Do What Matters | Habit #8

Do What Matters | 13 Holy Habits That Can Change Everything

Habit #8| Confessing

We can say we are sorry.

Scriptures | Psalm 32:1-8 (CEV), 1 John 1:8-9

Our Holy Habit for this week is confessing. 

Our Lord, you bless everyone
whose sins you forgive
    and wipe away.
You bless them by saying,
    “You told me your sins,
without trying to hide them,
    and now I forgive you.”

Before I confessed my sins,
my bones felt limp,
    and I groaned all day long.
Night and day your hand
    weighed heavily on me,
and my strength was gone
    as in the summer heat.

So I confessed my sins
    and told them all to you.
I said, “I'll tell the Lord
    each one of my sins.”
Then you forgave me
    and took away my guilt.

We worship you, Lord,
    and we should always pray
whenever we find out
    that we have sinned.
Then we won't be swept away
    by a raging flood.
You are my hiding place!
    You protect me from trouble,
and you put songs in my heart
    because you have saved me.

You said to me,
“I will point out the road
    that you should follow.
I will be your teacher
    and watch over you.
Don't be stupid
    like horses and mules
that must be led with ropes
    to make them obey.”

All kinds of troubles
    will strike the wicked,
but your kindness shields those
    who trust you, Lord.
And so your good people
    should celebrate and shout.

...

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just and will cleanse of us all unrighteousness." ~ 1 John 1:8-9

Question 1 | You don’t have to have heard the sermon from Sunday, but if you were in church, watched online, or listened to the podcast, what stuck with you?

Question 2 |  The Greek word for “confession” is a compound word made up of two parts: “say” plus “same.” The idea is that whatever we do, we “say” the “same” thing that we did.

In other words, confession is when we “Say what is.” What comes to mind when you hear the word “confession?”

Now consider the Biblical definition (“say what is”) - have you ever thought about confession like this before? How does this change your understanding?

Question 3 | Confession is painfully simple, but we make it complicated. We would rather do anything than confess: deny, blame others, defend ourselves, make excuses, spin, defect, dodge the question, etc. It’s easy to spot these behaviors in others, but harder to spot them in ourselves. To get started, spend just a very short amount of time talking about how you have seen these behaviors in others... and then spend much more time talking about how you see them in yourself.

Question 4 | Our job as Christians is twofold: To fully own our sin (confession) and then fully own our forgiveness. Most people find one to be easer and one to be harder. Which is easier for you? Which is harder for you? What helps you accept the truth of the one that is harder for you?