Phase 1 Week 10 The Corporate Discipline of Confession (March 17-23)
Steve Smith
What is true confession?
2. James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for
each other so that you may be healed.” We are told to confess our sins
to each other; our healing is also tied to the prayers of each other.
When we confess we allow God’s light to shine in the dark areas where
we struggle. How will you approach this in your ministry practice?
3. The discipline of confession helps believer grow into mature manhood, to the measure of the statue and the fullness of Christ, (Eph. 4:13).
4. According to Alphonsus Liguori, for good confession what three things are necessary? Comment briefly on each.
Stay the course; I pray that you will finish strong!!!
Frank Anderson
My understanding of true confession is the act of bringing to light what we thought was hidden in the dark. As humans we know when we wronged each other and we often choose to keep it in the dark. Bringing the situation to light is actually the act of freeing our self from the bondage of guilt. Unless we confess we cannot be forgiven because what would we be forgiven for if we never bring the act to light. As in Proverbs 28:13 and 1 John 1:9.
2)
James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for
each other so that you may be healed.”
3. The discipline of confession helps believer grow into mature manhood, to the measure of the statue and the fullness of Christ, (Eph. 4:13).
4)
According to Alphonso Liguori, for good confession we need three things.
1: An examination of conscience , until we look to the Holy Spirit to be our guide we will not become conscious of the sin and move to confess and ask for forgiveness. We have to be open to God and be willing to say, see me and know I'm no longer hiding from you.
2: Sorrow , we have to regret the sin. People have a way of giving an apology without remorse. But to be true to our self and be honest to God is to be humble and take the confession as a sin we truly regret doing.
3: A determination to avoid sin. For us to give a true confession we must fear ever repeating the sin and be willing to ask God to deliver us from such action....
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Frank Anderson
My understanding of true confession is the act of bringing to light what we thought was hidden in the dark. As humans we know when we wronged each other and we often choose to keep it in the dark. Bringing the situation to light is actually the act of freeing our self from the bondage of guilt. Unless we confess we cannot be forgiven because what would we be forgiven for if we never bring the act to light. As in Proverbs 28:13 and 1 John 1:9.
2)
each other so that you may be healed.”
3. The discipline of confession helps believer grow into mature manhood, to the measure of the statue and the fullness of Christ, (Eph. 4:13).
4)
According to Alphonso Liguori, for good confession we need three things.
1: An examination of conscience , until we look to the Holy Spirit to be our guide we will not become conscious of the sin and move to confess and ask for forgiveness. We have to be open to God and be willing to say, see me and know I'm no longer hiding from you.
2: Sorrow , we have to regret the sin. People have a way of giving an apology without remorse. But to be true to our self and be honest to God is to be humble and take the confession as a sin we truly regret doing.
3: A determination to avoid sin. For us to give a true confession we must fear ever repeating the sin and be willing to ask God to deliver us from such action....
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Heather Anderson
1.What is true confession?
I understand true confession is when one admits to something he/she has done. In several confessions, it’s usually something that someone has done wrong and or when confessing to a priest (for those that still do that); it can be a positive thing as well. I believe confession is the first part of true repentance, and the first part of salvation. According to Romans 10:9-10, the bible says if we confess with our mouth the lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we shall be saved. I believe that when we confess and are able to hear what it is that we have said and or done, we become more cognoscente of how wrong we were. On the contrary, when we are confessing the word of God over our lives, his word becomes alive in us and we are able to walk in the manifestation of his will for our lives.
2. James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” We are told to confess our sins to each other; our healing is also tied to the prayers of each other. When we confess we allow God’s light to shine in the dark areas where we struggle. How will you approach this in your ministry practice?
First, when we confess our sins one to another, I believe there has to be a relationship of some sort. Prayer partners and or someone you can trust, someone who will help you grow spiritually. I believe we have to be led of the Holy Spirit when confessing to people; sometimes the enemy will try to use those people if they aren’t spiritually mature. I will approach this in a mature way in my ministry practice. I repent on a daily basis, of anything that I may have done contrary to the word of God and I ask the lord to forgive me and create a new heart in me that I might be more like him. Sometimes, people confess without knowing that they are confessing and it allows one to pray. This is where the maturity comes in. A mature person will pray for the person that has confessed their wrong. They won’t use it for an opportunity to gossip. I’m approaching confession with a spirit of prayer, to keep the saints covered.
3.The discipline of confession helps believer grow into mature manhood, to the measure of the statue and the fullness of Christ, (Eph. 4:13).
I agree with this statement. I believe that God’s desire is for his children to be saved and come into the knowledge of the truth (1Timothy 2:4); if we are not being released of those things that the enemy has planned to hold us captive then we limit ourselves from coming into the knowledge of the truth. Confessing is the releasing of that thing that was holding us bound, we must outgrow those foolish things and hold ourselves accountable to holy living. I believe until believers grow up in the things of God, confession will not take place with a pure heart; however, when we began to mature and want more of God, there wouldn’t be a problem with confessing and being freed from those things that the enemy thought he would keep us captive to.
4. According to Alphonsus Liguori, for good confession what three things are necessary?
According to Alphonsus the three things are: An examination of conscience, sorrow and a determination to avoid sin. I agree that when in the presence of God, one’s soul becomes conscience of the things that must be forgiven. I believe it’s important to be in a place ready to receive what God has for us and how can we do that if we are not conscience of what we need to know. In Luke 12:48, the Bible says “to whom much is given, of him shall be much required”, when God reveals to us what needs to be forgiven and what we need to confess and get rid of, we have a responsibility repent, turn and obey God on purpose. How many times could we tell God “I didn’t know?” not very many. It’s like when our children mess up and we correct them and let them know right from wrong, they cannot come back to us and say they didn’t know not to do the wrong thing. I believe so it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual... When we know better, we do better. Sorrow put me in the mind of repentance. When we repent, we are really sorrowful about our sins that we have committed. When I came to the lord, I cried for a while, repented for the same things over and over again. I wanted him to know that I was sorry and I was committed to him and him alone... The sorrow I felt was as if, how can I be forgiven for this...? Thank God for the blood of Jesus!! I agree with Alphonsus when he states “sorrow is necessary to a good confession.” Without sorrow and making up your mind that God’s will is more important than your own will, repentance would not be true repentance. Determination to avoid sin is a constant behavior. I believe that sin starts in our thought process. We just don’t trip up on sin. We have to renew our mind daily, ask God to create in us a right spirit... I like to focus on feeding my spirit more than anything else because this helps me to keep my mind on God and the things that he wants me to do and say. 2 Corinthians 10:5 helps me to keep my mind on Jesus by taking every thought to make it obedient to Christ. I believe if we start with the mind, we can be determined to avoid sin, again this is a daily behavior but well worth the journey.
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noelcassandre
Phase 1 Week 10 The Corporate Discipline of Confession
1. What is true confession?
True confession is recognizing and admitting your wrongs committed. True confession must be inwardly and outwardly. It is not good enough to superficially apologize; you must own up to the mistakes. True confession needs a repentant heart; a heart that recognize the wrongs without blaming circumstances or people. In Psalms 51, David took responsibilty for his sins. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. “
True confession includes prevention steps. You must avoid being in the same situation that capitulate the temptations to sin. Also, you have to ask God to restore what was lost as a result of the sins. David in Psalms 51 asks God to “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”
True confession also includes accepting God's forgiveness and forgiving ourselves. There are times God forgive us and tell us “Your sins I remember no more”, but we have a hard time forgiving ourselves. We try to do work to obtain forgiveness. Doing so, we are telling God that Jesus’ sacrifice was not enough.
2. James 5:16 “Therefore
confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed.” We are told to confess our sins to each other; our healing is also
tied to the prayers of each other. When we confess we allow God’s light to
shine in the dark areas where we struggle. How will you approach this in
your ministry practice?
First, this verse and question should be a topic of conversation; many youths may not be aware of this discipline nor understand the idea of confessing their sins to each other. For example, growing up in the Catholic faith, it is customary to confess your sins to the priest and to ask for forgiveness. The youths will need to understand that confessing your sins to a priest is not based on Biblical Scriptures. Jesus is the only Mediator between us and God. Confessing our sins to each other is way to keep each other accountable. Confessing your sins to each other does not substitute us from asking God for forgiveness; because only God can forgive sins.
Secondly, I will need to build a supportive environment that foster trust. To build this atmosphere, it will begin with me sharing my flaws. There are times leaders are put on a pedestal that we have it all together and that is further from the truth. We are all striving daily for holiness; we all struggle from times to times and need to approach the throne of grace for forgiveness. During my bible study, the lessons always digress to conversations where the youths get to share their personal experiences. One thing I try to do is remain open with my youth; I lived in the same world that they do. I still face temptations. I daily have to ask God for assistance so I can stray from sins.
3. The discipline of
confession helps believer grow into mature manhood, to the measure of the
statue and the fullness of Christ, (Eph4:13).
It’s when you are fully mature are you able to share your flaws with others. Confessing your sins to each other is way for us to keep each other accountable. God compares the Body of Christ to a physical body that functions as one unit. We draw strength and wisdom from each other. If the head is hurting, the whole body is hurting. Keeping each other accountable is a sure way to make sure we are walking in the right path. For example, most diet programs use the principles of accountability to make sure that members are following through the program. Another example is in a marriage, I believe one of the reason that God says don’t be unequally yoked is because in the marriage both husband and wife keep each other accountable.
Confessing our sins to God is recognizing our frailty as humans. We are all in need of grace. As Foster points out, “Unless God gives the grace; no genuine confession can be made”. “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 v. 9. Yes, our righteousness comes from putting our Faith in Christ however the fact that confessing our sins is linked to being cleansed from our unrighteousness shows the importance of confessing our sins to God.
4. According to Alphonsus
Liguori, for good confession what three things are necessary? Comment briefly
on each.
Examination of conscience: As Foster points out, the sins of the heart can wreck havoc in our lives. No one really sees the inward sins such as pride, anger and fear. If we don’t guard our hearts, these sins will begin to surface. One can only hides jealousy for so long before it starts to be shown in their actions, attitudes and conversations. God asks us to “Keep your heart with all diligence for out it are the issues of life.” It’s when you examine deep within that you realize the hidden sins. Discovering the hidden sins, you ask God for His assistance.
Sorrow: When you develop an intimate relationship with God, you strive daily to walk right with God. As you draw close to God, you begin to experience what true loves is. Love keeps us from committing sins not the fear of being punished by God. We know that sins put an enmity between us and God. As we desire to maintain a close relationship, we strive not to sins. When you love someone, you strive daily to maintain the intimacy; we fear of losing the closeness. Sinning makes us lose the intimacy with God; hence we become sorrowful when we sin.
Determination to avoid sin: As you abide in the presence of a holy God, you strive daily to avoid sins. You ask God daily to stay in communion with Him. In order to avoid sin, we need the assistance of the Holy Spirit.
noelcassandre
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noelcassandre
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Angelina Washington
On Monday, March 17, 2014 5:19:52 PM UTC-4, Steve Smith wrote:
What is true conf
- True confession is acknowledging or disclosure of your sin to God. Asking for forgiveness of your wrong doing. The word says for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.(Romans 3:23)Jesus took all of our sins of past, present and the future which allows our sins to be forgiven.
- As a growing believer in the Lord I would encourage anyone who would confide in me of their sins. That person could receive spiritual healing from prayer. The act of mutual confession we release the power that heals.
3. The discipline of confession does help the believer to grow because once he confesses his sins he is relieved and set free and in return can move forward with growing into his purpose that God has for him.
- Examination of conscience is when you confess and acknowledge every sin you have committed.
Sorrow is the deep regret of committing your sins and this shows that your truly sorry for those sins.
A determination to avoid sin is something that all Christians strive to do. We want God to help us live holy and have hatred for the unholy. Avoiding temptation is a lifetime war. We cannot do it without the help of God.
Tanash Lawrence-Reid
1. What is true confession?
True confession is bringing our all and laying our all at Jesus’ feet. True confession is giving our entire life totally to God. If we were to look at the story of Sampson and Delilah, it was evident that Sampson had fallen and the presence of God left him, but Sampson persevered until the spirit of God came back to Him. That was true confession because in spite of his downfall, he didn’t give up. This is what God wants all of us to do. Confess our faults, leave it at the altar and let God do the rest.
2. James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” We are told to confess our sins to each other; our healing is also tied to the prayers of each other. When we confess we allow God’s light to shine in the dark areas where we struggle. How will you approach this in your ministry practice?
3.
The discipline of confession
helps believers grow into mature manhood, to the measure of the statue of the
fullness of Christ, (Eph 4:13).
As a baby grows, he/she moves from milk to solid food; this is what God expects of us. A true Christian is made by faith and love toward Christ. Our sins do not in the least hinder our Christianity, according to the word of the Savior Himself. He says, not the righteous have I come to call, but sinners to repentance; there is more joy in heaven over one who repents than over ninety righteous ones. Likewise concerning the sinful woman who touched His feet, He too says to the Pharisee Simon: to one who has love, a great debt is forgiven, but from one who has no love, even a small debt will be demanded. From these judgments a Christian should bring himself to hope and joy. Here one needs the shield of faith. But I say to you," the Lord says, "love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you." Why did he command these things? He did so that He might free you from hatred, sadness, anger and grudges, and might grant you the greatest possession of all, perfect love, which is impossible to possess except by the one who loves all equally in imitation of God. Doing what God ask of us will prune us into God’s grace and fullness.
4. According to Alphonsus Liguori, for good confession three things are necessary comment on these three things.
An examination of conscience
reflecting on what we as Christians have done in the past. An example is, if we are about to eat of the Lord’s body
and to drink of His blood, we have to examine ourselves thoroughly. Jesus
Christ cannot dwell in an unclean temple. We have to
shed ourselves of all our hurts and sins that so easily beset us. If we are
about to do something and we have to think about it or there is some kind of
guilt, we need to get it right with God.
Sorrow is the uneasiness or pain of
mind, which is produced by the loss of any good, or by disappointment in the
expectation of good; It can be a time of unhappiness.
Sorrow doesn’t have to be a sin because someone can be sorrowful over the
passing of a love one. Also we can
be sorrowful over a past sin that we did in the past, but God give us the grace
and the choice to turn to Him.
A determination to avoid sin. Christians are constantly faced with temptation. This fact should not surprise us for Peter writes, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Pet. 5:8). The question we all should ponder is, “How can I triumph over temptation and avoid sin?” This question is vital for every child of God. We should first realize that God does not tempt us. “Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed.” God wants us to remain pure and for that reason He provides a way of escape (I Cor. 10:13). But what is that way of escape for every Christian? How can we avoid sin? Consider this; God has made a way of escape, all we have to do is to allow Jesus Christ in our life.
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