Day 12: Confession

In Genesis, when Adam and Eve were in the garden and disobeyed God, their relationship was broken. God came to the garden to look for them. As Adam and Eve hid, God said to them, “Where are you?” Let’s be honest, God, the creator of mankind and creator of the universe, knew exactly where they were. He was not asking, “Where are you in the garden?” He was asking, “What’s going on in your heart?”

Adam and Eve came out of hiding and told Him everything, they confessed. It was at that moment that God punished them for disobeying and banned them from the garden. Still, God left the garden with them so that he could pursue a relationship with them through the redemption plan of Jesus Christ.

Confession is a powerful tool. Without confession, we will spend our whole life doing exactly what Adam and Eve did, running and hiding from shame and embarrassment and never being able to experience a lifegiving and freedom-filled relationship with God or others.

Confession is the bridge that connects knowing about someone to knowing the heart of someone. Confession of our sin is important because it is the response to recognizing there are areas we have come up short in our life, which opens the gate to forgiveness. But confession is much more than just giving God a list of all your wrongdoings. It is the opening of our heart and soul so that we can be filled up with the presence and grace of God.

When we live a lifestyle of confession, it keeps us from hiding in isolation. The danger of isolation is being hidden and when we isolate, we are not accountable to anyone. Most of the time, the “lowest points” in our life happen in hiding and isolation, and our most extraordinary moments in life occur in openness and community.

Scripture of the Day

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Examples of Confession: 

*Take some time today to recognize your areas where you have come up short – whether you say it out loud or write it down, hand these over to the Lord.

*Find a confidant that you can regularly open up to and trust to talk through the areas of weakness in your life.  (James 5:16)