You know something that can really get me down? Falling short. There is a desire for perfection within me. I can see this from a fleshly side: pride, self-esteem, etc. I can also see this from a spiritual side, stemming from the desire to be like Christ. From a spiritual perspective, we may get down when we know we haven’t done right in God’s eyes. It can also hurt when we know we have hurt others. How do we move forward from these moments? Confession is key.
Though we all have a level of pride in wanting to do right, we must remember that only One is perfect. Jesus Christ. The rest of us have, and will, fall short [Romans 3:23]. It can sometimes be disheartening because we work so hard to do right, yet we don’t. That reminds me of the battle that the apostle Paul speaks of in Romans 7:
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
– Romans 7:15-19
We are in a battle against sin.
As long as we live, we will be wrapped in sinful flesh, which will keep us in the fight to do right.
Though it can feel a little discouraging, it should simultaneously give us understanding. This understanding grants us proper awareness and encourages us to do our part in the fight. Our part in the fight is to put our spiritual armor on, daily. Daily, we must arm ourselves with God’s Word so we can stand against the wiles of the devil [Ephesians 6:11]. Daily, we must also kill our flesh so that it does not dominate and reign.
It is a humbling experience we are living because even in doing our part in the fight, we will still fall short. Why? Only one is perfect. In those times when we inevitably fall short, we must remember how to move forward:
Confession is key.
Confession continues the spiritual growth process. It is the door to receiving God’s forgiveness and His cleansing. This keeps us moving forward the right way. Secondly, confession keeps us in good standing with one another. Since no one is perfect, except Christ, we will all fall short and hurt one another. The key is how we respond when we do.
Will we lie? Cover up, and act as though we didn’t do what we did? Or, will we humble ourselves, face the truth, and come clean with one another? The latter not only positions us for growth, but it also encourages growth in others. Sometimes, we all just need permission to be human. Permission to be real and say: “Hey, I’m not perfect.”
So often, life is all about the coverup. The makeup. We work so hard to cover up who we really are, we makeup our faces so we can feel good about what we see, that we forget to be real.
Life is not about perfection. It’s about realness.
James 5:16 instructs us to:
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
May we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This grace and knowledge will equip us to continue in the race set before us, realizing that in the midst of our imperfections and shortcomings, confession is key.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
– I John 1:9
With love,
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