Public Confession of Sin

God has been working on my heart a lot lately. I feel that He wants to move in my life and that He wants to work through me with His Holy Spirit, but that in a lot of ways, I have been holding Him back. I want Him to have freedom with my life and so I am using this blog as a forum for confession and accountability. I don't think God can use us until we are willing to let Him.

I want to share a few verses with you first. The first passage comes from Acts 19:13-20:

"Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (One day) the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

"When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power."

I feel like we, as a church, and myself personally have been running around, naked and bleeding for too long. We invoke the name Jesus, but because of the sin in our lives, we keep getting beat up by the devil. I don't want that anymore. It's time to confess the evil deeds and burn the scrolls.

James 5:16 says this:

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

I want to be righteous and pure before my Maker. I want my prayer to be powerful and effective.

If you want to confess your sins or ask for accountability here as well, I encourage you to do so. If you want to post a similar blog on your own personal page, I encourage that as well.

I have no idea what will come of this or if anyone will participate, but I know that I need to do it for my life, if for no other reason.

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Jesus, I have not pursued you the way I should have. My time in prayer and in your word has been pitiful at best. I have not sought after your heart, I have not listened to your still, small voice speaking to me. I have lacked the courage to step out of my comfort zones and I not ministered the way I should have. I have lost the heart of tenderness and compassion I once had. I have allowed myself to experience violence and impurity through media. I have become angry and frustrated with those around me. I have spoke poorly about other people, even Christian leaders. I have gossiped, lusted and murdered in my heart, and let impure things come out of my mouth. I have lost courage and not been faithful. I have not stood against all the opposition. I have become impatient, trying to do things in my own strength instead of yours. My love has not been as it should. The list of things that I have done to grieve your heart is so long that I cannot even write everything.

I ask for your forgiveness, Jesus. Cleanse me and purify me. Make me holy and righteous before you. Give me wisdom and the integrity to act upon it. Give me the strength to stop sinning as I have been. I pray that your Holy Spirit would fill me and guide me. Show me what I am to do, where I am supposed to go, who I am supposed to talk with. Give me the courage to listen and obey. Revive my heart, oh God, and make it ever true.

Amen.