Carrying a Concealed Weapon

Confession of a sin, it’s such a hard thing to do, because it deals with facing a sin head on. In addition, it triggers the possibility for change we might not be ready for, which leads to it just being a thought. I’m reminded of Proverbs 28:13 which states, “Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

If I could be totally transparent for a moment, when I know that I’ve messed up, I first waddle in my despair, then I talk to God about it and I’m done, until I do it again. Yes, you heard me right, until I do it again. Over the years I’ve learned the difference between confiding in someone and confessing to someone. Confiding is just telling someone your secret and that’s what I would do with God. I would tell him my secret as if he didn’t already know, and then I would move on, because I felt relieved, creating a cycle. But when I learned about confession, I learned it’s digging and conviction, which causes a desire to change, owning up to my actions, admitting to a fact or guilt. So, when I truly began to reflect on my actions, that’s when my confession became real with God, and the change was triggered/desired. I even learned the difference in the feeling of confiding versus confession. When I confided, I felt God to be silent, as I was just getting the issue of my chest, not looking for guidance. But, when I confessed, I felt God‘s presence, leading me to engage in sincere worship, prayer, and gratitude.

That's not all, once I had that revelation of the difference between the two, God turned it up a notch, and led me to James 5:16, which states,”Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”. Now, this was hard because I was confessing to people God led me to, not knowing if they would judge or pray with me. I had to be intentional that I did not hold back and make these encounters a confiding session, but yet a confession session, so that we could experience the gift of God‘s presence even in the midst of my fall. Matthew 18:10 states, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” My confession would lead to us praying for change.

So, just as I am learning to stop using God as a sounding board, I am also learning that God has put people around me to be his hands, feet, and ears. Therefore, we must learn that confessions are the starting point to deletion/change, but we must not omit the prayers of the righteous I heard.

Prayer:

Lord, keep me at your feet, so that I may desire change! Amen