Episode #310 The Freedom Hidden in Confession – Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Hey friends. Welcome to today's episode of Good God Talks. In our last episode, we started talking about confession and the tendency that some of us, me included, might have to wanna pull back and hide. But we chatted also about how openly confessing our sins, in safe places with safe people and to the Lord, brings healing and grace to us.

Today we're talking about confession again, really from this perspective of how to confess well. Which honestly is not something that I have spent a lot of time considering in the past. Most of the time, I'm looking at how can I confess quickly? There's this area of sin, there's something I'm struggling with. I feel this conviction in my heart. I need to confess it. Repent, move on. How can I get through confession as fast as possible? But confession restores closeness for us. It frees us for obedience as we walk in God's grace.

In Psalm 139:23–24, it says, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Now I love this verse and the reason that I love it is not because I'm like, Ooh, yay, something else to confess. It's because God is able to search my heart and know me better than I even know myself. He is able to help me look again at my thoughts and my beliefs and my actions and He leads me out of dangerous, harmful paths that I can choose to walk down. And He leads me in ways that bring everlasting life.
The way I grew up thinking of repentance was broken. I thought it meant I needed to feel really, really bad and I beat myself up and would try and earn my way back into God's graces after I sinned. But repentance in its foundational form is thinking again and choosing differently. That happens when God brings conviction to our hearts. When He shows us, Hey, I want you to think differently about this. I want you to consider your actions here again and choose a different course.

And there's some quotes talking about this beautiful gift of confession in Richard Foster's book, the Celebration of Discipline. He quotes a saint who I'm gonna butcher his name, Alfonso Leggo, who wrote: ‘For a good confession three things are necessary: (1) an examination of conscience, (2) sorrow, and a (3) determination to avoid sin.’”

Now, sorrow, as Foster goes on to say, “is an issue of the will before it is an issue of the emotions.”

That's something that I did not understand before. Being sorrowful in the emotions needs to come after and is subject to godly sorrow in the will. I want to change this, not just in how I feel about it or how I talk to God about it, but in what I do about it.

“In fact, being sorrowful in the emotions without a godly sorrow in the will destroys the confession.” That's what Foster says.

An examination of conscience comes when we invite God to move on our hearts and to show us areas that need his forgiveness and need his healing. And then we are sorrowful for the ways that we have participated and aligned ourselves with the things that have harmed us. The things that are not in agreement with what God says and how he instructs us. And that brings sorrow to our hearts. Godly sorrow of the will: I don't wanna live that way anymore. And then a determination to avoid sin. That's step number three. And I liked to think of that a little bit differently. If I'm wanting to avoid sin, my determination is to fix my eyes on God. My determination is to receive more of the fullness of life that he has for me.

And so the opportunity of confession is to say, Lord, search my heart. Help me be aware of things that need healing and forgiveness. Help my will be submitted to you because I want to want what you want for me, Lord. And help me fix my eyes on you. Lead me in the path everlasting.

Now, this type of approach can be painful. It can be discouraging, especially when we go back to areas of sin that are problematic or things we wish we were passed by now. But God's view of this is that it's beautiful. It's an open invitation that he gives us. Ask me, my daughter, my son. Ask me to search your heart. I will. I will talk with you about it. I will bring forgiveness and healing to you.

And when we walk in that forgiveness, when we walk in confession, that restores closeness to God and it frees us to obey Him as we walk in His grace. And those are things that God wants for us too.

And so as we end today's episode, I invite you to talk more with God about this topic, especially about ways that you have misunderstood confession or repentance or the need for forgiveness. And ask Him what He wants to offer you instead.
And so here's one question that you can take to Him today:

God, please search my heart. What's something that you want to change?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

Connect with Jen on Instagram