Day 11 Step Lively
Scripture focus: Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out. Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. James 5:13-16 The Message
The fifth step in the Christ-centered 12 step process (see www.northstarcommunity.com for more info about what this means if you need to) invites the participant to tell self, God and another person the exact nature of their wrongs – i.e., confess. I wonder which is the most difficult – the telling to self, the admitting to God, or the sharing of this "sin" with another? I have been asked about the need to confess to another human if you have already confessed to God. But in the wisdom of the book of James, it says confess to each other too. There must be a good reason.
Confession within a community is healthy – so long as it is done wisely.
I often serve as a receptacle of confession. People tell me their stories, and I listen for the confession embedded within the telling. I do this because it's good for them, and great for community.
When one of us makes a confession (appropriately), it helps the listener connect. It creates an environment where others feel free to practice the art of confession too. Confession is an antidote to false impressions and unauthentic living.
It's hard to embrace self-pity after listening to story that clearly proves that you're not alone. It's almost impossible to feel unique and lonely when your neighbor just shared a story that sounds remarkably like your own. Try believing that no one can help you because no one understands your situation after listening to someone share their story, and it's not only similar to your own – it's actually worse!
As we develop friendships that create safe havens for confession, we create a community where people can live together – whole and healed. This community grows into a force to be reckoned with. It's my prayer that more and more people will accept the challenge of making confession a common practice – and in so doing, advance the kingdom of God.
Recommended reading: Exodus 32-34
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