James chapter 5, verse 16 says, “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.”
The thought of confessing our sins to one another can be pretty scary. I mean, it’s embarrassing, right? To confess to another person the things that we do wrong when we give in to the lies of the enemy; To actually share that with somebody can be pretty intimidating!
I was just thinking about King David and psalm 32 I want to read that to you.
Psalm 32
A Davidic instruction.
The Blessings of Forgiveness
1 How blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 How blessed is the person against whom the LORD does not charge iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away by my groaning all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; my strength was exhausted as in a summer drought. Interlude
5 My sin I acknowledged to you; my iniquity I did not hide. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin! Interlude
6 Therefore every godly person should pray to you at such a time. Surely a flood of great waters will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; you will deliver me from trouble and surround me with shouts of deliverance. Interlude
8 I will instruct you and teach you concerning the path you should walk; I will direct you with my eye.
9 Don’t be like a horse or mule, without understanding. They are held in check by a bit and bridle in their mouths; otherwise they will not remain near you.
10 The wicked have many sorrows, but gracious love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
11 Righteous ones, be glad in the LORD and rejoice! Shout for joy, all of you who are upright in heart!
This very public Psalm by David is confessing his sin. He’s talking about the importance of taking that to God. David grieved his sin. He grieved the actions he took, but ultimately he took it to God and repented. When he did, God was able to free him from the guilt of sin.
I think this psalm is so incredibly powerful for anyone who is struggling with guilt from sin. We’ve talked many times here at Every Day Incredible about how we don’t have to give in to that kind of guilt. If it’s guilt and shame, that’s not of God.
Romans 8 tells us that there’s not condemnation anymore when you are in Christ Jesus. If you are aligning yourself with God’s truth and you are repenting- you’re turning away from any of those sins that have drawn you away- you don’t have to feel guilty. You don’t have to dwell there.
Even when there is guilt in that you have committed a sin and you have chosen to rebel against God’s truth, nothing’s going to separate you from God’s love. Nothing is going to pull you away from Him. If you repent and turn back to Him, He’s not going anywhere. You don’t have to live in guilt because that price has already been paid. Like David, once you’ve grieved that sin and once that sorrow has brought you to the point of repentance, you can let it go.
God’s going to forgive you. He can set you free from that guilt when you verbalize that repentance to Him. When you repent of any pride, any unforgiveness, malice, bitterness, and any of that. Any actions that you’ve taken that you have suffered so much over, that you have felt guilty over, you don’t have to dwell there. That’s not where you are intended to be. Like the prodigal son, you can wake up, and you can choose to run back to the Father. You don’t have to stay in the guilt. When you’ve grieved your sin, take it to God and let Him heal you of it.
Also consider those around you. If you have someone near you who is a righteous person, persistent in prayer and knows how to pray strategically, make sure you talk to them. You don’t have to give every detail, but it can be something as simple as, “hey, I’m struggling with bitterness. Will you please pray?”
We can confess those sins to each other we can pray for each other so we could be healed as we can find freedom from that if you’re looking for that kind of mentorship and accountability do check out our digging deeper group, https://diggingdeeper.everydayincredible.net. If you have questions, just let me know.
As always, just remember that there really are opportunities every day so make every day incredible – and don’t live in the guilt!
