I was reading the Dakota Star paper today, when I came across the devotion article titled, ‘When you mess up, fess up’. This is a great devotion about broken relationships and how they can be healed through confession. Confession to the one that has been wronged and to God for our sin and brokenness. The article is written by one of the members of the Dakota County Ministerial Alliance, which I am also a member of. Pastor Kevin Roach is the senior pastor at River Hills Church. I have his permission to publish this article here and will be doing so in our next issue of the newsletter. Enjoy the read….
By Pastor Kevin Roach of River Hills Church, South Sioux City NE.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
God’s plan for relationships is under attack. Healthy, God honoring relationships need constant attention and commitment to personal responsibility. God’s hope for our relationships require that each of us give a frequent account to God for our own choices and behavior. We often think that only dysfunctional relationships need attention, but the healthiest relationships are constantly worked on and carefully maintained. Every type of relationship–marriage, friendship, employer/employee, parent/child, co-worker, classmate, or roommate will benefit from the healing power of confession. Why? because the people in your home are imperfect. When you mess up fess up.
The powerful simplicity of confession is an essential tool for any relationship renovation plan. Saying the words, ‘that was wrong of me, will you forgive me?’ can become a frequently employed strategy for brining disconnected relationships back into alignment. Perfection is only possible for deity, not humanity. So, we need God’s plan for restoring relationships. We are all flawed, imperfect people, so there will be times when even the best of home construction plans fail. Imperfect people make mistakes, so when we mess up, we need to fess up. The importance of confession. The five hardest things to say: I forgive you; I’m sorry; You were right; Goodbye to somebody who dies; and number one, I love you. Is confession that important to God? Evidently. Sin will always put a crimp in our relationship with God. Ps. 66:18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. If we’er reluctant to confess, not only will it adversely affect our relationship with God, it will damage our earthy relationship. When relationships are violated and not properly healed by genuine confession, hurt, anger, bitterness, build and resentment take root and begin to poison our hearts and damager our friendships. It’s not a matter of if we’er going to blow it; it’s just a matter of when. Therefore, the issue is what are we going to do when we offend someone? When was the last time you said to your child, roommate, or co-worker, neighbor, ‘I was wrong, would you forgive me?’ When was the last time you said to your spouse, ‘I was wrong, would you forgive me?’ Pro. 28:13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. The ‘cover up’ is costly (dose not prosper).
The correction is clear (confess and renounce), and the result is sure (finds mercy always with God, most often with others). 1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. Confessing faults is God’s will! So, the next time you mess up fess up!