Confession by definition means: –noun
1. acknowledgment; avowal; admission: a confession of incompetence.
2. acknowledgment or disclosure of sin or sinfulness, esp. to a priest to obtain absolution.
3. something that is confessed.
4. a formal, usually written, acknowledgment of guilt by a person accused of a crime.
5. Also called confession of faith. a formal profession of belief and acceptance of doctrines, as before being admitted to church membership.
6. the tomb of a martyr or confessor or the altar or shrine connected with it.
(taken from www.dictionary.com)
Sometimes, our confession changes, based upon how we are feeling at any given moment in time. Often times, we feel something (negative) but confess another (positive) when people ask us “how are you?” (I feel afraid…I confess “I am fine”)
Here are a few feelings…Do you recognize any of them? SELF-CONSCIOUS ANGRY UNHAPPY JOYFUL RESISTANT ANXIOUS OVERWHELMED DISCONNECTED LONELY AFRAID SAD WORRIED INADEQUATE STUCK UNWORTHY WILLING GRATEFUL HAPPY CAPABLE TIMID STUPID FAT EXPOSED IGNORANT TIRED PEACEFUL LOVED SCARED EMPOWERED.
Our feelings are a reflection of the state of our heart. When we say one thing and yet do not reveal the truth of how we feel, often an inner conflict is created within us. It creates a wound, if you will, a weakness, an inner debate or even a deception in the sense that we are not really being truthful. We become susceptible to doubt and fear and attack by the enemy to plant the seed of a lie in us. Our emotions then have an opportunity to be the filter of what we say. Soon enough we begin to rely upon the filter and unspoken emotions and feelings and it can become our truth….or our identity…we will totally believe it is truth!
Example, someone says: “how are you?” You say: “I am fine”. You are really struggling and want to ask for help but don’t. You leave feeling unheard and feel uncomfortable. You drive home and feel a little angry and alone. Over time your confession becomes “no one cares about me!” (If I say I am fat long enough, it doesn’t matter what the scale says, I FEEL FAT).
Seeds of lies become a filter, like glasses, in how we see and conduct ourselves. We receive these from many sources in life…society, family, employers, co-workers, well-meaning friends, even our church and communities plant seeds in us. The question is, how do we weed out things that are NOT truth? Furthermore, understanding what is reliable truth is the ONLY way to get rid of the lie.
Who is the author (father of lies?) (John 8:44)
How do we find truth? (John 16:13)
The Power of Your Confession:
“What a woman thinks about, she talks about; what she talks about she brings about” -Pat Fortenberry
It starts with what we think. It starts in the mind. The mind is a battlefield of conflicting thoughts.
So, what’s on YOUR mind?
The Battlefield:
Ephesians 6:12: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
The Mind:
Romans 12: 2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Ephesians 4:23: “To be made new in the attitude (or spirit) of your minds”
James 1:8: “a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 4:8: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.”
The Mouth:
Matthew 15:11 - What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "
Matthew 15:18: But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'
Luke 6:45: The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.:
What Have We Learned?
We are in a war and the battlefield is our mind. Satan is our enemy and he uses diligent tactics, strategies and lies to create a deliberate deception.
We often do not express how we feel, but instead stuff our emotions which creates inner conflict. We cease to be authentic - who God made us to be.
Seeds planted by the enemy become filters through which deception takes hold - our thoughts become unclean - tainted - muddy
We can renew our mind by choice through the One who is Truth - Jesus!
Hooray! It is within OUR control to renew our mind!
This week, I will focus on all that I AM (through Christ) and not on what I am not. I will take time to be still before the Lord to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me my patterns of thought/speak/confession.
1. acknowledgment; avowal; admission: a confession of incompetence.
2. acknowledgment or disclosure of sin or sinfulness, esp. to a priest to obtain absolution.
3. something that is confessed.
4. a formal, usually written, acknowledgment of guilt by a person accused of a crime.
5. Also called confession of faith. a formal profession of belief and acceptance of doctrines, as before being admitted to church membership.
6. the tomb of a martyr or confessor or the altar or shrine connected with it.
(taken from www.dictionary.com)
Sometimes, our confession changes, based upon how we are feeling at any given moment in time. Often times, we feel something (negative) but confess another (positive) when people ask us “how are you?” (I feel afraid…I confess “I am fine”)
Here are a few feelings…Do you recognize any of them? SELF-CONSCIOUS ANGRY UNHAPPY JOYFUL RESISTANT ANXIOUS OVERWHELMED DISCONNECTED LONELY AFRAID SAD WORRIED INADEQUATE STUCK UNWORTHY WILLING GRATEFUL HAPPY CAPABLE TIMID STUPID FAT EXPOSED IGNORANT TIRED PEACEFUL LOVED SCARED EMPOWERED.
Our feelings are a reflection of the state of our heart. When we say one thing and yet do not reveal the truth of how we feel, often an inner conflict is created within us. It creates a wound, if you will, a weakness, an inner debate or even a deception in the sense that we are not really being truthful. We become susceptible to doubt and fear and attack by the enemy to plant the seed of a lie in us. Our emotions then have an opportunity to be the filter of what we say. Soon enough we begin to rely upon the filter and unspoken emotions and feelings and it can become our truth….or our identity…we will totally believe it is truth!
Example, someone says: “how are you?” You say: “I am fine”. You are really struggling and want to ask for help but don’t. You leave feeling unheard and feel uncomfortable. You drive home and feel a little angry and alone. Over time your confession becomes “no one cares about me!” (If I say I am fat long enough, it doesn’t matter what the scale says, I FEEL FAT).
Seeds of lies become a filter, like glasses, in how we see and conduct ourselves. We receive these from many sources in life…society, family, employers, co-workers, well-meaning friends, even our church and communities plant seeds in us. The question is, how do we weed out things that are NOT truth? Furthermore, understanding what is reliable truth is the ONLY way to get rid of the lie.
Who is the author (father of lies?) (John 8:44)
How do we find truth? (John 16:13)
The Power of Your Confession:
“What a woman thinks about, she talks about; what she talks about she brings about” -Pat Fortenberry
It starts with what we think. It starts in the mind. The mind is a battlefield of conflicting thoughts.
So, what’s on YOUR mind?
The Battlefield:
Ephesians 6:12: “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
The Mind:
Romans 12: 2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Ephesians 4:23: “To be made new in the attitude (or spirit) of your minds”
James 1:8: “a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.”
James 4:8: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.”
The Mouth:
Matthew 15:11 - What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "
Matthew 15:18: But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.'
Luke 6:45: The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.:
What Have We Learned?
We are in a war and the battlefield is our mind. Satan is our enemy and he uses diligent tactics, strategies and lies to create a deliberate deception.
We often do not express how we feel, but instead stuff our emotions which creates inner conflict. We cease to be authentic - who God made us to be.
Seeds planted by the enemy become filters through which deception takes hold - our thoughts become unclean - tainted - muddy
We can renew our mind by choice through the One who is Truth - Jesus!
Hooray! It is within OUR control to renew our mind!
This week, I will focus on all that I AM (through Christ) and not on what I am not. I will take time to be still before the Lord to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me my patterns of thought/speak/confession.
