Paula J

We must be sure we speak out of love for others, it is very easy to fall into the thought of be better than or more Christian than. We must continuously spend time with God through His Word, so that we will begin to think like God.

That we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ will stand in the gap, he will plead our cause with God. Because we are human we know we will fall into sin, but we can be comforted in knowing that Jesus gives us a way to climb out of our sinful lives. Like a child who wants to please his parents out of love, so do we desire to please our heavenly Father.

Confession is admitting we have sinned. It is important because if we do not acknowledge our thoughts or behavior is sinful then we are lying to ourselves and to God. If we stop confessing our sins our relationship with God begins to dry up until it is no longer. He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. To forgive us is to say it is forgotten, he no longer holds it against us, but to be cleansed is to be renewed.

When a Christian walks in darkness, they are lying to themselves and attempting to lie to others. We may succeed in fooling ourselves and sometimes others but God will convict us and we will have to either acknowledge our sin or disregard God's Word. We must confess our sins and walk with Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

For me I would say it is because I do not allow myself to reveal too much. I fear that if people truly knew me they would not like me. I need to trust my brothers and sisters in Christ, for if they are truly Christians they will love me as Jesus loves me. I also need to trust that fellow Christians want me to grow in my relationship to Christ so if they hold me accountable I should not be offended.