The Freedom in Confession

“Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16

Shame seems to be a topic of conversation a lot lately, but the way it’s talked about is as though someone else is responsible for making me feel shame. As a result, we live our lives hiding away the things we don’t want anyone to know and we never speak of them.

The truth is, speaking about them is the first step that will lead us to freedom! When we open our mouths and confess, that’s when we can find forgiveness and healing. As a result, shame actually loses its hold because the accuser’s voice holds no power. He can’t beat you up with what you’ve done because it’s already out there and you’ve found forgiveness and healing.

People may encourage you to confess to the Lord and I completely agree with that! There is nothing hidden from him anyway, and when we confess it to Him we can receive His forgiveness. Confess it and allow the Lord to transform you with His love!

But this verse actually encourages us to confess them to others as well. When we confess to a trusted friend, family member, mentor, or even leader, we can pray for each other. The Bible tells us that we will be healed and restored when we do.

Application:

I challenge you to ask the Holy Spirit if there is anything in your life that is hiding in shame. Any secrets that you carry that you think you’d never want to be uncovered. Begin to confess those things to the Lord and receive His forgiveness. Next, ask the Holy Spirit to bring a trusted person to mind that you can also confess to. Then, confess to that person and ask them to pray for you.