Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Therefore – James 5:16 – Confess Your Sins – Growing As Disciples
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16 (NIV)
Powerful Prayers
Are you willing to admit your faults? What do you do when you know that have done something wrong? Do you try to hide what you have done? Do you live in denial that you have a fault that you must admit? Do you ignore me when I am prompting you to confess your sin to someone else? I have had a hard time admitting my faults. I have pretended that I haven’t done anything wrong. I have ignored your prompting to confess my sin to another person. Do you know why this is not good? I can think of a few reasons why it is mistake to fail to admit my faults and confess my sins. I’m listening.
You want me to live in close relationships with others. Yes, I do. As I live in close relationships with others I will have an opportunity to minister to them. Yes, you will. If I sin against someone and don’t admit my faults and confess my sins I will lose any opportunity I might have had to minister to others. That’s right. As I live in close relationships with others we will be able to keep each other accountable and spur each other on as we confess and admit our faults and sins to each other. Yes, that’s also true. Hiding my faults and failing to confess my sins will hinder my ability to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. Yes, it will.
What else? You expect me to admit my faults and confess my sins. Yes, I do. It is your command. Yes, it is. You paid for my sins on the cross. You made it possible so I could be forgiven of my sin and cleansed of all my unrighteousness. Yes, I did. Failing to admit my faults and confess my sins seems like a rejection of all that you have done for me. You are not pleased when I hide my faults and fail to confess my sins. That’s right. I will have very little desire to draw near to you in prayer when I am living with unconfessed sin. You want me to draw near to you to admit my faults and confess my sin as part of my prayers to you. Yes, I do. Living forgiven of my sin and cleansed of all my unrighteousness is the ground on which powerful prayers can be prayed and heard and answered. Yes, It is.
What else? You want me to receive all that you have for me. You want me to receive your healing. Yes, I do. Your healing will come into my life as I admit my faults and confess my sin to you and others. Yes, it will. Will you make admitting your faults and confessing your sin a regular everyday practice in your life? Yes Lord, I will.
Lord, I am a sinner. I have sinned. I will sin. I will make it my common everyday practice to admit my faults and confess my sins both to you and to others. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Heal me. Make me able to pray powerful prayers that you will hear and answer. Amen
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Therefore – James 5-16 – Confess Your Sins – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide
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