Confession can be an incredibly freeing experience. We’ve all seen examples of how humble confession has the power to restore broken relationships between family and friends. As important as confession is in our relationships with others, it is even more important in our relationship with God. Today we talked about how Jesus set the pattern for confession in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-12). Jesus intended that confession (the acknowledgement of our guilt and the request for forgiveness) would be a consistent practice of ours. We also talked about how confession can be both spontaneous and structured. We can spontaneously ask God for forgiveness the moment the Holy Spirit brings conviction to our hearts, and we can set aside time to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal things in our lives that we need to confess to Him.
What about you? Has confession (spontaneous or structured) been a regular part of your life? If so, what does it look like for you? Have there been times in your life where you felt far from God because you were suppressing His conviction instead of confessing your sin? What were the consequences in your life of suppressing instead of confessing? Have you ever felt guilty receiving the free gift of God’s forgiveness?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
BTW – Here’s a passage I referenced today that would be a great passage to meditate on throughout the week.
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5 comments:
well recently I had done something wrong and I felt very guilty about what I did I was going to confess but the person found out before I could confess. but really I have learned that confession is not easy to do because you have consequences afterwards. so it is hard for me to confess unless god really speaks to my heart.
Mjshockey - thank you for your openness! In this blog post and message, I was focusing primarily on our confession to God for our sins. But you're right - confession to others is a difficult thing because it can carry some consequences. But it also carries major benefits. When we confess our sins, we become free from the guilt and shame that often accompanies our secrets. I would encourage you to find a trustworthy Christian friend of the same gender that you can share with when you mess up. I think you'll find that this type of confession, along with our confession to God can be a freeing experience. Remember James 5:6 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."
thanks jon but also when we confess to god he will also give us a consequence in some form. just like if we confess to someone else so either way it still hard to do.
You're absolutely right. Sometimes there are consequences to our actions. But we'll experience those consequences whether we confess to God or not. For example, if I steal something, I will experience the consequence of that sin whether I confess to God or not. But when I confess, my fellowship with God is restored. I may still have to face the consequence of that sin, but I do so with the joy and strength of knowing that my fellowship with Him isn't broken. I don't disagree with you at all when you say it is hard to do sometimes, but we have to remind ourselves that the benefits of confession far outweigh any downside. And God is gracious to walk with us through whatever consequences we may have to face.
What are the consequences when we confess our sins to God? Are they not forgiveness and peace? We should never fear to open our hearts daily to the God who sent Jesus to die and the Holy Spirit to help us when we pray.
I John 1:7-8 encourages use to confess and the consequence is forgiveness. We might suffer as a result of the sin, but that would happen whether we confessed it or not. The difference is in the confession as we suffer, I believe, God walks with us through that suffering.
True confession of our sins before God moves us to repentance an attitude that exalts God and brings us into right relationship. The Glory of God is demonstrated in his mercy, which can only be understood when we see the depth of our wickedness contrasted with God’s goodness. I John 1:9 says that if we do not recognize our sins we make God a liar and the truth is not in us. Confession to God verifies our dependence on him and his mercy toward us.
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