{{2014_05_13_t1.jpg}} {{2014_05_13_t2.jpg}} {{2014_05_13_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2014_05_13|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_vi|| Topics Collection vi ]] ======Confessions ...====== Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Are you able to talk about your failures in the presence of other people? Probably there are some people you trust - and you are ok to admit to them where you failed. There are others which you do not trust, and you might no want to admit anything in their presence? {{2014_05_13.jpg }} **Openness or Caution ...** What is the right attitude if it comes to personal things, to confessions? Is it good to be open to others? Or is it better to keep things secret? Let me talk about two quite different experiences. First, be careful whom you tell things! There are some people - even some who say they believe in the Lord -, who do not keep secrecy. They tend to talk about your secrets ... and suddenly you will experience to find your secret feelings and thoughts distributed all over the church and beyond. You do not want this to happen! Be careful whom you tell things. On the other hand: why not just be open with what moves us? We do not need to tell every detail - let us protect people we love - and those we have difficulties to love as well! But the Lord is trustworthy, and he will keep us in his hand. What is it that humans can do to us? We know the Lord of the universe, why not be open to others with everything? When ever you are open, you will realize that others also open up and tell you what moves them! {{ 2014_05_13_2.jpg}} **Confess your sins to each other ...** > 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5, 16) We are told to confess to each other where we failed. We are told to confess our sins. This is said to brothers and sisters in faith. In the Lord, there is a completely different relationship. He is trustworthy, and the more our heart follows him, the more we are trustworthy ourselves. Here, there is an enormous promise given. You will be healed. When you start to confess your sins to your brothers and sisters in the Lord, you will be healed. The way this is said, is quite universal. It does not check whether the others are trustworthy - they might still be little kids in faith and quite immature. But the promise is given, it stands firm. I want to give my own confessions to the right people - to my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I want to tell them where I fail. I know where I fail. The spirit of the Lord is telling me clearly. I know that I have my dark side, which is called to become light by the power of the Lord. I am confident, that I will change, that I will mature, that the power of the Lord will not be futile, when it works on me! (Roland Potthast) [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_vi|... more texts]]