Therefore Confess Your Sins To Each Other And Pray For Each Other So That You May Be Healed

JAMES 5:16
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.
”‭‭James‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭NKJV‬
‬https://bible.com/bible/114/jas.5.16.NKJ

V

Sin is like a virus within us, and unless it is dealt with, it will, like a snow ball rolling down hill, grow in size and power and lead us to eternal death.
Sin brings us into agreement with the devil and allows the demons in and hold us in bondage because sin separates us from God.
They then have a massive influence over one’s thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, and emotions; and they will use that influence to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (JOHN 10:10), not only the captive, but also their loved ones and other believers through lies, deceptions, and influence.
Repentance is the way to freedom, but requires more than simply saying sorry.
Repentance is taking responsibility for our wrong actions and doing everything possible to change.
When we confess our sins to one another and pray into it together, we are showing ourselves as taking responsibility for our wrongdoing; that step will enable Jesus to draw closer to us and open the door to deliverance and break the hold the devil has on us.
For, “He (Jesus) is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.“
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Confession to God can save us from eternal death, but if one hides his sin from from people, the devil will use it to bring fear of exposure and hold it over that person.
Confession to people breaks the devil’s hold completely.
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.“
‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
It is an easy process; repent-sin no more-turn from sin toward God. Rebuke the devil-verbally call him out and evict him, “and he shall flee from you,” for even the demons are subject to God’s people in Jesus name (LUKE 10:17).
These unclean spirits and demons are like squatters, if you leave the door open, they will move in and you will need the judge to issue an eviction notice to evict them.
That eviction notice is the authority of Christ in a repentant believer.
Sin brings one into agreement with the devil and he gains authority over him. Furthermore, these demons enter through the sins of our ancestors, through false beliefs, un-forgiveness, offence, ungodly souls, and even past hurts and traumas
But repentance brings one into line with God and gains him God’s given power and authority over the demons.
My beloved, Jesus is the One who moves mountains, knocks down walls, and breaks every chain; He is the One who breaks curses and tears down every strong hold; He is the One who sets the captives free-“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
‭‭John‬ ‭8:36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Confession to God makes way to eternal life, but when we confess to one another we take away the devil’s ability to hold our past over us.
Obviously, we need to be wise-confession should be to people who we can really trust-your pastor, or a close brother or sister in Christ. You don’t want to become a victim of gossip.
Sin and it’s ability to separate us from God will have a very negative affect on our prayers too, but the effectiveness of fervent (passionate; sincere; heartfelt) prayer of a righteous man avails much.
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced it’s fruit (JAMES 5:17-18). His prayers were answered.
James had nothing hidden, and despite having a sinful nature like ours, remained righteous in Christ-his prayers were answered for Christ was his righteousness.
It is encouraging that when one remains close to God, like Elijah and James, his prayers shall avail much.
Is there anything hidden in your life that might separate you from God? Does the devil have any kind of hold on you?
We’ve all had something in closet at some time in our lives that we want to keep hidden, but the truth is, we have to take responsibility for our past before we can be free to walk in our eternal future.
My beloved, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and 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 Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that 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 that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.“
‭‭I John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
My beloved, transparency brings peace.
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.