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This prayer invites us into freedom through confession and honest surrender.
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16).
SOMETHING TO PONDER
I struggled with an eating disorder and an addiction to exercise for seven years. For nearly a decade, I refused to confess my sins to myself, God, or those around me because of two things:
1. I was in denial.
2. I was ashamed.
By the time I was 21, I would exercise 3 hours a day. I can’t explain it, but it was my way to cope with the crumbling home around me. I’d never really cared about food or body image, but now it was all that consumed me. Until the day God broke my foot.
That night, I screamed at God from my bathroom floor. I yelled, “Why did you do this?” as tears streamed down my face. But deep down, I knew why:
God was saving me.
In James 5:16, we read that confession brings healing. The beauty of this verse isn’t just in the confession part, but in what we receive as a result of doing so: being made healed and whole.
Confession isn’t easy. It makes my hands sweat, my heart pound, and my head spin. By the time I do, however, I feel a sigh of relief. I feel like I don’t have to hide anymore or pretend like I have everything together. Why? Because confessing to God and those who care breaks chains. It doesn’t mean you can skip the hard work of recovery or that healing will come instantly, but Satan loses his power when we bring dark things to light.
James 5:16 says it this way: “So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen” (ERV).