It’s one thing to repent of our wrongdoings to our all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present God. In light of this, it kind of makes it a bit easier to drop the excuses and come clean. We can approach our Father, penitent and wrapped in our white robes that were purchased by his Son, Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of all sins.

On the other hand, it seems a daunting task to express our sins to our peers. This part of being in a Christian community is an important faith-building activity. It’s through this kind of intimate sharing that we draw closer to one another in our common struggles. However, we also know not all is fair in love and war. In the community of saved sinners, we are careful about confessing our sins for fear of judgment. It’s quite easy to cherry-pick them and kick the “worst” under the rug. 

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us share our weaknesses with one another so we can build up our strengths prayerfully. The ransom the accuser once demanded for each of our lives was paid in full.