A few years ago, Pastor Sean McClain gave a message at Devoted and talked about confession of sin. He explained how sin has power when it stays in the dark and remains unconfessed. However, when we get it out of the dark and into the light, through confession, it loses its power over us! That message really stuck with me. It encouraged me to talk with a close, godly person in my life about sinful things in my past that I never told anyone. It was awkward and scary at first, but it led to healing and freedom.
What a beautiful promise that God will forgive and cleanse us from our sins and unrighteousness if we confess them! Of course, admitting our wrongs is often one of the last things that we might want to do. Often in a state of guilt and shame, confession requires us to swallow our pride and can even be awkward or painful. James 5:16 says, “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 produces wonderful results.”
Know that God loves you and desires an intimate relationship with you. If sin has gotten in the way of your relationship, admit it to Him. I’d even encourage you to confess it to a godly mentor, friend, or spouse, too. I bet you’re not going to want to do this. But do it anyway! Remember, Jesus Christ died and rose again so that you could be 100% forgiven and reconciled to the Father.
“The means of forgiveness and cleansing is the blood of Christ, while the method of this forgiveness and cleansing is the confession of the Christian.”
So here’s what I want you to do:
- Take a couple of minutes quietly before the Lord and ask Him to reveal any unconfessed sin in your life.
- Confess to Him. Write it down.
- Know that God absolutely loves you and has already forgiven you.
- Find a godly mentor or friend and talk about this with them. Have them pray for you.
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