True Confessions That Heal

James 5 : 16, Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. NKJV

Just like in the physical world, we go through many seasons in the body of Christ. In our church, we are in a season where the Lord is instructing our people to share their testimony with others. When we ask people to share their testimony of victory over their past, the response is about the same every time. They say, "I just don't know if I can obey the Lord by sharing what I've gone through in my life." This hesitancy is very common; people want to give glory to the Lord for what He has done in their lives, but they aren't comfortable with sharing their past issues with others. The fear of reprisal or rejection is a real barrier that most of us must confront and overcome if we're going to defeat our enemy completely.

It is in this context that I want to share with you the principle that James discusses in his epistle to the church about the process of restoration from sin. James tells us to confess our faults and transgressions with one another as we pray for each other so that healing will be released. Isn't it interesting that as we seek to rid our hearts and lives of sin, we are instructed in the Word of God to confess our deepest and sometimes darkest secrets? Just to have the ability to be so vulnerable and transparent with those who may know us the most requires us to place a high level of trust in God. Nevertheless, God requires us to trust Him and to share our faults so that He will be allowed to heal us from the sickness or disorder that has apparently occurred as a consequence of living in sin. 

I asked the Lord to give me an analogy that would help to relay this principle in a simplistic way so that we all might walk in divine forgiveness and health. If you cut yourself and the wound isn't properly cared for, it can become infected. All of us have incurred hurts and wounds in our emotions, hearts, and bodies. However, we don't always know how to dress the wound properly or address the issue from a biblical perspective. Not knowing how to care for an injury can allow our enemy, through the heart of man, to infect us with sin or infection. Catch this! If we don't properly address the wound with godly truth, then the enemy can lead us to medicate the pain without addressing the heart issue... thus giving place to spiritual corruption or infection. (Our Response)

Once a cut becomes infected, it creates an atmosphere where death and decay  begin to erode our flesh tissue. Guess what? This is the way unforgiveness and bitterness can corrupt our souls and bring about spiritual death. As we seek the Lord for His instruction on how to address our faults and emotional scars, we must also remember what James has told us in this passage. We must be willing to tell people who are (SPIRITUALLY MINDED) our faults and sins so that as they pray with us and for us, we can be made completely whole. Remember James qualifies with whom you should confess your faults ... a righteous person that has a solid prayer life and knows how to get God's attention on other people's behalf. Now you can ignore his guidelines and share your secrets with anybody, but you'll only be opening yourself up to more hurt and greater infections that can exacerbate the sickness and prolong your illness.   

Find a good church and get planted in it; it is the place where spiritually ill people need to go and find a "safe place" to be restored from the ravages of sin and disease. Even though your local Pharmacy has medication and bandages, you won't  go there for major surgery and have the cashier perform the procedure. You know people who are Christians, and you feel safe with them, but it is still not recommended that you share heavy sins with those who aren't otherwise qualified to handle them. The Bible tells us to be wise as serpents, but remain harmless like doves. If you have sin in your life or an infection in your soul, use godly wisdom; obey the principles shared with you from the book of James today. The Lord wants you to be healed, and He wants others to know what He has done for you so that they can be inspired to have faith in Him for their situations. 

911, What Is Your Emergency,
Pastor Asa