Step 5 - Clear and Thorough Confession

We take a moment today to learn from the spiritual principle we are taught in Step 5 and to consider what it looks like in our life with God in recovery today.  Step 5 – We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Step 5 is often a tough step to complete.  To expose what has gone on in our lives, even to ourselves, is humbling for we feel awkward and ashamed about some of the things that are on our inventory list.  And yet God invites us to be clear and thorough in this confession, and do so with all our hearts.

Let there be tears for the wrong things you have done. Let there be sorrow and sincere grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Then when you realize your worthlessness before the Lord, he will lift you up, encourage and help you.  James 4:9-10 

Confession of our sins also gives us protection from the power of the evil one.  Many of us are aware that Satan uses what we have done to fill us with guilt and shame and fear of being found out.  When we admit the exact nature of our wrongs we disarm Satan and ruin his strategy against us.  Our pride may be deflated by admission of what we have been, but the truth will set us free from the bondage of the sin we might still be wrestling with.

In this way God took away Satan’s power to accuse you of sin, and God openly displayed to the whole world Christ’s triumph at the cross where your sins were all taken away. Colossians 2:15

Exposure of sin means it has no more power over us and we are free to enjoy a new life of joy and peace.  The favour of God is upon us and through prayer and meditation we can improve our conscious contact with God and pray for knowledge of His will for our lives and the power to carry it out.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, You know our hearts better than we know them ourselves.  By the power of Your Holy Spirit, help us to understand the reasons below our actions and humbly admit wrongdoing where needed. 

Thank You Lord Jesus for giving us freedom from sin and healing for all our wounds.  Thank you for enduring the guilt and shame of our sins on the cross.  Help us to humble ourselves and admit the exact nature of our wrongs so we can live gloriously free in Your presence today and forever. Amen

Today’s challenge is to take a moment and ask God to put into our minds and hearts anything that is currently broken and needs to be brought to the light.  Ask the question of God and then wait a moment for the thought that follows, and then deal with whatever that is.  What a great lifting of a burden comes when we get honest with ourselves, with God, and with someone else in this way.