Today’s devotion is from James 5:16 (AMP)
Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].
Most of the time people will skip the first part of this verse and go straight to the part dealing with heartfelt prayer, but as the Holy Spirit was imparting truth concerning prayer, He added the very important first part of the verse concerning confessing our sins to one another.
Let me begin by saying that neither James the apostle or the Holy Spirit is encouraging a sin-conscious lifestyle. Also, this verse has nothing to do with getting God to forgive our sins (we were already forgiven through Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary). Confessing sins to one another in the context of this verse is dealing with our healing and our wholeness of heart. Being free from broken-spiritedness and being whole has everything to do with effective prayer. People who pray out of a place of offense, frustration, hurt, guilt, condemnation, sin consciousness and brokenness struggle to pray fervently in faith.
The Greek word for ‘confess’ (exomologéō) is different from the Greek word also translated as ‘confess’ in 1 John 1:9 (homologéō). The Greek word translated as ‘confess’ in James 5:16 means to admit, to acknowledge and to come clean. The Greek word translated as ‘confess’ in 1 John 1:9 means to ‘say the same thing that the Word say’s about a believer's sin in the light of covenant’.
1 John 1:9 is not instructing believers to confess every sin to God to receive forgiveness, it is instructing believers to confess and to declare the same thing that the Lord is saying in His Word regarding their sin in the light of the New Covenant… “I have been forgiven by the stripes of Jesus, I am the righteousness of God in Christ, I have been mad acceptable in the Beloved, I am dead to sin and alive to God, I am under grace and sin has no dominion over me, Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound, and by grace I am free from sin”. Saying the same thing as the Word when it comes to our sin will break the power of sin over our lives, set us free from sinful behavior and allow us to receive forgiveness and power over sin.
What James is teaching in James 6:16 is different; admitting specific shortcomings, sins, offenses and struggles to select, loving believers of like faith will get you needed help, will open the door for others to pray for you and will bring your personal struggles into the light where darkness and obscurity can no longer dominate you.
Many believers struggle alone with secret sins and secret fleshly behaviors. Whether it be a lying problem, a drug problem, a lust problem, an anger problem or something else… there are people who have lived in bondage to these things for years. Their faith is affected, their boldness is affected and their walk with the Lord is affected. These people need help and they cannot get free alone.
Bringing struggles or sin into the light by confessing to another believer that you can trust will set you free, bring healing, deliverance and wholeness. It will create accountability, stability and freedom.
It is important to note that the scripture says, ‘Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed’, not ‘confess your sins to one another and counsel one another that you may be healed’. Once confession is made, we need to pray together. Praying according to 1 John 1:9 is what is needed. Begin to declare to the Lord and to one another; make confession and say the same thing that the Word says about sin in the light of the New Covenant.
This is how we help each other as fellow believers. Now, it is of vital importance that we do not ‘share’ one another’s sins and struggles with others. Only if the person struggling gives permission to include another believer to his or her support team. Laying another believer’s life open to others, exposing their faults and gossiping about them will result in severe discipline from the Father.
Confess your sins to one another your false steps, your offenses, and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power - Selah