Several weeks ago I was dealing with a sin in my life that was crushing me. I had been dealing with this particular sin for a while and seemingly could not find any victory over it. The enemy had convinced me that if I told anyone about it that my world would come crashing down on me somehow. On top of that, my pride continued to grow as I covered up this sin and hid it from the world. This lie and my growing pride left me feeling alone and shamefull.

After praying one morning, God put these scriptures in front of me through a sermon I was watching on YouTube. I want to share them with you.

James 5:13-16

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

I believe these instructions are simple and very practical. If you are dealing with something in your life, you should not be ashamed to talk to a righteous person about your issue. The instruction here is to “call for the elders”. This means you should make sure that the person you are “confessing to” is qualified to hear you. Admitting the issue is the first step in healing and hiding issues does not promote healing. I would contend, from personal experience, that hiding issues/sin just creates more issues/sin. Shining a light on the issue/sin with a believer somehow begins to take it’s power away. Your prayer offered in faith will restore you. Finally, this passage states that when a righteous person prays for you that they have an impact on your situation.

I went to a friend and confessed my sin. I can not begin to tell you the victory over this sin I have been experiencing. It has not been a perfect road, but I am serious when I tell you…It is working!!

So…if you are dealing with something. Please do not deal with it alone. It will require you to be brave, but find someone you can trust and share your issue with them. Get them involved. Pray with faith. The Lord with raise you up.

In Christ,

Rodney