The Spiritual Discipline of Confession

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

As a little girl, when I did something I was not supposed to do, I would try to hide my misbehavior from my mom. The fear of discipline would cause me to keep my actions a secret. I suppose, often, this worked. But it never kept my heart from paying the price for my sin.

What I have learned since those childhood days, is that when I “own up” to my behavior and repent, the response is often forgiveness and reconciliation. Confession is a premium worth paying for freedom.

Sin creates barriers in relationships. We see this from the beginning of time in the story of Adam and Eve. One of the first Bible lessons we learn is that a fig leaf cannot cover our shame. But it does hide the grace of God from our line of sight.

The gift of grace and forgiveness.

Grace is never withheld from us or hidden. We are playing a solitary game of Hide and Seek, and God does not hide from us or play games. We can remove our blinders, the cloak of deception, by confessing our sin.

The free and undeserving gift of grace, which can take the form of forgiveness, allows us to share in the divine life of Christ. It is the gift of life, a gift opened by us through confession.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Confession

Confession brings life by admitting to God what He already knows. The Greek word for confession is homologeo. This means to concede to what is factual or true. To acknowledge that we did something wrong.

Why do we hold back on confessing to the all-knowing God what He already knows to be a fact in our lives? Shame and embarrassment are often my first response to the tug in my heart when I become aware of a sin I need to confess.

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long…I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover up my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:3,5 (ESV)

David describes the weight of unconfessed sin as causing his bones to groan, do you ever feel this way? For me, when my heart feels convicted, as I pray it will, it starts with heat from inside, which creeps up my body, until I am almost visually squirming. Perhaps, the conviction of unconfessed sin uncomfortably affects you also.

Step into confession.

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. Proverbs 28:13

I have found a pattern to confession. It goes like this:

1. An awareness of my sin and tendency to do wrong. Part of my regular prayer time includes confession. Somedays, I come with a long list of sins to confess. But other times, my mind is a blank, and I must start with a listening prayer. I pray for God to show me areas of unconfessed sins. Invite the Lord to come in and minister to you by recalling those sins which may be trying to stay covered up with fig leaves.
2. Have a conversation with God about your sin. We need to be comfortable telling the Lord our truths. It does not bother God for you to be honest with Him. Confession is the act of telling your sins, your truth, to the Lord. It is an admission of wrong. Like we talked about earlier, homologeo simply means to agree with God about the facts of our sinful life.
3. Choose to receive God’s grace. It is a beautiful thing when we recognize how our sin binds us to the grace of God. By accepting the gift of grace, through forgiveness, we experience freedom.

Let us approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Confession is a gift.

Confession brings life. It restores our souls to a right relationship with God, frees us from the shackles of shame and guilt, and it brings us into communion with God the Father. What a glorious gift confession is! Can you recall a time when confession brought the gift of freedom into your life?

Heavenly Father, thank you for your gentleness with me when I bring before you my shame and embarrassment. I confess to you my sins, known and unknown, and accept your forgiveness with a joyous heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is the second in the Spiritual Discipline Series. The first in the series was the Spiritual Discipline of Simplicity which you can read HERE.