This week, I read a story of a military officer, whose life was in a full tailspin after numerous adulterous affairs. He was ready to come clean and tell his wife. With a sunken disposition and dreaded gloom in his voice, he said, “I’ve flown over 60 missions in enemy territory. I’ve been in firefights and had missiles shot at me. But all that seems so much easier than telling her what I’ve done.” Well stated. Trespasses against those closest to us seem the most difficult to sort out as we consider James 5:16.
So, today—let’s dig deeper into the “why” of “confessing your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” Please contemplate this thought: Yes, while we have a personal relationship with God, it’s not private. My sins and trespasses affect others. “You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you” (Proverbs 28:13, ISV).
God desires health in our relationships, marriage, family, community, and church family. He is not asking us to confess our trespasses to everyone, everywhere. Such a practice is foolish. However, we need a circle of close friends to share with embracing unadulterated honesty. These individuals are your garden friends—remember who Jesus asked to accompany him to the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33)? Peter, James, and John (PJJ). Who is your PJJ? “There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Your garden friends provide a safe place for you and can pray specifically as you pursue healing and wholeness.
Who are your garden friends? Hopefully, you have others who are mature in Christ, are trustworthy, will pray earnestly for you, and you can meet with face-to-face. If your life is void of such individuals, developing these relationships is vital. “To have a friend, you have to be a friend.” Find a Community Group, pray, and watch God work.