Q: Where in the Bible does it say that you must confess?

A.  This is such a good question, and I want to show you a couple of different examples of confession in 1 John 1 and James 5.

1 John 1:9 talks about confessing to God, and it says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

That word “confess” doesn’t just mean we say, “Okay, Lord, I did this and I’m sorry.” Confession is actually much more than that. It involves you aligning yourself with His holiness, saying, “Lord, I have sinned against You. I know You’ve forgiven me, but I’m still confessing, because what I did was wrong, and I’m sorry. I thank you for the cleansing blood of Jesus that makes me as white as snow in your presence.”

That is one kind of confession, and we can see that it is linked to the forgiveness of our sins, but we can also find another kind of confession in James 5:16. It says, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

The first verse was talking about confessing to God, but this one talks about confessing to one another, and that can be so powerful. Sometimes when we’re struggling with something, part of the process to get free is to confess to another living person, a trusted friend, somebody who really loves you.

There’s something humbling about that process, and that’s good, because opening yourself in humility is a way of inviting God closer. The Bible says that God opposes those who are proud, but if you are humble, like when you confess your sins to another person, you will receive grace.

What’s wonderful is that this is not a man-made solution. God made this process, because He knows that if we just keep these dark secrets on the inside of us — these struggles with unforgiveness, lying, slander, theft, hate, or any other sin — they will just turn over and over on the inside of us. They might even open our bodies to sickness! But this scripture says that we have to confess, “that you may be healed.”

God is so gracious to us, friend, that’s why confession — admitting to someone, humbling yourself, and getting the secret sin out of you — is not just some way to make up for our mistakes, but it is a way to receive healing!

God doesn’t want us to think that we can just live by ourselves. Even the Apostle Paul, who was in prison so much, filled his letters with the names of other people, fellow servants in the Christian family who loved him and supported him and the ministry. We are a family. We need one another, so we just have to let down our guards and our pride and confess to one another.

I’m telling you, healing is waiting for you, so don’t hold that darkness inside of you anymore. Just like the Bible says, confess it to God. Confess it to one of your brothers or sisters, somebody you trust, and as they pray for you, you will receive freedom from your sins and perhaps even the healing you’ve been waiting for.