Sunday, March 4, 2012

Confession

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
-- James 5: 13 - 20


              There was a period of time that I truly wrestled with God over whether I needed to confess a certain sin to other believers in my life. A sin that I had confessed to God and knew that I had received forgiveness for, but still remained a consistent struggle in my life. What would be the advantage of me sharing that sin? It would only show people how sinful I am (there's some good old pride for ya)! What are people going to think if I confess it to them? They are going to want nothing to do with me (still more pride)! Meanwhile, at home, at Kroger's, and various other places, the sin was almost mocking me with how often it would appear and plague me! 
              Finally, after months of praying and seeking God's wisdom on the matter, the moment came for me to open up. A friend shared the set of verses from James. I read it realizing how foolish I was in not seeking the prayer, the aid, the strength from loved ones in fighting this sin. Yes, the Lord has already won the victory for me, but others needed to know to hold me accountable. Others needed to know so that they could pray for me. Others needed to join me in this fight. Ultimately though, God needed to receive the glory for how He was and is cleansing and giving me a new heart. 
              So over the course of a few months I entered this period of confession, where, to brothers in various numbers, I became transparent confessing my past, the struggles I face, and how others could pray for me. I confessed the sins and how from it other sins arose in the form of lies and deception, but glory be to God that He still chose to use me despite it! After each confession we prayed and I instantaneously felt deeper strength in the Lord. As the stronghold from the enemy was weakened, the "rock" that I was standing on became wider and sturdier. The Lord revealed to me how much progress He had made in cleansing me; how I was a son of His, never to return to the sin that used to corrupt and deteriorate me. 
              The period has essentially ended with my girl friend and I confessing our brokenness to one another. We felt that it was important for our relationship if we were transparent with one another. After the confessing, Christ looked so much more beautiful and our relationship was strengthened as Christ serves as the basis of it. We will grow stronger together, and be able to glorify our Lord more, as we become more saturated in His truth and spirit! 
              The verses from James really came to life during this time. There is strength in confessing our sins not only to God, but to others in the faith who will earnestly join us in the battle. It is safe to say that what remains of the sin that haunted me is just dust. Even though there are still memories and other aspects of the sin remaining, I know that it does not affect me in the way it used to. My eyes are fixed upon the cross where even before I was born, Jesus, my savior, died for this sin. There is no longer a stronghold. The enemy has been shamed and defeated! 
           

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