No More Secrets

No More Secrets

Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

Psalm 32:1-5

Nothing is more miserable than carrying around a secret when that secret involves a hidden sin or wrongdoing. But of course it’s not really a secret—God already knows about it. And he has promised that “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9).

Confession is coming clean with God—making no excuses, naming our sin for exactly what it is, and rejecting our sin as something we want no part of. We admit the truth: “I’ve been greedy and haven’t been giving like I should.” “I’ve treated her unfairly because I’m jealous.” “I’ve allowed inappropriate thoughts to get the best of me again.”

We need to confess our sin to God in order to be forgiven, but it’s also important to confess our sin to another person. This can give us some of the encouragement and accountability we need to leave that sin behind for good. Sometimes the reason we don’t want to confess our sin to someone else is not just because we feel embarrassed but because we don’t really want to become accountable to anyone. We want to leave our options open to commit that sin again without someone calling us on it. But keeping quiet about your struggle with lies or alcohol or food or anger leaves you on your own. James says to “confess your sins to each other” (James 5:16). He knew that sometimes saying it out loud to another person forces us to see it for what it is—in its ugliness and destructiveness—and gives us momentum toward letting it go for good.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Does confessing something you’ve done wrong give you a good feeling, a bad feeling, or both?

What are some strategies for keeping short accounts with God? How often should you examine your heart for sin to confess?

What makes a person “safe” for confessing your sins to?