now someone could ask about the first part of james 5.16 (ms), does confess your sins to each other mean that i have to get up in front of the whole church and confess my sins? and that is a good question and the answer is you only confess as widely as it involves other people.
what i mean by that is if i've got a private sin, just between me and GOD, then i ought to just confess it to GOD. if it's a personal sin, between me and you, then i need to come to you. but if it's a public sin, then i need to apologize to the whole church. and confess your sins, does not mean broadcast them. but if it involves somebody else you ought to go to somebody else.
now confession is a major part of being able to live with others and we know that relationships in this day and age need some healing. james 5.16, (ms), confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.
the truth is because of our pride we'd rather conceal and camouflage our sins, than confess them. but it is a liberating experience to confess them and get them out and share them, not just with the LORD but with each other. and remember revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. the wholeness and healing comes from the relief of not carrying a burden anymore, to just get it out and share it with somebody else so you can be loved and accepted for who you are without having to pretend you're perfect and wear a mask.
just a thought from the front porch...
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