Out of sight, out of mind right? Here's the problem...it's still there.
The purpose of this blog is to help you recognize your sin and realize the gift of community the Lord gives us so that we can experience the beautiful healing from our sin.
The purest form of community comes from Jesus Himself.
God the Son, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit are three in one. They have different roles, but they work together as one. We are created in His image as Genesis 1:26 says, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." We are created not only to live in community, but to be dependent on our community with the Lord; therefore, to reject light and community is to reject God.We live in a culture that is extremely individualized. We are taught to follow our own dreams and do whatever we can to make ourselves successful. The more independent you are, the more success you will have and the stronger you will be. You don't need anyone. Dependence=weakness. But, here's the thing...that is what culture tells us but God tells us differently. Unfortunately pride destroys community. When God created Adam and Eve, not only did they have perfect community with each other but with God. Because Adam and Eve desired to be as wise as God, their community became distorted. So, pride is now the #1 thing that gets in the way of healing from sin, as well as deep community.
Walk in the radiant, life-giving light rather than the destructive darkness.
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| Sorry ahead of time for any nightmares.... |
When I was in Madagascar last Christmas break, the other girl on the trip and I were in a hotel room in the bush. The whole trip, I was praying I would not encounter a Madagascar hissing cockroach. Let's just be honest...those things are TERRIFYING. Not only are they the size of a lumber jack's beard, but they hiss at you....they HISS!! Maybe I'm just a wimp, but that sounds terrifying. We were sitting in our room when my roommate during the trip went into the bathroom and turned on the light. As soon as she did this, I heard a shriek. As my eyes popped open, I asked what happened. There was a Madagascar hissing cockroach in the bathroom and as soon as she turned on the light, it scurried under some pipes behind the wall. Well, that's comforting. Then, it was my turn to take a shower. There I was, praying the electricity didn't go off, leaving me and a blood-thirsty, man-eating cockroach. (ok, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic....but still) Then, guess what happened. Yup, the lights went out. You can only imagine where my thoughts went. I was glad it was in the wall somewhere so it could be out of sight, out of mind but deep down I wished it was in the middle of the floor where I could see it so I could kill it right there.
We often think that if our sin is out of sight, it is out of mind, but how much more life-giving would it be if we brought it into the light?
I believe our failure to confess keeps us from experiencing some of God's greatest blessings of mercy and grace. "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them" (Ephesians 5:11). Sin requires the absence of light to survive. For most of my life I thought I could process all my sin on my own, but now I know the freedom and healing that comes through community. As long as God knows, nobody else needs to know, right? Wrong. That was my pride that held me back from the healing that comes from confession in community. I thought I could be independent and be just as close to God, but God created us to be dependent, not only on Him, but on the community He gives us. After all, what better way to make Christ strong than boasting in our weaknesses?
Not only does confession produce unwavering forgiveness, but freedom through healing.
"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice 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 cleanses us from all sin... If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:5-9). Isn't it good to know we don't serve a God that just sometimes forgives us? We serve a God that is FAITHFUL to forgive when we ask. Although He is faithful to forgive us, we are likely to continue the vicious cycle if we do not confess to one another and repent. He then gives us the Word to guide us through repentance and life change. We are dependent on His forgiveness.
After we ask for forgiveness and repentance, healing occurs when we bring our sin into the light. James 5:16 says, "Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power as it is working" (James 5:16). Healing from sin comes from bringing your sin into light among fellow believers. There is great freedom in great community.
What in your life needs to be brought into the light so that you can be healed and thus walk in the freedom you have because of Jesus? Maybe it's some kind of addiction, lust, anger, bitterness, jealousy, self-righteousness, some kind of sexual sin, unforgiveness, pride, insecurities, idolatry, or anything else. May we be not only hearers of the Word, but doers (James 1:22-25). Let me encourage you this week to bring your sin into the light among believers that will hold you accountable and remind you of the grace our God give us. May you no longer walk in the destructive darkness, but the radiant, life-giving light.