confession

Confession, they say, is good for the soul.

It's also been said that confession is a lost practice of the contemporary evangelical church.

Accountability is a very good thing, most necessary for life and growth, but openly confessing your sin to a trusted friend is tricky. What will they think? Will they look at me differently from now on? Will they tell someone (of course as a "prayer request")? Will they reciprocate?

And potentially the worst outcome (in my opinion) of confessing to a friend: they excuse your behaviour for you, they say you're still ok, you're still good, and you walk away feeling much better, never confessing to the only One you should.

David prayed, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight." (ps 51:4)

I want to be the kind of Christ-follower that keeps short accounts. Jesus waits for us to admit our wrong not because He doesn't know how, where, when and why we fall short. When David prayed for God to "search him" it was to show him, David, the areas in heart that required forgiveness.

Confession is for our sake.
Confession is a vital part of our everyday worship.
It puts us in our rightful place, sinners saved by grace alone. It reminds us Who is in control and of our need to submit to Him. Imagine being like the Israelites who spent a quarter of the day reading the Word and a quarter of the day in confession and worship! (Nehemiah 9:3)
If you had the time, could you do that?

That kind of time could be considered a luxury in our day, but what about a few moments? In Nehemiah 9, they recited back to the Lord their own story - one of God's goodness and faithfulness and their own wickedness and betrayal.  It doesn't take a great imagination for me to be able tell the Lord my story, though I know He remembers many more details than I ever could!

As I recall His faithfulness and my heart prone to wander, I confess, and I feel my heart line up with His will.  I ready myself for what He has for me this day.

Confession, we know, is good for the soul. (1 John 1:9)
It enables us to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

If you have a moment now, here's a song to lead you.
It's been leading me, and I praise God for this reminder!