Confession

In our quest for spiritual intimacy, there are often some difficult, but necessary challenges along the journey. We have discussed in previous segments the importance of being alone with God. Just as Jesus found it necessary to spend time alone with God, we also will enhance our relationship with Him by being with Him. As we meditate in solitude and silence in the presence of God, we cannot help but at some point be confronted with our sinfulness as we bask in the presence of His holiness. As we contemplate God, the brilliant light of His truth shines completely through us, illuminating, revealing, and eliminating all self-justification, hypocrisy, self delusion, and blame. As our hearts are laid bare, we openly and honestly admit our sins to our Father. It becomes quite natural, therefore, to desire the forgiveness, cleansing, healing, and sanctification found in God’s love, mercy, and grace through the blood of Jesus.

Confession is truly good for the soul. We must allow God to probe our hearts, helping us to see the ugly truth about ourselves that we have chosen to hide for so long. “The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being” (Proverbs 20:27).

“Lay your entire soul open before God. You can be sure the Lord will not fail to enlighten you concerning your sin. Your Lord will shine as a light in you; and through His shining, He will allow you to see the nature of all your faults.” Jeanne Guyon

Lamentations 3:40 “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”

“Confessing is not about destructive introspection or morbid brooding on failures. It brings freedom and all sorts of benefits, including transparency with God and with others. Coming clean this way helps us accept our weaknesses as well as strengths, our brokenness as well as giftedness.” Jan Johnson

James 5:16 tells us to "confess our sins to one another." We are usually reluctant to admit our errors. Why is this so especially in light of confessions healing benefits? Confession builds humility and a healthy sense of our dependence on God. Confession is liberating as it frees us from the guilt, shame, pretention, and hypocrisy.

Perhaps we do not confess our sins readily because we do not have broken and contrite hearts. We need a clear vision of the reality of our sins. We have violated and rejected God. Our relationship has been damaged. Confession is an important and intimate moment in connecting with God and restoring our relationship with Him.

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2009 at 5:27 AM

    Speaking from personal experience, one thing that hinders my confession is pretense - I find that I am still trying to maintain a certain "image." I pray that in confession I can be free from this. I know that my self-justification/self-promotion/self-righteousness is a particular area in which I need soul-training. My self needs to decrease so He can increase, and this post has reminded me that the absence of regular confession in my life is correlated to the centrality of my "self" in my life.
    I have a question for the others who follow this post - do you have a particular person with whom you regularly confess your sins to one another, or how have you made this a part of your life? I'm looking for ideas from those who are already enjoying the blessings of this discipline.
    Thank you, Terry, for posting this.
    SS

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