The Wonder of Confession

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...confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed...
James 5:16

I got to experience this at Soulwell last night: I had been weighed down by an area of sin in my life for some time now, and last night I had the opportunity to confess this sin to a friend and to God.

We prayed together, opening our hearts to the Lord, grieving for the ways we have strayed from Him, asking for and accepting His forgiveness, and basking in the freedom of leaving our sin behind us. I truly felt healed after this, as if a wound or a subtle, nagging ache was simply taken away.


Here are some thoughts from others at Soulwell regarding the healing that comes from confession:

"I could see the end of the tunnel; life was not over; it was a good thing to confess."

"Bringing sin out of the darkness, into the light broke its power over me."

"I felt free from the terror of guilt and fear; I didn't have to pretend any more about my spiritual maturity."


Confession leads us to a wonderful place, both before God and others. May we not readily forget this.
...if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us...
1 John 1:9

Our Next Soulwell: Friday, Nov. 16th @ 7:00pm

Is this what we think of when we hear the word "confession?" I must admit, I don't get extremely excited when I think about confessing my sins. And what's so important about confessing our sins anyways?

Psalm 32:3-5 says the following:

When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "—
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

At Soulwell this Friday we'll take a closer look at confession, examining how this often misunderstood practice actually brings forgiveness, healing, and restored relationship both with God and with others. We hope to see you there!