What do you think of when you think of freedom? Some might think of the civil war, others William Wallace in Braveheart, and some vacation. All of us know there are people who are oppressed and are treated as less than. I was at a pastors conference recently where a black pastor talked about “white privilege.” He shared about how when you a black father and you are teaching your 16 year old son to drive, he will teach him when he gets pulled over to have both hands on the steering wheel and not to make sudden movements. I won’t have to teach my sons that. That breaks me to the core.
Jesus died to purchase our freedom. That freedom is a matter of eternity, spiritual bondage, social equality, and personal. It is bigger than we know and more personal than we realize. Know this… There is more freedom to possess than you currently do.
Many of us know…
John 1:8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
This is amazing. When we confess our sin to God, He forgives us and cleanses us. If this was all there was, it would be more than we deserve. But this next one seems to be harder…
James 5:16-17 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.
So if we confess our sin to God we are forgiven, but if we confess them to another person we are healed! This is way harder but I know first hand this can make all the difference! This is not confess your sin to everyone! This is confess your sin to another person so you can experience the healing from the addiction, pain, and struggle. You see God did not intend for us to do life alone but in community. It is through relationship that we find healing and freedom.
So who do you have in your life to confess to. I am not referring to a confessional booth with a priest, but a person who is further down the spiritual journey who loves you and can hold you accountable. The Holy Spirit through this person can lead you to freedom you cannot find apart from this person.
So this week what do you need to confess and to who? Don’t wait! Don’t let fear keep you from doing it! Trust and find freedom.
Helping People Live a Better Story
Brandon Sereg
www.thevibrant.church
