jesus assured us that where two or more are together and they are in agreement on anything, God hears our prayers and answers them.  When righteous people pray together over confessed sin, they are forgiven and the soul is set free.  Why would we not confess our sins and pray for one another?

       No sin is unknown by God.  The only person who suffers when sin is not admitted and not sought forgiveness for is the sinner.