The most important aspect of admitting our own mistakes as a means of helping each other grow that came out of Sunday's message for me was the distinction between receiving God's forgiveness and receiving emotional healing.  Compare these two Scriptures:  ⁸If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. ⁹But 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 1:8-9 NLT   ¹⁶Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16 NLT

Did you notice that in 1 John 1:8-9 the promise is if we confess our sins to GOD, He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, but in James 5:16 we are told if we confess our sins to EACH OTHER and pray for each other we will be healed.   What a major difference!  Forgiveness comes from God, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, but sometimes after we've been forgiven we still feel guilty.  Sometimes we still carry the burden or weight of the sin.  James tells us that's because we need to confess to EACH OTHER. In confessing our sins to each other, the burden of the sin disappears.  A couple of important points:  When James tells us to confess our sins to each other he doesn't mean to confess our sins to EVERY OTHER person on the planet or in our spheres of influence.  We need to confess them to someone we trust, or a small group of folks we trust, folks who genuinely have our best interests at heart.  In addition, many times confessing the sin to God and knowing His forgiveness is sufficient.  It's in those times when we continue to carry the burden, when we continue to feel guilty (even though we HAVE been forgiven), that we need to confess the sin to one another in order to receive healing. 

Do you have any sin that you've confessed to God, and for which you've already received forgiveness, that you're continuing to carry?  If so, think of who it is that you can confess it to, and thus receive healing.  If you don't already have an accountability partner, a spouse, a friend or a LIFE group with whom you can share, then start today praying and looking for a person or small group of folks with whom you can build trust and who will eventually as the group you turn to and who can turn to you to confess your sins together.

Let's pray:  Heavenly Father, thank You for our forgiveness purchased by the precious blood of Jesus!  Fill us with the Holy Spirit that we may heed Your word and confess our sins to one another when the burden of them continues to weigh us day even after we've received Your forgiveness.  This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.