Confession of Sin

[bargab]

Can anyone think of anything that is more important than sharing our weaknesses, shortcomings, falling short of the glory of God things? Important to our spiritual, emotional health?

For example, is confessing sins more foundational than making friends or sharing our feelings with other people? Or is worshipping God or meditating on God's word more important than confessing sins?

Any thoughts? Does this make sense?

 

[Stanfi]

Let's see. I'll try to take a stab at this one.

Confessing our sins to God is the most important in our relationship with him. Sin seperates us from God.

Sharing our failures with our brothers and sisters in Christ can be a source of strength to them. When they experience the same things we have and have survived. It gives them hope.

Our relationship with God is to be the formost priority in our lives. When we put God first he takes care of the rest. We also need good quality friendships with Christians here on earth. We cannot make it alone, we need each other.

I don't know if that answered your question or not.

 

[ZiSunka]

It's all important. Confession isn't the end all and be all of faith, but it is an important part of faith. But confessing to friends, to God privately, or to your pastor is just as effective as confessing to a priest.

 

[bargab]

I like your thoughts. . .

The reason I bring this up is 'cause I'm thinking about focusing my spiritual growth on this discipine of confessing my sins on a daily basis. However, seeing as though it seems best to focus on one practice at a time, I wondering if I should start with this one first or if I should work on developing a more deeper worship of God or work on developing deeper friendships or a daily lifestyle of meditating on His word, or other spiritual discipline.

Cheers

 

[The Midge]

I found that getting my prayer life and regular bible study sorted out have been the most important bed rocks for spiritual growth. The confessions follow on from that.

By using the Lords Prayer as a model helps you to include all the vital things you need to pray for. Regular Bible study helps you determine what you need to pray for and confess!

And your whole life can be an act or worship.

God Bless your quest.

 

[AdoptedByGrace]

Can anyone think of anything that is more important than sharing our weaknesses, shortcomings, falling short of the glory of God things? Important to our spiritual, emotional health?

For example, is confessing sins more foundational than making friends or sharing our feelings with other people? Or is worshipping God or meditating on God's word more important than confessing sins?

Any thoughts? Does this make sense?

Absolutly confess your sins every day! Can any of us really say that we can go for more than a day or two without commiting a sin? We DO need to confess our sins every day! As far as confessing our sins to other believers,-here is James 5:16-"THEREFORE CONFESS YOUR SINS TO ONE ANOTHER, SO THAT YOU MAY BE HEALED." Let there be NO disharmony within in the body of Christ!

In Jesus Name!
ABG!

 

[NEHEMY]

Ok this is my feeling on this...

I believe that you should confess your sins every day to GOD. I don't believe in confessing your sins in a regular basis to people or your friends because they can't wipe your sins away. God can and He is the person you should be confessing to in the first place. BUT if you committed a sin that effected someone, for example, if you're married and cheated on your spouse than you MUST confess your sins to her or him. Or if you secretly stole from someone you know than you MUST confess your sin to the person and seek their forgiveness. When you witness to people you're going to tell them the sins you committed to show them where God pulled you from and how He changed you. You're going to use your life in order to witness. BUT if you're going to confess your sins to friends be very very careful. People talk and you don't want to put your business all out there, depending on what the sin is; even if your friends are Christians, just because they're Christians doesn't mean that they're trustworthy. PLEASE remember that! I'm not really big on confessing your sins to people unless it effected them because God is the one that can wipe them away. I believe that the verse from James is talking about ONLY if you feel that you must seek forgivness from someone you've wronged or if you're married so that your prayers together may be more effective. If you feel you must confess your sins, confess it to an annointed pastor or priest. Be careful on confessing your sins to friends or so called friends.

 

[bargab]

I am thrilled that people have thoughts similar to my own. Much of my sphere of influence cares not much about the deeper things in God's kingdom!

Has anyone ever heard the phrase, "We (the family of God) are Jesus with skin on"? The reality of God's forgiveness is made more real to us when His grace is evident on the faces of His people.

I can totally understand what Nehemy has said, though. I too find it difficult to share my shortcomings with people partly b/c I don't think this information would be safe with them. My father was kind of like an unsafe person, using personal information about to hurt me as an move of attack against me. It is scary to share such personal information not knowing if so or so is going to use it later to spite us.

 

[bargab]

Hi ya'll!

For this past week I have been actively confessing my sins, shortcomings, weaknesses in my personal journal. I have found this a very rewarding experience. I feel much more at peace with God and more motivated or hungering after God's rightesousness. My practice today started out more like a discipline as a opposed to being excited coming before God's pressence with the sin within me. As I went along, though, my spirit became more willing to open up and pay closer attention to what's going on.

ABG, I too don't think it is possible for us to be without sin on a daily basis espcially when it comes to our inner attitudes as such. Satan is constantly at work and he understands that if he can keep the inside of our cup dirty our behaviour is going to be ugly. So, I think your ephasis that confession is best practiced on a daily basis is so important.

 

[bargab]

Midge,

I was wondering if you would expand on how you think bible reading and general prayer to God are more foundational to the success of confessing our sins to God and one another. . .

 

[The Midge]

Midge,

I was wondering if you would expand on how you think bible reading and general prayer to God are more foundational to the success of confessing our sins to God and one another. . .

In your OP you said:

Can anyone think of anything that is more important than sharing our weaknesses, shortcomings, falling short of the glory of God things? Important to our spiritual, emotional health?

For example, is confessing sins more foundational than making friends or sharing our feelings with other people? Or is worshipping God or meditating on God's word more important than confessing sins?

I think that prayer and Bible Study are more important tou our spiritual growth because they bring us into God's presence. The Bible is God's word to us, it is how His Character, desires and guidlines for living are revealed to us. It provides the measure to assess ourselves against, the light that shows up our sins. By reading it,knowing it, understanding it, we know more about God and where we fall short.

Prayer is our conversation with God. God who sees everything. The God who sends his Spirit to work in us and transform us. When we talk and commune with God we realise He sees all and there is no point in hiding from Him. We have to be honest with God who is like a judge waiting for us to pleaad guilty so he can suspend our sentance. We have to be real with God before we can be real with others.

In my own life I have worked on prayer frist then Bible study. Confession is important. However God seems to be prompting me to work on depending on Him next. That may be because I one of those types of people who is naturally fairly self critical.

It has taken me far too long to start getting some of the basics right. God is patient!

I hope this makes sense.

 

[bargab]

Dear Midge,

I like your thinking. . .

How can we know what God desires for us, what He knows is in our best interests without communicating with Him and studing His written word? I mean I do believe that God has already given each person a general knowledge of what is right or wrong, but in order for us to adqueately practice this confession of sin we need to know the more specfic standards and guidlines of God.

I guess for me, this importance on general prayer and bible study is kinda overlooked since I've been involved it these practices for most of my life. I became a Christian when I was age four and have been in the church that long--memorizing scripture, listening to sermons, singing hymns, etc. God's general desires have already been instilled in me.

Thanx for sharing. . .

 

[bargab]

On second thought, I am wondering if your over critical or what the bible calls a weak conscience is made partly this way b/c of all the things that you know about God's standard and guidelines from reading the bible. Perhaps it is time for you to make peace with where you've fallen so that His guidelines don't become too burdensome for you. For someone who reads the bible or any other book can fall into the trap of having all of this knowledge and yet have a heart that feels overwhelmed by the information. God through the confession of sin can help to reconcile this.

Of course we know this is only made possible b/c of what Jesus has done for us! In my mind, confessing our sins is much more than confessing, but it is mostly about accepting the forgiveness and grace of God despite the messed up things we do.

What does confessing sin mean to you, anyone?