James 5:16
Admit your faults to one another and pray
for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a
righteous man has great power and wonderful results.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Timothy just cracks me up
sometimes. He is the world’s worst to tell on himself! He will have a
little “incident” at our house, and we will work through it and say,
“It’s over and done. Let’s move on.” He might even ask, “Are you going
to tell my mom?” We will tell him that there is no need for anyone
else to know about what happened. And the first thing Timothy will say
when he sees his mother is, “I was bad,” or “I had a problem” or some
form of a “confession.”
Oh, bless this child and his innocence!
Someday all too soon, he will probably learn to keep his “faults” to
himself. It’s what we do. We pretend to the world that everything is
wonderful…that we don’t make mistakes…that we don’t have struggles with
everything from addictions to relationships to physical ailments and
illnesses. In the words of the old Gillette Company antiperspirant
commercial, we never let them see us sweat!
We are often far too
proud to ask for prayer. This is such a simple request with incredibly
powerful results…but we just cannot bring ourselves to do it – not even
to our closest friends and relatives. We barely admit to God that we
require help! We surely don’t want anyone else to know that we are just
like everyone else – weak and SINFUL and in need of corporate
intercession.
You don’t have to announce your deepest, darkest
secrets to the world. But find someone you love and trust, and let them
in just a little. Admit to this person that you have an area where you
need prayer…and allow them to share in your burden – and your
petitions. You will be amazed at the results - and the blessings - as
you share your faith and discipleship with another.
So let’s take
a page from a 7-year-old’s book today and “tell on ourselves.” Let’s
let others see us sweat, just a little…in order that we can receive the
benefits of their prayers and support. Let’s pray for others and
receive THEIR confessions and prayer requests without passing judgment.
And together, let’s begin to heal by the power of Jesus. Are you
ready?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label confessing sins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label confessing sins. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for February 18, 2011
Psalm 31:1-2
Our God, you bless everyone whose sins you forgive and wipe away. You bless them by saying, "You told me your sins, without trying to hide them, and now I forgive you."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Someone told me recently about baking a pie, and some of the egg yolk got in the egg whites for the meringue, and they would not beat stiffly. The baker said, “I’ll just cover the pie with frozen whipped topping, and nobody will care.” I was reminded of a time when my grandmother covered dinner rolls she had made for a family dinner with a dish towel atop her gas stove. You guessed it… the towel caught fire when she turned on a burner, and bits of ashy residue baked into the tops of the rolls. She said to me, “Maybe nobody will notice.”
I know that covering meringue on a pie with whipped topping is not a “sin” – nor is scraping ashes off of a pan of hot rolls and hoping nobody will suspect any foul play. But the fact is, we play fast and loose with the truth in situations that really do matter… and often! We pretend our sins are not really sins, and we try to smooth things over with others… and with God… when all the while, the truth would serve us far better.
Look at this passage again… God says, “You told me your sins, without trying to hide them, and now I forgive you.” Let’s face it… God knows what we do and say already. Trying to hide anything from God is impossible and only serves to make us look more foolish. When will we get how much God loves us? When will we understand that He is not waiting with a whip and a chain, ready to beat us into submission? God wants us to be real with Him… to be honest… to do our best, and confess our shortcomings… and there will be plenty!
What are you trying to hide these days? What have you “scraped off” or “covered in whipped topping?” Isn’t it time you came clean with God and basked in His mercy and forgiveness? Get everything out in the open with God… confess your sins to Him… tell Him what He already knows (but wants to hear from you)… and begin to enjoy a new level of His blessings, joy and peace.
©2011 Debbie Robus
Our God, you bless everyone whose sins you forgive and wipe away. You bless them by saying, "You told me your sins, without trying to hide them, and now I forgive you."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Someone told me recently about baking a pie, and some of the egg yolk got in the egg whites for the meringue, and they would not beat stiffly. The baker said, “I’ll just cover the pie with frozen whipped topping, and nobody will care.” I was reminded of a time when my grandmother covered dinner rolls she had made for a family dinner with a dish towel atop her gas stove. You guessed it… the towel caught fire when she turned on a burner, and bits of ashy residue baked into the tops of the rolls. She said to me, “Maybe nobody will notice.”
I know that covering meringue on a pie with whipped topping is not a “sin” – nor is scraping ashes off of a pan of hot rolls and hoping nobody will suspect any foul play. But the fact is, we play fast and loose with the truth in situations that really do matter… and often! We pretend our sins are not really sins, and we try to smooth things over with others… and with God… when all the while, the truth would serve us far better.
Look at this passage again… God says, “You told me your sins, without trying to hide them, and now I forgive you.” Let’s face it… God knows what we do and say already. Trying to hide anything from God is impossible and only serves to make us look more foolish. When will we get how much God loves us? When will we understand that He is not waiting with a whip and a chain, ready to beat us into submission? God wants us to be real with Him… to be honest… to do our best, and confess our shortcomings… and there will be plenty!
What are you trying to hide these days? What have you “scraped off” or “covered in whipped topping?” Isn’t it time you came clean with God and basked in His mercy and forgiveness? Get everything out in the open with God… confess your sins to Him… tell Him what He already knows (but wants to hear from you)… and begin to enjoy a new level of His blessings, joy and peace.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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