reading Chapter 3 of the book, Confession

Hello, Companion Mustard Seed Library book readers,

The author's words in this chapter too are interesting. "What is confession? The New Testament Greek word for "confess" means "to agree with God" concerning His opinion of a matter. It also means "to admit my guilt." When we confess our sins we are agreeing with God concerning the sin in our lives, as revealed through His Word by the Holy Spirit."

The author also writes, "Why is confession so difficult for some? Perhaps because confession is really the most painful part of personal prayer. The moment we admit that a particular act displeases God, we recognize the responsibility to change it. Immediately an inner battle of the will begins to take place."

Lots of times we might think that, once confession has been made, everything is turned over to God and that's about the end of it. The author's thoughts are intriguing and perhaps helpful in thinking about confession.

He illustrates with a couple of paragraphs:

"Mrs. Shoemaker illustrates her thought with a legend concerning the noted artist Leonardo da Vinci. According to the account, during the painting of "The Last Supper," da Vinci chose as his subject for Judas a much-hated enemy. Later, prior to the day the face of Jesus was to be painted, da Vinci was deeply troubled. All night long he tossed and turned in his sleep. Morning finally arrived and the time came to paint the figure of Christ. But, as the legend relates, when da Vinci tried to paint the picture, the Lord's face became strangely blurred. That night the artist tossed and turned again. Suddenly he jumped from his bed and rushed to the studio. In moments he erased the likeness of the enemy from the face of Judas. Then, in a flash, Leonardo da Vinci saw the picture of Christ clearly."

The author advises "Often a quick mental trip through the previous twenty-four hours reveals the need for confession. Ask yourself, "Did I fail God in any areas of personal conduct?" "Was I honest in my dealings with others?" "Were my thoughts pleasant to God?" As God reveals various spiritual shortcomings, confess them and claim total victory."

The author writes "Confession is a heartfelt recognition of what we are. It is important to God because it indicates that we take seriously our mistakes and failures. Of course, God does not ask us to confess our sins because He needs to know we have sinned, but because He knows that we need to know we have sinned."

Confession is the best thing to move us beyond our false self and into our true self and get us out of wallowing in our sins and regrets. God sure does know what is best for us. Thank you, God.

Peace of the Lord,
Sharon