GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“You can be courageous in admitting your sin precisely because God is richly abundant in his mercy. He comes to you in mercy not because you are good but because you are a sinner, and he knows that because of this condition, you are unable to help yourself.” ― Tripp

James 5:16-17 (MSG)

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.

What is it that they say about confession?

It is good for the soul.

Well it is.

Yet the enemy would have you think otherwise.

“What if they knew about that lust issue Pastor, what would they think?  Better keep that a secret.  Same with that angry outburst or that ‘less than truthful’ exchange.” “Better keep that under wraps.  You are their leader don’t forget.”

  

The enemy wants us to CARRY that sort of thing around and let it fester and stew into guilt and shame. 

Why would me or you consider that when GOD makes it clear that admitting the sin, something Tripp reminds me is inherent in me anyway, is the healthy path to healing?

Hard to fathom.  But we try to do just that.

There is a saying in recovery that we are only as sick as our secrets.

That is true.

It is when we own the mistakes and fess up to the faulty thinking and actions that we find healing, that we find mercy and we find an assuring and FAITHFUL GOD willing to wipe the slate clean through CHRIST when we confess!

... a clean slate and a fresh start - comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:30 (MSG)

…if we admit our sins - make a clean breast of them - he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. 1 John 1:9 (MSG)

I know I need that mercy. I am DAILY thankful that GOD is willing to purge, to wipe out my mistakes, to clean my slate.

Can you imagine life without this mercy?

Can you imagine life without this grace?

I couldn’t.

I don’t want to.

Life is hard enough!

Instead I am awake this morning thanking GOD for his INFINITE mercy, his PROACTIVE approach to my sinfulness and for His sustaining grace!

“Sustaining grace promises not the absence of struggle but the presence of God.” ― Max Lucado

How about you?

Been struggling of late?  

Don’t forget that is to be expected.  

Made some errors?  Been missing the mark?

Remember grace.

Remember that confession is that pathway to it.

Be bold. 

Don’t let the sin fester.  Admit it.

“The heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of gospel truth.” ― Dieter F. Uchtdorf