Day 4…James 5:16a

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so hat you may be healed.”

Notes from the devotional:

• God will begin working in you when you empty yourself of those things you harbor or hide from others.
• God will fill the void in you that you fill with your ego, your pride, your secrets.

My notes:

• “I’m not happy and haven’t been for a long time.” Those were the hardest nine words I have ever said. I had been harboring selfish feelings and resentment and dissatisfaction. Rather than confessing them to Kel, I held them in. I was resentful. I was jealous. I was selfish. And it nearly destroyed me and my marriage.
• It wasn’t until I confessed those feelings to her that I realized what had been missing. “We have fallen away from our faith and our relationship to God.” It had warped my view of happiness and what was right or wrong about my life. It was like God was just waiting to remind me what I was missing until I consciously decided to confess.
• Though that was the toughest day of my life, it also was the beginning of my return to God. He had never left me, I had left Him.
• I thank God every day that Kel didn’t give up on me that day. Nor did He.

Personal challenge:

• Do you have a confession to make to a family member?
• Pray that God will help you to honestly share your struggles.

~~from Men of Integrity: A Daily Guide to the Bible and Prayer (1999)~~