This week we are focusing on confession, forgiveness, and fasting and all that entails. We completed our examination prep and the first step of confession to God. Today I want to talk about confessing to others.
Confession—what is it? When you need to confess a sin to someone else, take time for preparation and prayer before plunging ahead. Just like a kid who apologizes because a parent or teacher says they have to, you don’t want it to sound insincere or forced. Confession to another person might look different depending on the situation, the person, and the timing between when it happened and when you’re confessing.
Confession—to whom? The Bible is very clear about that. Confess your sins to one another. Now that does not mean you confess to Jane what you did to Mary. It means you confess to Mary what you did to Mary. The sin is between the two of you and no one else unless someone saw or heard what happened. Then an added confession may be needed to clear the air for everyone involved. That’s something else to pray about.
Why? There’s nothing worse than trying to avoid someone because you know there’s something between you, especially if they don’t know your part in it. Coming clean about your sin allows a relationship with that person to be restored as well as your relationship with God to be restored. Just confessing to God is only the first step. Taking the second step towards the person you’ve sinned against is harder, but if you pray about it beforehand, God will take care of the results. You may be afraid of what their response will be, but don’t be…just leave the results in God’s hands.
Confessing breaks the power of sin and Satan over our lives. Covering up sin doesn’t profit anything, but confessing brings release of sin’s power, forgiveness, and restoration. If we don’t confess our sin, it isolates us from others and God. Having a clear conscience is also very important in an unspotted witness to the world. Don’t give anyone a chance to defame you or the Lord nor criticize you due to unconfessed sin. Confessing is not just for ourselves, but also so that others will not be able to find fault in us.
“Keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak
Maliciously against your good behavior in Christ
may be ashamed of their slander.”
1 Peter 3:16, NIV
When? I don’t think there’s any specific guidelines as to when to confess to other people, but the sooner, the better. If you let it go, sin is still present in your heart until you take that second step of confessing to the other person. If it is something that just happened, it’s best to take care of it right away. I’ve read too many books and watched too many movies where someone was wronged and it almost destroyed a relationship. But when the person who sinned finally went and confessed, the relationship was restored. If it’s something that took place a long, long time ago, it’s not exempt, but you will most likely need to bathe it in extended prayer before digging up the past which in itself is usually painful.
However, one time frame that the Bible does mention about confession is in the following verse:
“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple
and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
leave your sacrifice there at the altar.
Go and be reconciled to that person.
Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”
Matthew 5:23–24, NLT
So before you present yourself for worship, service, or participating in the Lord’s Supper is definitely a time when confession should be a priority.
Results. A clear conscience and a restored relationship with the other person and God are the best results I can think of. Any other reason is merely complimentary or an added bonus.
For the next two days we’ll look at forgiveness and then prayer and fasting.
PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, it is so hard to go to another person and tell them the wrong I’ve done/said, but please give me Your strength to take that necessary step, and prepare the way.
- Week 1 – temptation
- Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
- Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
- Week 4 – God’s love for us
- Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
- Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
- Easter – resurrection and salvation