If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 john 1:9Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
James 5:16
The One Step Daily Devotional is intended to provide just one step each day for your journey with God. Every journey requires water breaks. Here is a water break for you.
Why confess?
In a world that hides, twists, covers, invents, abandons, and sanitizes the truth, why would anyone confess?
Confession seems to be an unprofitable blow to one’s own advancement. Why do it?
When 1 John 1:9 uses the word confess, it’s a translation of the Greek word homologeō. This word means to say the same thing as another; to agree.* When we confess our sins to God, we are speaking the same thing as Him. We are choosing to agree with Him and His Word.
To refuse to or shrink away from confessing to God equates to refusing to agree with Him. Confessing a sin to God sounds like, “Lord, I come in agreement with you that what I did was sin. I agree with you that there is a better way, Your way.” This kind of confession leads to forgiveness and cleansing. To walk away from confession (or, to say something other than what God says about an act) is to walk away from forgiveness and cleansing of unrighteousness.
Sometimes we attempt to hide things from God, so when we confess, we think that we are surprising Him with something that could catch Him off guard. This is not the case. He knows. He’s waiting for us to come into alignment with Him.
That’s a pretty good reason to confess to God. But, is that enough?
James 5:16 is pretty clear that confessing to others brings healing. Healing is super important, but what does James mean? Does God intend for us to speak the same as others? I don’t think it takes much convincing that always speaking the same as others is not a good idea, nor does it bring healing.
In James 5:16, James uses the word exomologeō which we translate confess. This word derives from homologeō, but it includes a prefix èk. This prefix means of, from, or out.* Meaning, when we confess something to someone else, we are coming into agreement with God and His Word and getting it out to someone else.
How many times have you confessed something to someone and just felt so much better? Maybe you confessed something that was done wrongly to you. For healing to come, you had to get that out in the open. Maybe you confessed something that you did wrong and felt a weight release?
God desires to forgive all and for all to be healed. Confession to God brings forgiveness; confession to others brings healing.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to come into alignment with Him and speak the same thing as Him about something in your past or in your life. Perhaps today God wants you to find a trusted friend to confess that to. Maybe you have been the victim of someone else’s sin, and God would have you confess that to someone safe for healing.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a water break… we all get thirsty.
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*"G3670 - homologeō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (nasb95)." Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 26 Jul, 2024. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3670/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/.
"G1843 - exomologeō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (nasb95)." Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 26 Jul, 2024. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1843/nasb95/mgnt/0-1/