Oh the value and importance of community.
Especially in this Christian walk.
There is such strength in numbers.
It is vital to our growth as followers of Christ.
Even the introverts like myself.
Even the people who are pretty private and reserved people (also moi).
A couple of weeks ago I talked about 3 Keys To Praying Powerful And Effective Prayers.
I have found that many followers of Christ don’t pray or don’t pray often, for a number of reasons.
Yet, prayer is also something that is vital to our growth as believers.
I came across this verse a few weeks ago and a few things struck me that I wanted to point out.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]. ~James 5:16, AMP
Not only does this verse encourage us to confess within community, but it also highlights what happens when you couple it with prayer and put it into action.
We always hear the phrase,
Confession is good for the soul.~ Unknown
(Honestly, I can only remember this being sung in the Soul Food show series theme song, lol, but I digress!)
James, however, tells us what happens when we have one (or a few, i.e. community) we can confess our false steps and offenses to–we get healed and restored.
In confessing, we cannot leave out a very important part of this process:
To pray for one another.
When someone confesses something to you, whatever it may be, trust that it took a lot of courage, humility and guts to do so.
And the fact that they shared it with you means they must trust you on some level.
What they share with you is for the express purpose of praying for and with them. It isn’t to judge them, but instead an opportunity to use what they share with you to pray purposefully, intentionally and specifically. (I talk more about this here.)
James also goes on to say that when put into action, our confession and prayers for each other, as long as they are heartfelt and persistent, can accomplish a lot.
In fact, he says it is dynamic and can have tremendous power.
This week, as you meditate on this scripture, consider some of the things you may need to confess to someone (or a few) and get together with them on the phone or in person.
I challenge you to put this scripture into action.
Confess something to your community of people (those you trust) and then pray sincerely for each other.
Let’s see how God will make it effective and what tremendous power will manifest as a result.
(And please, pretty puhlease, share in the comments below.)
Lady In Waiting 222 