Tag: confess sins
Prayer for Healing
Scripture reading for July 21: Numbers 12:10-13 “When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her–please.”
James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
Sometimes sin brings disease. Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ sister and brother, had spoken foolishly against Moses for marrying a Cushite woman. This was spoken from jealousy of Moses’ authority and friendship with God. Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant and chosen by God for that position. He was not sinning at that time in marrying the Cushite woman Zipporah.
God summoned Moses, Miriam and Aaron to come meet with Him at the tent of meeting. He came down in a pillar of cloud radiating His glory. He reprimanded Aaron and Miriam for their jealousy and confirmed His selection of Moses to be His spokesman. As He and the glory cloud departed, Miriam was left with leprosy, a skin disease that was painful and often fatal. She must be removed from the camp as it made her unclean.
Aaron saw his sister and cried out in confession of their sin, asking for mercy through his brother Moses. Moses immediately cried out to the Lord a humble prayer: “O God, please heal her, please.” God heard and answered. In seven days outside the camp, Miriam would be healed and restored. This is an Old Testament example of James 5:16 where believers are told to confess their sins to the elders and the prayer and anointing with oil would heal the sick person and they would also be forgiven.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for showing mercy to those who sin. How often we speak with our mouths sinfully out of jealousy or envy. Some of our wasting diseases require us to confess and humbly ask those who are mature to pray for us that we may be forgiven and healed. Give me wisdom today. Amen.
Walking in Light
Scripture reading for November 19: 1 John 1
“This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10
John was the disciple whom Jesus loved. He wrote this letter to strengthen believers in the truth of Scripture concerning their salvation after false teachers had attacked the church with new revelations about Jesus and the ‘knowledge’ required for salvation. These false teachers separated flesh and spirit into two categories. The flesh was evil along with matter. The spirit was good and was where salvation took place through special ‘knowledge’. They taught that Jesus was a ‘spirit’ separate from His physical existence. For some, their ‘knowledge’ led them to believe that it did not matter what was done in the body, they were still saved. Others were involved in severe treatment of their bodies to earn salvation.
John lovingly and firmly addressed the believers concerning the Word of God, Jesus Christ. God is light and has no darkness at all. Sin is darkness and those living in it have not found the light of Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ and His shed blood brings true salvation and fellowship with God and one another. As we walk in the light as Christ is the Light, there is a continuous exposure of sin enabling repentance and deliverance through confession of sin. If we refuse to admit sin but excuse it as unavoidable because of flesh, we are liars and His Word is not a true part of our life. We are dead in sin and the lie we believe holds us in darkness. This was the state of those under the false teaching of John’s day.
How would you evaluate your own knowledge and understanding of salvation? Are there still competing beliefs about how we ‘know’ that we are saved? Using John’s test of ‘light’ and ‘darkness’ concerning your own walk, are you walking in the light as Jesus is the light?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the light of Jesus Christ, the Living Word, shining in my life through the Holy Spirit. Thank You the Jesus is the Way, Truth and the Light, not some special ‘knowledge’ that enables me to justify clinging to darkness. May I glorify God in my body, soul and spirit! Amen.
Walking in the light!
Scripture reading for November 30th: 1st John 1:1-10
John was the disciple ‘whom Jesus loved’. John was the youngest of the disciples and one of the three who were in Christ’s inner circle, along with Peter and his brother James. John was given the assignment of care of Jesus’ mother as Jesus was on the cross. (John 19:25-27) In his later years, (approximately 90 A.D.) John wrote these short letters to his ‘dear children’ encouraging them to grow and endure in their faith.
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have see with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched–this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The Life appeared; we have seen It, we proclaim to you the Eternal Life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy full.” (1st John 1:1-4)
John writes about his own personal encounter with Jesus. It was a first-hand encounter that was on-going even at the time of the writing. He wanted his children in the faith to enjoy fellowship with him and with Jesus Christ and the Father. This would make his joy complete! This sounds like Jesus! (John 15:9-11) Knowing Jesus and the Father is eternal life! (John 17:3)
“This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light , as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” (John 1:5-7)
John’s message wasn’t original with him. He got it from Jesus and passed it on! If we claim to have fellowship with Jesus, we can’t go on walking in darkness and sin. That would be a lie! Jesus is the light of the world! (John 8:12) If we truly have fellowship with Jesus, we will walk with Him and confess our sins in true repentance! Are you walking in the light of true fellowship? Does your life show it?