FRIDAY: CONFESSION

KEY PASSAGE 

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10

DEVOTIONAL 

It is easy to walk in the darkness if the darkness is familiar. Think of walking through your bedroom at night. You can make it around in complete darkness without problem because you know the layout of the room, where every object is, because it is familiar to you. 

Notice in 1 John chapter 1 the comparisons of darkness with sin and light with truth. Those who walk in darkness, as John describes, are people who live in sin, or those for whom sin is a consistent pattern in life. Verse 5 tells us “God is light” and “in him there is no darkness at all” and we cannot live in “fellowship” with God unless we retreat from the darkness and come into the light. 

How do we do that?

It is only through Jesus that we are forgiven of sins. His blood shed on the cross, and through his resurrection, we are made new and able to fellowship with God.

Confession is the willing act of bringing sin to the attention of God, or allowing what was hidden by darkness to be exposed by the light. Think of bedroom curtains being torn open on a bright morning, revealing a pile of clothes on the floor, clutter on the dresser. God’s light reveals our sin to ourselves, but that’s just the first step. The next step of confession is required. When we confess our sin we don’t just allow God to see it (He always could anyway), but we acknowledge our need for forgiveness. 1 John 1:8 says “if we claim to be without sin . . the truth is not in us.” Letting the light in is letting the truth in. When we confess, God forgives and purifies us from all unrighteousness(1 John 1:9). 

One last aspect of confession is fellowship with each other. 1 John 1:7 tells us that if we walk in light with God, then we can have fellowship with one another as well. Confiding your struggles to someone lightens the weight you carry because you allow them to carry part of it with you. We can carry each other’s burdens. When you confess sin to someone else, you bring what was hidden into the light.

CHALLENGE

On a piece of paper, take an inventory of your last few days. When did you feel in the dark? When did you feel far from God? Is there sin that you weren’t aware of? Is there sin that’s been hidden too long? 

Hold it up to God. Allow him to see you. Confess what you must to God and let him bring you into His light. 

If you feel led, seek an opportunity to confess your struggles to a fellow believer who you trust.