To Confess or Not to Confess

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." - Proverbs 28:13 (NIV).

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. - Matthew 6:6 (KJV)

Of the two kinds of sinners in Jesus' day, whom did he prefer to mix with?


The honest ones. They were the only ones he could help. As The Living Bible puts today's text, "A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance."


Confession is also a fundamental way to healing—physical as well as emotional and spiritual. James said, "Confess your sins and faults to one another, and pray for each other so you will be healed." - James 5:16.


As the medics tell us, many of our physical ills are either caused or greatly aggravated by unresolved inner problems as a result of impaired relationships, guilt, anger, resentment, bitterness, hurt, grief, worry, anxiety and other super-charged repressed negative emotions.


Very often these are the things that make us sick. Literally. Confessing them, getting them off our chest, and emptying out these feelings clears the way for the healing of many ills. So, in many ways some healing at least is a choice. To confess or not to confess? That's the choice, as that's the way to healing.