Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16
I must confess, I am a very independent person. I do not like to ask for help. I like to accomplish things on my own. Asking for help shows vulnerability that I do not like many people to see. Can you relate? Despite this reluctance, I have come to understand that there are times that I need help and asking for help saves me so much frustration. I am often able to accomplish more with the help of other people than I can achieve on my own. The truth is, we were not meant to live our lives alone. We were meant to experience life with others and help each other, including in the area of self-control.
James, the author of the book of James, understood the importance of community and asking for help, especially when it comes to our faith. “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other,” he wrote, “so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16). These words are a call to reach out for help when we are struggling. When we ask for help and confess our struggles, God provides healing. We can keep each other accountable and pray for each other. Not only that, but we also bring our struggles into the light and expose them. As we expose our sins and struggles, receive help, and have our friends pray for us, God heals. This is the promise that we have in Scripture.
One of the areas of struggle that we must ask for help in is the area of self-control. When we feel out of control in certain areas, we must remember that we are not alone. Although we may be tempted to believe that we are alone in these areas, God has given us each other to help fight to become more self-controlled. If you are struggling today, despite how isolated that you feel, you are not alone. When you bring your struggle to light and invite others to help you and pray for you, you will find healing.
It is time today to be open about the areas of our lives that feel out of control. Where in your life are you struggling with self-control? Find a trusted friend and share this struggle. Ask them to pray for you and to help you in this struggle by offering truth, encouragement, and accountability.
Read James 5:13-20 (NLT)
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.
My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.
©2024 Sagebrush Church
