WEBVTT - A Prayer for Strength to Confess Your Sin

0:00:02.720 --> 0:00:15.320
<v Speaker 1>Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer,

0:00:15.560 --> 0:00:17.680
<v Speaker 1>where we help you find the words you need to

0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:20.599
<v Speaker 1>connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening

0:00:20.600 --> 0:00:23.080
<v Speaker 1>in your life today, you can trust that God wants

0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:25.680
<v Speaker 1>to hear from you. Right after this short word from

0:00:25.680 --> 0:00:29.240
<v Speaker 1>our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer for the strength

0:00:29.560 --> 0:00:50.400
<v Speaker 1>to confess your sin. A Prayer for the Strength to

0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:55.360
<v Speaker 1>Confess your sin, written by Emily Rose Massey read by

0:00:55.440 --> 0:01:00.840
<v Speaker 1>Leah Gerard. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and

0:01:00.920 --> 0:01:03.920
<v Speaker 1>pray for one another that you may be healed. The

0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:07.080
<v Speaker 1>prayer of a righteous person has great power as it

0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:12.920
<v Speaker 1>is working. James five, sixteen. My husband and I have

0:01:13.000 --> 0:01:15.200
<v Speaker 1>led a small group at our local church for the

0:01:15.240 --> 0:01:18.800
<v Speaker 1>last four years. Cultivating relationships in our group has taken

0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:21.920
<v Speaker 1>time and effort, but it's been beautiful to watch each

0:01:22.040 --> 0:01:25.559
<v Speaker 1>person grow in the Lord. The model of our weekly

0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:29.480
<v Speaker 1>meeting time is very simple, yet powerful and fruitful. We

0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:33.560
<v Speaker 1>spend the first twenty minutes in fellowship, forty minutes answering

0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:37.600
<v Speaker 1>discussion questions about the sermon preached on Sunday, forty minutes

0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:40.960
<v Speaker 1>in what we call mutual ministry, and the last twenty

0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:45.640
<v Speaker 1>minutes in fellowship again. Mutual ministry is the time in

0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:48.520
<v Speaker 1>which the men and the women separate from each other

0:01:48.960 --> 0:01:53.160
<v Speaker 1>and share our burdens with one another. This includes sharing

0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:58.280
<v Speaker 1>various prayer requests, but most importantly, we spend intentional time

0:01:58.320 --> 0:02:00.320
<v Speaker 1>getting to the root of sin in our heart hearts.

0:02:01.160 --> 0:02:05.040
<v Speaker 1>This type of weekly confession before brothers and sisters is

0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:09.040
<v Speaker 1>something the Bible encourages us to do. This encouragement and

0:02:09.120 --> 0:02:15.400
<v Speaker 1>admonishment are found specifically in James. Therefore, confess your sins

0:02:15.440 --> 0:02:17.920
<v Speaker 1>to one another and pray for one another that you

0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:21.400
<v Speaker 1>may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has

0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:27.280
<v Speaker 1>great power as it is working James five sixteen. The

0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:30.800
<v Speaker 1>fact of the matter is that sin wounds our hearts.

0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:33.680
<v Speaker 1>It makes us grow callous toward God as we choose

0:02:33.720 --> 0:02:39.480
<v Speaker 1>our own ways over his. Confession simply means saying what

0:02:39.600 --> 0:02:42.040
<v Speaker 1>God says about our sin. We own up to it.

0:02:43.000 --> 0:02:46.560
<v Speaker 1>When we acknowledge our sin before God and others, the

0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:51.400
<v Speaker 1>grip sin has on our heart loosens. God brings healing.

0:02:51.480 --> 0:02:54.960
<v Speaker 1>As we humble ourselves and look to Him for his

0:02:55.080 --> 0:02:59.880
<v Speaker 1>grace and mercy, our fellowship with the Father is strengthened

0:03:00.360 --> 0:03:04.800
<v Speaker 1>and we're reminded how desperately we need him. This type

0:03:04.800 --> 0:03:08.440
<v Speaker 1>of vulnerability and openness that occurs when we confess our

0:03:08.480 --> 0:03:13.080
<v Speaker 1>sin among believers unites and strengthens our relationship as well.

0:03:14.280 --> 0:03:17.240
<v Speaker 1>We can see how none of us is perfect. We

0:03:17.400 --> 0:03:21.520
<v Speaker 1>all fall short of God's glory Romans three twenty three.

0:03:22.960 --> 0:03:26.640
<v Speaker 1>When we share the sins we're struggling with, we go

0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:32.160
<v Speaker 1>beyond surface level conversations and move into heart level conversations

0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:36.360
<v Speaker 1>that really make a difference in our lives. We're bringing

0:03:36.440 --> 0:03:40.360
<v Speaker 1>darkness to the light where it can no longer hold us.

0:03:41.560 --> 0:03:44.400
<v Speaker 1>We must not hide in the shadows holding on to

0:03:44.520 --> 0:03:48.760
<v Speaker 1>our sin. We must confess it and expose it. This

0:03:48.920 --> 0:03:52.320
<v Speaker 1>is where real change begins in our relationship with Christ

0:03:52.360 --> 0:03:56.480
<v Speaker 1>and with each other. Then we're given a beautiful opportunity

0:03:56.800 --> 0:03:59.680
<v Speaker 1>to pray for one another in a very specific and

0:03:59.800 --> 0:04:04.200
<v Speaker 1>in way. The reason James says that the prayer of

0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:07.280
<v Speaker 1>a righteous person has power is that for the believer,

0:04:07.800 --> 0:04:12.680
<v Speaker 1>we're given Christ's righteousness, which means God certainly hears our

0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:17.800
<v Speaker 1>cries and receives him. This righteousness is not of our

0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:22.520
<v Speaker 1>own doing. It's Christ's righteousness. Were clothed in because of

0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:25.479
<v Speaker 1>what he accomplished for us on the Cross. If we

0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.960
<v Speaker 1>are in Christ, we can have confidence that God is

0:04:29.000 --> 0:04:31.880
<v Speaker 1>at work in our lives, pouring out his mercy and

0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:36.880
<v Speaker 1>grace and transforming us to look more like Christ. This

0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:40.760
<v Speaker 1>verse in James reminds us how much we need the

0:04:40.839 --> 0:04:43.760
<v Speaker 1>accountability and support of our brothers and sisters in Christ

0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:47.120
<v Speaker 1>as we're all on this journey of sanctification and growth

0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:49.800
<v Speaker 1>in the Lord until we see him face to face.

0:04:51.320 --> 0:04:54.359
<v Speaker 1>If you're struggling to be vulnerable with your brothers and

0:04:54.400 --> 0:05:00.360
<v Speaker 1>sisters in Christ, especially regarding your sin, Let's boldly coach

0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:04.080
<v Speaker 1>the throne of Grace. Let's ask him for strength to

0:05:04.160 --> 0:05:06.120
<v Speaker 1>be able to bring our sins to the light where

0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:08.960
<v Speaker 1>we can encourage one another to walk in the light

0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:15.560
<v Speaker 1>as His children. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, I know that

0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:17.960
<v Speaker 1>even though on this side of heaven, I will never

0:05:18.000 --> 0:05:21.320
<v Speaker 1>be sinless, you do want me to flee from sin.

0:05:22.320 --> 0:05:25.440
<v Speaker 1>When I give into temptation and rebel against you and

0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:28.359
<v Speaker 1>your ways, I'm tempted to run and hide from you,

0:05:28.760 --> 0:05:31.120
<v Speaker 1>just like Adam and Eve did when sin first entered

0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:35.800
<v Speaker 1>the world. I need your strength to push past that

0:05:35.880 --> 0:05:39.159
<v Speaker 1>desire to hide. I want any darkness to come to

0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:44.120
<v Speaker 1>the light. I want to truly repent and see freedom

0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:47.159
<v Speaker 1>from the grip of sin in my life. I know

0:05:47.400 --> 0:05:50.560
<v Speaker 1>this is a daily fight to deny my flesh, walk

0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:54.000
<v Speaker 1>in the spirit and follow You help me to see

0:05:54.040 --> 0:05:57.880
<v Speaker 1>the gift of accountability and love for my brothers and

0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:01.599
<v Speaker 1>sisters in Christ. We also need your strength to be

0:06:01.760 --> 0:06:05.040
<v Speaker 1>vulnerable and honest with you and those who You've placed

0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:08.240
<v Speaker 1>around me. I long to be an encouragement to others

0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:11.240
<v Speaker 1>who are struggling and to point them to the cross

0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:17.039
<v Speaker 1>where Jesus bore our sin. Thank you for conforming me

0:06:17.520 --> 0:06:23.840
<v Speaker 1>to look more like Christ day by day in Jesus name. Amen.

0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:38.400
<v Speaker 1>Your Daily Prayer is a production of Life Audio and

0:06:38.480 --> 0:06:41.839
<v Speaker 1>Salem Media. If you liked what you heard today, be

0:06:41.960 --> 0:06:45.719
<v Speaker 1>sure to follow our sister show your nightly prayer. You

0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:49.440
<v Speaker 1>can find your nightly prayer at lifeaudio dot com or

0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:53.680
<v Speaker 1>in your favorite podcast app. By following your daily prayer

0:06:54.000 --> 0:06:57.240
<v Speaker 1>and your nightly prayer, you can be sure that your

0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:01.359
<v Speaker 1>day begins and ends entered on the Word of God

0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:02.680
<v Speaker 1>and prayer