Confess Your Trespasses To One Another

[15] “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. [16] Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” — James 5:15 - 16 NKJV

For many years, I’ve read and studied James 5:16 and thought it was only about praying effectively. I hardly focused on the first part of the scripture until this afternoon when I was wrapping up a personal study on the book of James.

In James 5:15, the apostle spoke about healing sick people in the brethren. He said God would raise anybody sick if the church elders (mature Christians around) gathered together to offer faith-filled prayers unto God on his behalf.

However, in verse 16, he started, “Confess your trespasses to one another…”. And I asked myself, “Why did he say that as a continuation of what he was teaching from the preceding verses? Can’t we individually tell God our faults, and that’s all?” After further study, God opened my eyes to understand that some people in Christ are sick not because they didn’t take good care of their physical bodies but because of evil things they’ve done.

Sin is evil. And although God doesn’t remember our sins (Hebrews 8:12), you might not go scot-free on earth for engaging in it after you’ve come into Christ. For example, suppose a child of God internationally kills another man; God will still forgive him. But the laws of the country he lives in will condemn and punish him for that act. It’s just like how God continues to make children born out of wedlock by ungodly parents still live even after their parents accept Jesus as Lord and personal saviour. The consequences of sin are real.

What happens when you confess your trespasses to one another in Christ is that wise people in the Lord will help you overcome them, pray for you and teach you the ways of God to live in victory.
Tweet

What happens when you confess your trespasses to one another in Christ is that wise people in the Lord will help you overcome them, pray for you and teach you the ways of God to live in victory. That Christian who still battles with masturbation doesn’t know God will massively help him overcome it if he boldly confesses it to his pastor or a mature Christian in the same church. And in most cases, the devil capitalises on this ignorance to make people stay in bondage for a long time. What a tragedy!

It’s only the children of God who have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), not the unbeliever. So don’t look for solutions for your predicament outside the scope of the church. That is for your safety. This world is evil, and evil people are waiting to get even one negative thing to talk about you, child of God. Don’t be ignorant!

As Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 2:12 (NIV), I say after him, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

You’re a blessing.

Prayer

Father, I pray in the name of Jesus, supply great friends in the brethren who’ll love me, correct me and be there for me when I’m facing issues I can only confess to them. Above all, show me how to be such an example to them also, in love. Amen!

Devotional Code: KGD – 2023 – 172