How to Practice Confession in Your Life
We live in a world that is in dire need of the love, compassion, and forgiveness of Jesus.
With heavy-sided politics, gun violence, and addiction running rampant through societal systems (to name a few), it can be easy to get bogged down and discouraged without a trusted friend to process with.
And the same goes for our own spiritual walks, where we struggle with known and unseen sins in our lives.
So how can we practice the corporate discipline of confession as we seek to become more like Jesus?
How to Yield to Confession
Confession is a spiritual discipline created by God so that we can experience the transformation of heaven.
It promotes reconciliation with God and others and heals the chasm that sin leaves between our hearts and His. (James 5:16)
Let’s discover how we can yield to the confession process in a way that pursues the heart of the Father.
Let God Speak
I don’t know one person that thoroughly enjoys the conviction of God or the correction of other people.
However, as we pursue the practice of confession, we must exchange our prideful and narcissistic thinking for surrendering to the ways we need to pursue holiness. And who better to speak to your heart than a loving Father who takes delight in you?
However, to implement confession in our lives, we must be a people who allows and invites the Holy Spirit to speak freely.
Because in these tender moments, as we listen and still ourselves, He will reveal where we need work and how we can pursue reconciliation.
Learn to Be Sorrowful
Have you ever been genuinely sorrowful for an offense?
Sometimes, when it comes to our sins, we experience sorrow, not because it hurt God, but because we got caught, and now, people will hold us accountable.
I pray that we will be daughters who don’t partner with the cycle of believing that it’s okay to continue down the path of destruction just because our sins have not been revealed. What you reap, you will sow, and eventually, that harvest will fill your garden with weeds.
May we be women who learn to be sorrowful for our offenses because this is where true repentance flourishes.
Pursue True Repentance
True repentance can only come when you are completely sorry for how your sin hurt God.
Here, you become more aware of your actions and heart postures, which usher in heart-driven reconciliation with God.
After we can acknowledge that we hurt the Lord, we then can come to a place where we hate that we hurt Him. But it is here that we also become aware that our sin grieves not only the Lord but also other people!
Our sin’s effects are multi-faceted, so we must yield to confession with the Lord and seek a confession friend to help keep us accountable.
5 Things to Look For in a Confession Partner
Have you ever done something wrong, so you prayed and asked God to forgive you? How about knowing your spirit is forgiven, but you still feel horrible?
This is because God created us to be in community with one another, especially in confession and accountability.
When you have a confession partner, you can confide in and process your emotions with them. And in doing so, God within the other person can minister to you the love, compassion, and forgiveness of Christ on a human level, which ushers in deeper healing.
So who do you confess to? (Because let’s be honest: you can’t confess to everyone! Some people just can’t hold the weight or trust of your pain.)
Here are five qualities to look for in a trusted confidant.
1. Pray and Ask God To Provide Such a Friend
God knows what you need and who will best provide for you in the season you are in right now. Simply ask Him!
2. Find Someone Who Understands What it Means to Live by Grace
No one has arrived yet, and we won’t until we get to the other side of heaven. You need someone who understands that!
As Richard Foster says, finding someone who understands what it means to live under the cross allows them to intercede for you, keep you accountable, and keep them from being judgmental in your life.
In finding someone with this quality, you are creating a boundary for a safe space for healing.
3. Find Someone With a Bright Light
Matthew 5:14, TPT says, “Your lives light up the world. For how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop?”
Have you ever been around people whose light shines notably bright? You are drawn to them because they carry the overflow of God’s light within them. These are people who are serving well, their actions align with their words, and they radiate the love and grace of Christ.
Who in your life fits this description?
4. Find Someone Who Knows How to Listen
Have you ever been around someone who always has something to say? You will recognize this person by how they manage to jeopardize the conversation, leaving no room for you to speak or share.
A confession partner won’t have all the answers for you but will almost always point you back to God.
They know how to be still and listen, giving you uninterrupted space to process. If they show they know how to be silent, chances are they are practicing the art of quieting themselves and listening to the Lord!
5. Find Someone Who Knows How to Pray
A confession partner who knows how to pray will be listening to you, but while they are listening to you, they will also be praying to God.
God's desire is for us to walk in the freedom He freely gives through Jesus Christ. And that’s what confession is all about.
Who in your life is God revealing to be a confession partner? How will you connect with them over the next week?