1 00:00:02,730 --> 00:00:06,730 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,790 --> 00:00:13,360 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening 3 00:00:13,390 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: to Daily Devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stonge, and 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: today's devotion is inspired by James 5, verse 16, which says, Therefore, 5 00:00:25,739 --> 00:00:28,980 Speaker 1: confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, 6 00:00:29,420 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: that you may be healed and The prayer of a 7 00:00:32,500 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: righteous person has great power as it is working. What 8 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: are you holding on to that you struggle to admit 9 00:00:40,659 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: to others? Is there something that you've allowed to creep 10 00:00:43,940 --> 00:00:47,340 Speaker 1: into your life that isn't in line with God's will? 11 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 1: Even though you've been set free from sin's grip on 12 00:00:51,620 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: your life through faith in Jesus, is there something you're 13 00:00:55,700 --> 00:01:00,100 Speaker 1: still allowing to dominate your life or your thinking in 14 00:01:00,140 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: an unhealthy way? Why do some of these sinful things 15 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: lurk in our lives for so long? Why do we 16 00:01:07,660 --> 00:01:11,850 Speaker 1: struggle with them for years and sometimes even decades? Could 17 00:01:11,890 --> 00:01:15,550 Speaker 1: it be because we refuse to expose them to the light? 18 00:01:17,010 --> 00:01:20,530 Speaker 1: James indicated that one potential cause of sickness could be 19 00:01:20,750 --> 00:01:26,509 Speaker 1: unconfessed and unrepented sin. Certainly not every case of sickness 20 00:01:26,569 --> 00:01:29,569 Speaker 1: is the result of unconfessed sin in a person's life, 21 00:01:30,209 --> 00:01:33,990 Speaker 1: but biblically speaking, We're told that there are some illnesses 22 00:01:34,209 --> 00:01:37,300 Speaker 1: and other issues that come into people's lives that are 23 00:01:37,330 --> 00:01:42,419 Speaker 1: the direct result of unrepented sin. The Lord invites us 24 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,740 Speaker 1: to pray in conjunction with the confession of our sin. 25 00:01:46,420 --> 00:01:50,290 Speaker 1: We can confess to each other. We can confess to Him. 26 00:01:51,210 --> 00:01:54,650 Speaker 1: And this shouldn't be overly scary to us or resisted 27 00:01:54,770 --> 00:01:59,290 Speaker 1: by us, because the alternative is spending years and years 28 00:01:59,430 --> 00:02:03,110 Speaker 1: feeling like we're being bound and defeated by the very 29 00:02:03,170 --> 00:02:06,970 Speaker 1: things Jesus already defeated when he rose from the grave. 30 00:02:07,730 --> 00:02:12,060 Speaker 1: Jesus defeated sin. There's no reason to let it defeat 31 00:02:12,220 --> 00:02:16,220 Speaker 1: us any longer. The prayer of a person who has 32 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:22,260 Speaker 1: received the gift of Christ's righteousness has great power. Pray 33 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,369 Speaker 1: for Christ's strength to live in the victory of He 34 00:02:25,410 --> 00:02:32,049 Speaker 1: has already secured for you. Let's pray. Lord, we thank 35 00:02:32,070 --> 00:02:34,030 Speaker 1: you for your word. And we thank you for the 36 00:02:34,070 --> 00:02:35,510 Speaker 1: privilege that it is to be able to look at 37 00:02:35,530 --> 00:02:38,410 Speaker 1: this portion of scripture from the book of James today. 38 00:02:39,150 --> 00:02:41,750 Speaker 1: And Lord, in this portion of your word, you encourage 39 00:02:41,889 --> 00:02:45,940 Speaker 1: us to do something that's quite challenging to do. You 40 00:02:45,970 --> 00:02:48,620 Speaker 1: tell us to confess our sins to one another and 41 00:02:48,660 --> 00:02:51,900 Speaker 1: to pray for one another. And I think for most 42 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:55,500 Speaker 1: of us, praying for one another feels rather easy But 43 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: confessing our sins to each other can be a bit 44 00:02:58,500 --> 00:03:02,919 Speaker 1: more challenging. In our own pride and sometimes in our 45 00:03:02,980 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 1: own selfishness, we find it difficult to admit our faults. 46 00:03:07,340 --> 00:03:10,430 Speaker 1: Even though we know we have them, we find ourselves 47 00:03:10,490 --> 00:03:14,230 Speaker 1: struggling to admit them to one another. And as a result, 48 00:03:14,290 --> 00:03:16,250 Speaker 1: we end up holding on to things that we shouldn't 49 00:03:16,290 --> 00:03:19,690 Speaker 1: hold on to. We welcome things into our lives that 50 00:03:19,730 --> 00:03:22,940 Speaker 1: don't belong there. And you've shown us, Lord, time and 51 00:03:22,980 --> 00:03:26,519 Speaker 1: time again that sin does not hold the same power 52 00:03:26,660 --> 00:03:30,700 Speaker 1: over someone who exposes it to the light. But yet, Lord, 53 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: in our embarrassment and in our shame and in our fear, 54 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: we frequently hold back from exposing our sin to the light. 55 00:03:39,740 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: And as a result, it continues to tie us up. 56 00:03:44,140 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: But Lord, we know that's elective. That's not something that 57 00:03:47,060 --> 00:03:49,710 Speaker 1: we need to allow to continue if we know you. 58 00:03:50,230 --> 00:03:53,250 Speaker 1: You have set us free from our bondage to sin. 59 00:03:53,950 --> 00:03:56,570 Speaker 1: And you encourage us not to go back to those chains. 60 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: So Lord, we pray that we would take the counsel 61 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,500 Speaker 1: found in this portion of your word. That we would 62 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,620 Speaker 1: confess our sins to one another. That we would pray 63 00:04:05,700 --> 00:04:08,750 Speaker 1: for one another about the specific things that we're confessing. 64 00:04:09,490 --> 00:04:13,470 Speaker 1: And that we would collectively and individually enjoy the healing 65 00:04:13,530 --> 00:04:18,090 Speaker 1: that you graciously supply. We need your healing. We need 66 00:04:18,130 --> 00:04:22,370 Speaker 1: your help. We need your guidance and direction. And we're 67 00:04:22,390 --> 00:04:26,609 Speaker 1: grateful that you offer these things to us through your Son, 68 00:04:26,710 --> 00:04:30,690 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. So again, Father, we ask for your help 69 00:04:30,750 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 1: to live out this portion of your word. And we're 70 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,060 Speaker 1: grateful for your presence with us today. We commit this 71 00:04:37,100 --> 00:04:42,169 Speaker 1: day to your care and pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.