Faults and Confession

“Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.”  (Jam. 5:16, Msg)  According to this scripture, if we have friends we can open up to and admit our faults and pray for one another, we are positioned for healing.  When our faults or defects or failures or errors are acknowledged, the way to pray becomes obvious.  However, if our faults are not admitted, perhaps because we can’t confess what we don’t even realize, they can block this path to healing.  Emotional issues or selfishness or destructive paradigms or misbeliefs often stay under our own radar and keep confession from being the starting place for healing.  So, if it is obvious that a friend is being unknowingly sabotaged by issues in their own heart-thinking, we can then act on Gal 6:1 (Msg), “Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out.”  However, if timing is not right and even that would do more harm than good, we can still invest in a relationship by praying as Holy Spirit directs.  (The second excerpt from Kathy’s article “Investing in Relationships” published in SEEC Magazine.)

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