Hi, my name is Andrea. I listen to bad pop music like Justin Bieber and The Jonas Brothers. I watch too many ABC Family teen dramas. I burp without a second thought. I have an unhealthy crush on Switchfoot in it’s entirety. I occasionally talk about people behind their backs. I can be mean to just about anyone without a reason. I’ve started numerous books that I’ll probably never finish. I sometimes fall asleep without brushing my teeth. I don’t always get things done when I say that I will. I failed Greek. I often speak before I listen. In the past six months I have had many days where I just didn’t eat. Shall I continue? Because there’s a lot more.
Confession. Why is it something that intimidates us so much? Why is it something that, when brought up in conversations, makes our bodies tense and our guard immediately come up? Because confession brings about exposure and vulnerability. Let’s be honest, no one longs to be exposed.
I lived on a floor with 38 girls for the past four years of my life. I can’t tell you how many times girls came to my room saying, “I’ve never told anyone this before...”. It is a phrase that rings over and over in our heads as we battle with the emotions of wanting freedom from our strongholds, but also being terrified of being exposed. Where does this battle come from? From the father of lies, of course.
Elyse Fitzpatrick, in her devotional Comforts From The Cross, says the following:
If you belong to Jesus today, your enemy, Satan has two goals: to remind you of your sin and to accuse you continually before God. Satan takes perverse pleasure in reminding you over and over again of your failures. He does this to dishonor Jesus Christ and make you turn your eyes upon yourself in over-scrupulousness and introspection. He does this so that you will not love your Savior or have the faith to obey him.
What she means by this is that Satan has been feeding us lies for centuries. He wants us to believe that it is wrong for us to confess our sins before God and others. He does this by cascading us deep into the pit of shame and guilt. We end up believing that there is no way that our family and friends, let alone a holy God, would ever love and forgive us for what we have done. But, if we look to Scripture, we find that it says quite the opposite. Scripture not only commands us to confess our sins, but goes on to explain that when we do so, there is mercy, grace, love, and freedom waiting for us on the other side. So if all of those amazing gifts are there for the taking, why are so scared to grab them?
The night I confessed a whole boatload of things to a friend, I was a disaster. I was tense and defensive. I was so upset at myself and what I had done that I laid on the couch and cried. After lots of crying and about 30 minutes of nonsensical word vomit, the entire story was out. My friend sat on the chair next to the coach and listened, without any judgement, just a few clarifying questions. It felt like shards of glass were spewing out of my mouth with each word, tearing me up inside and leaving me in pieces. But the funny thing was, after all the crying and explaining, I felt better. It was done. The secrets and pain I’d been clinging to were no longer just my burden. There was no more pretending. And the best part of it came next. My friend didn’t reject me. Instead he prayed for me. He brought God back into my mess.
We will never be able to overcome the sins in our lives until we’re able to confess them not only to the Lord, but to others. The Bible explains that eventually our sins have a way of catching up with us. Either by our own confessions, or by becoming exposed by another means. I chose to tell my friend about some mistakes I’d made, and the healing and grace that came with it was amazing. I didn’t choose to tell my family about some of my struggles. That exposure was not amazing and it happened in the Emergency Room. There’s a distinct difference between confession and being found out. One, though seemingly the scarier of the two, is definitely the less painful one. So, the question is, do you want confession which Scripture says can only bring about healing, or do you want to believe the lies that satan has fed you, live in the shadows and eventually be forced out into the light? The choice is up to you.
Believe Jesus when He says that He has NEVER left you nor forsaken you.
Believe Jesus when He says that if you confess your sins He is QUICK to forgive you.
Believe Jesus when He says that in confessing your sins to each other you will be HEALED.
Believe Jesus.
Take the time to seek out a trusted friend and confess. Not via text or email. Face to face. It’s time to step out from behind the lies and secrets we’ve been holding onto and press into Jesus to gain freedom from our sins.
Ready? Set? GO!
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. -James 5:16
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. -Proverbs 28:13
Confession. Why is it something that intimidates us so much? Why is it something that, when brought up in conversations, makes our bodies tense and our guard immediately come up? Because confession brings about exposure and vulnerability. Let’s be honest, no one longs to be exposed.
I lived on a floor with 38 girls for the past four years of my life. I can’t tell you how many times girls came to my room saying, “I’ve never told anyone this before...”. It is a phrase that rings over and over in our heads as we battle with the emotions of wanting freedom from our strongholds, but also being terrified of being exposed. Where does this battle come from? From the father of lies, of course.
Elyse Fitzpatrick, in her devotional Comforts From The Cross, says the following:
If you belong to Jesus today, your enemy, Satan has two goals: to remind you of your sin and to accuse you continually before God. Satan takes perverse pleasure in reminding you over and over again of your failures. He does this to dishonor Jesus Christ and make you turn your eyes upon yourself in over-scrupulousness and introspection. He does this so that you will not love your Savior or have the faith to obey him.
What she means by this is that Satan has been feeding us lies for centuries. He wants us to believe that it is wrong for us to confess our sins before God and others. He does this by cascading us deep into the pit of shame and guilt. We end up believing that there is no way that our family and friends, let alone a holy God, would ever love and forgive us for what we have done. But, if we look to Scripture, we find that it says quite the opposite. Scripture not only commands us to confess our sins, but goes on to explain that when we do so, there is mercy, grace, love, and freedom waiting for us on the other side. So if all of those amazing gifts are there for the taking, why are so scared to grab them?
The night I confessed a whole boatload of things to a friend, I was a disaster. I was tense and defensive. I was so upset at myself and what I had done that I laid on the couch and cried. After lots of crying and about 30 minutes of nonsensical word vomit, the entire story was out. My friend sat on the chair next to the coach and listened, without any judgement, just a few clarifying questions. It felt like shards of glass were spewing out of my mouth with each word, tearing me up inside and leaving me in pieces. But the funny thing was, after all the crying and explaining, I felt better. It was done. The secrets and pain I’d been clinging to were no longer just my burden. There was no more pretending. And the best part of it came next. My friend didn’t reject me. Instead he prayed for me. He brought God back into my mess.
We will never be able to overcome the sins in our lives until we’re able to confess them not only to the Lord, but to others. The Bible explains that eventually our sins have a way of catching up with us. Either by our own confessions, or by becoming exposed by another means. I chose to tell my friend about some mistakes I’d made, and the healing and grace that came with it was amazing. I didn’t choose to tell my family about some of my struggles. That exposure was not amazing and it happened in the Emergency Room. There’s a distinct difference between confession and being found out. One, though seemingly the scarier of the two, is definitely the less painful one. So, the question is, do you want confession which Scripture says can only bring about healing, or do you want to believe the lies that satan has fed you, live in the shadows and eventually be forced out into the light? The choice is up to you.
Believe Jesus when He says that He has NEVER left you nor forsaken you.
Believe Jesus when He says that if you confess your sins He is QUICK to forgive you.
Believe Jesus when He says that in confessing your sins to each other you will be HEALED.
Believe Jesus.
Take the time to seek out a trusted friend and confess. Not via text or email. Face to face. It’s time to step out from behind the lies and secrets we’ve been holding onto and press into Jesus to gain freedom from our sins.
Ready? Set? GO!
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. -James 5:16
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9
He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. -Proverbs 28:13
This is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI love you and what and how you write.
ReplyDelete