How come many churches don't teach confession? Could it be because they don't know how? Could it be because they are afraid of losing people in their congregation? Could it be because they are afraid to lay themselves open to another human being? If you want to walk with Jesus along that long and narrow path with your cross, then you are going to have to do it His way.
In Mark 1:5 and Matthew 3:6, People that came to be baptised, also confessed their sins. They didn't do it behind closed doors and in silence or even just a quick ' Please God forgive me of my sins.' No, They confessed their sins, not one sin, but all their sins, openly to another human being. By confessing your sins to another person honestly and sincerely, we are confirming to God and to ourselves that we are being honest. It's a deep cleansing that we need to do. In James 5:16 He tells us to confess our sins one to another. You can try to avoid it all you want, but by not doing this, how do you ever expect to grow spiritually?
When you walk with the Lord, you don't get to pick and choose what you want to do. Either you are going to walk with Him and do it His way or you can travel the highway with the others. It's all about being submissive. Pride and fear are basically the two strongholds that keep people from doing this type of confession. Looking inward at oneself and admitting to another their darkest, most inner secrets is not an easy task, but we need to do it. Believe me that when it's over you will not regret what you did. The blessing you will receive is unspeakable.
The load of carrying all that darkness around will be lifted. You need to unload this darkness, it hinders your spiritual growth. I've tried telling people about confession and it seems like nobody wants to hear it. How can anybody who says they have accepted Jesus Christ in their hearts and yet, don't want to do one of things that He came here to teach us about that would save our souls? Was Jesus' death on the cross in vain for you? Because He was the sacrifice, we don't have to sacrifice animals anymore. If we would just confess our sins, we can be forgiven of them, not like in the past where the blood of the animals just covered over the sins.
You don't want to die with all that darkness that still lies hidden in you. On judgement day it will be to late, your past will be laid out in the open and you will be judged by it. 1 John 1:8,9 If we say we have no sin in us, we are deceiving ourselves and refusing to admit the truth; but if we acknowledge our sins, then God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and purify us from everything that is wrong. Bless His heart and soul. "Confess" : acknowledge. "Acknowledge" : recognize: accept as truth. Show that one has noticed. Please read - "Confession" at: itrustgodonly.com/confession.htm
Now that we have taken a look at ourselves by making a list of things we did wrong and told them to another individual, it's time to work on removing these defects for good. Remember to always talk to Jesus about these things we need removed and let Him help us to overcome these defects. The defects we have can be a little tricky to see. Reason being is because we've been accustomed to our way of thinking for so long, that the things we do don't seem to be so bad, and it's likely because we, as carnal minded people, are blind to our own defects.
Some of our defects are usually seen by others. This is how other people judge our character. Some of us talk talk behind other people's back, some of us have a short temper, or we are always interupting (butting in) while others are talking. Like what we have to say is more important. If you really take a good look at yourself, you'll be able to see the things that you need to change. Now if you want to practise a little humility, ask people if there is anything that you do or say that bothers them. Study the way others act and don't judge them, but see if you are like them in any way. You'll begin to see yourself unfold before your eyes.
The reason we can't judge others is because we have sinned as they have, so no pointing fingers,when you do, there's always three pointing back at you. Don't focus so much on what others are doing wrong, we have enough to deal with in ourselves. You'll also find that by looking for the good in people and not seeing the bad, you'll become a better person yourself, a much happier one too. Don't try to use the defects of others to justify yourself as being better than them, it will come back to haunt you and that's guaranteed. I know it's hard to overcome these defects, it's a constant daily battle. It seems like it's easier to be defective then it is to be righteous.
We all want to feel better about ourselves, but we seem to go about it in the wrong way. It all starts with our pride. Greed, anger, lust, sloth, envy, jealousy and gluttony. One or two or three or even all of them either have or will play a part in our lives at one time or another. These are all ugly characteristics we need to get rid of. We need the Lord to remove these from us, but we need to be willing and ready at all costs to want to change these bad fruits into good fruits. Look at Galatians 5:19 - 21 for a list of bad fruits and Galatians 5:22 for good fruits. The bad fruits we produce please satan, and the good fruits we produce please God. The bad fruits are produced by our carnal selves. Our carnal mind and bodily senses want these bad fruits. As long as we keep producing these bad fruits, we'll never be connected to God or so to say, "Walk with God".
If we want to overcome ourselves(pride) then we need to start producing good fruits, but only by the grace of God can we overcome. You've come along way already, don't stop now. The spiritual life is so much more beautiful and peaceful than the carnal life. True freedom is to be free from the bondage of your carnal desires and the problems the world offers. An individual that has true freedom could be locked away in a 6' x 9' cell for life and still be free. Men and women lose their lives everyday fighting for freedom and peace. God bless their hearts and souls. We need to fight for our freedom as well, if we don't our souls could perish.
Ask Jesus to show you the way and ask Him to remove whatever defects you need to get rid of. In this war there's no escape. Who's side are you fighting on? God's or satan's? Colossians 2:11 ' In Him you have been circumcised, with a circumcision not performed by human hand, but by the complete stripping of your body of flesh. This is circumcision according to Christ.' This is how Jesus helps you to overcome the desires of the flesh. This is one of the sacrifices He made for us. This is what the scouraging that He went through was for. Bless His heart and soul. Pray hard, work hard and follow Jesus to the cross, so you can nail your flesh down. God Bless You and Always Be Grateful. |
