Spiritual disciplines

Disciplines of Confession: Personal, Group

Disciplines of the Holy Spirit: Guidance, Wisdom

Disciplines of Repetition: Memorization, Meditation

Discipline of Interaction: Bible Study

Disciplines of Interaction: Prayer

Disciplines of Service: Daily, Christian, Community

Disciplines of Togetherness: Worship

Disciplines of Togetherness: Fellowship

Disciplines of Identification: Baptism, Communion, Witnessing

Disciplines of Abstinence: Fasting, Solitude, Silence

Disciplines of Needs: Love

Disciplines of Needs: Giving

Stieglitz, Gil. Spiritual Disciplines of a C.H.R.I.S.T.I.A.N.: Intensive Training in Christian Spirituality . VIBRANT. Kindle Edition.

Stieglitz, Gil. Spiritual Disciplines of a C.H.R.I.S.T.I.A.N.: Intensive Training in Christian Spirituality . VIBRANT. Kindle Edition.

Confession is the beginning of the disciplines and it invites the Lord Jesus Christ to draw near to you with His presence.

The Scripture calls believers to draw near to the Lord so He will draw near to you. Listen to James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.” 

In order to walk with God, we must begin to practice the spiritual disciplines that are laid out in Scripture.

St. Augustine said, “The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.”1

What Does Confession Mean?

Confession means to agree with God that a particular activity is wrong and is against God’s law and desire for us.

Confession includes the idea of repentance: that we do not want to practice the sin anymore.

Some people are very sorry that they were caught sinning but really have no desire to stop.

True sincere confession carries with it a willingness to develop a concrete plan for avoiding the sin in the future.

If we are not willing to implement a practical repentance plan, then we may be sorry about being caught but not really deeply troubled about offending God.

What Are Three Crucial Elements of the Discipline of Confession?

A. It must be on-going.

In 1 John 1:9, God uses the present tense of the word “confess” to say that confession should be a regular ongoing activity.

B. It must acknowledge personal guilt.

In order to truly receive the benefit of confession, one must admit, “I was wrong.” 

When believers are willing to be honest about their involvement in a sin, they can receive the forgiveness that is waiting in the death of Christ on the cross.

C.It must include repentance and a plan.

True sincere confession involves repentance: wanting to permanently stop committing the sin.

Repentance is a change of mind toward that sin.

True confession includes repentance and is willing to develop a repentance plan.

A repentance plan is specific to the offender and aimed at changing future behavior.

If you are serious about changing, there are ways to bring about changes in behavior.

Repentance plans separate the serious from those who just got caught.

Your repentance plan will bring you up short of repeating the sin.

To Whom Should I Make My Confession?

1.God

Every sin that we commit is an offense against God’s plan for our lives.

When we confess our sins, we admit that we have violated God’s commands.

It is important to address God directly with our confession.

Technically all of our sins were forgiven at the moment that Christ died; our confession is a way of drawing our positional forgiveness to our present situation. (1 John 1:9; 1Timothy 2:5)

2.Those You Wronged

Many times when we violate God’s commands we have offended more than just God with our speech, actions or attitudes.

Those whom we have wronged often need to hear us admit that we were wrong.

I am not talking about asking for forgiveness for every breakdown in manners, but I am suggesting that we acknowledge when we hurt, wound or offend people.

When we approach another person who we have wronged and acknowledge that we wounded them, it allows the relationship to heal.

Too many people assume they are forgiven without apologizing, resulting in having shallow relationships. (Luke 17:3; Matthew 5:23,24)

3.To One Another

It is appropriate at times to let mature Christians and others know that you have sinned and are not pretending to be perfect.

The context of a small group or a loving tight relationship with a mentor or pastor or life coach is a great place to share your victories and defeats regarding temptation and sin.

It is often true that the church is full of phony relationships because no one is willing to talk openly about that for which they really need prayer or what they are preparing to battle. (James 5:16)

Daily

Through the illustration of washing feet in John 13, Jesus suggests that confession of sin should be daily.

It is very helpful to build into your life a checklist so that you can examine your life every day.

Just before you go to bed at night compare what happened that day against the Seven Deadly Sins (pride, envy, anger, lust, sloth, gluttony, and greed) or the Ten Commandments.

Whenever God Convicts of Sin

God the Holy Spirit will convict of sin.

He will move in the heart of the believer and bring a somberness and guilt.

Believers need to be sensitive to that still, small voice in their conscience that tells them they have sinned.

Those who practice the disciplines of confession usually report a quick awareness of God’s conviction in their life.

Whenever I Have Wronged God or Others

In order to enjoy a life filled with God’s presence we must become sensitive to what offends Him.

If a person is outside of the moral boundaries prescribed by the Ten Commandments, then that person has offended God.

Also, the first and second Great Commandments mark the essential action that pleases God: A life of LOVE.

Therefore when we are selfish and looking out only for our own interests, we offend and wrong God.

More than a thousand years ago a short list of sins was compiled.

These were considered the sins most offensive to God and the quickest to destroy faith.

The faithful used them as a guide for confession and avoidance.

These sins were called the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, anger, lust, sloth, gluttony, and greed.

When I Am a Part of a Group That Has Wronged God or Others

It is very freeing to acknowledge to God when we have been a part of a group that has violated God’s laws.

This is true even if you did not personally participate in the sins of the group but were simply a part of the group that did commit the sinful actions.

What Are the Results from the Disciplines of Confession?

There are many benefits of regularly practicing the disciplines of confession.

First, there is an increased awareness of the presence of God in your life.

Second, there is the opportunity to build a much deeper relationship with God based upon the honesty and integrity that confession brings.

Third, there is the forgiveness that God offers through the death of Jesus Christ when we admit that we were wrong.

I remember working with one man who said it was like a wave of forgiveness breaking over his body when he admitted the specific places where he had been wrong.

Fourth, confession breaks the chains of the past and allows a person to look at the events and circumstances of the past with objective eyes.

When people are not willing to admit that they were morally culpable in regard to a particular action, then they drag that sin with them.

Fifth, admitting specifically and clearly where you have been wrong allows a rebirth of whatever relationship was damaged or destroyed by your actions.

Many times people want to bury their sins under an avalanche of good works, but until there is clear admission of guilt there cannot be full openness and honesty in a relationship.

What Should Be Confessed?

For centuries Christians have used lists of potential sins to guide them as to how they might have sinned against God or their fellow man.

Unless people have a guide that moves them through a well-rounded biblical picture of various sins, they may focus too much on certain sins, ignoring other sins, or become fixated on cultural prejudices as though they were sins.

It is only recently in the history of Christianity that believers have not been taught to review their life each day.

On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus used the analogy of foot washing to teach His disciples the need for daily cleansing from sin.

Christians live in a world in which they will sin and act selfishly.

God commands us to confess our sins so that these offenses will not dim or fog or disconnect our intimacy with God.

The following is a list of guides for the confession of sins:

SEVEN DEADLY SINS.

Pride

Envy

Anger

Sloth

Greed

Gluttony

Lust

3 TYPES OF SINS

Sins of Omission

Sins of Commission, ( Trespass)

Iniquity, ( Wickedness)

Ten Commandments list & meaning

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall make no idols.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Keep the Sabbath day holy.

Honor your father and your mother.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet.

FIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

THOUGHTS

SPEECH

ACTIONS

ATTITUDES

MOTIVES