Rick Warren's Daily DevotionalSample

Confession Leads to Transformation God allows a crisis to get our attention, and then he uses the crisis to develop our character. One thing that signals we're changing is when we confess that we are the problem. We stop blaming other people and we admit, "I am the problem with my life." Until you understand this, there can be no major change in your life. This is the breakthrough God knows we need, God asks Jacob, "What is your name?" This is a very strange request because God obviously already knew Jacob's name. We need to understand that in ancient cultures you were always named for your character, what you really were. Your name might be Tall or Short; or your name might be Brave or Lazy. You were given a name that labeled you. It wasn't just something that sounded nice. It represented your character. That's a problem because Jacob means "deceiver, manipulator, liar." And Jacob lived up to his name! When Jacob says, "My name is Jacob," it is an act of confession. He's admitting, "I am a manipulator." Here's the insight into this: We will never be able to change until we openly and honestly and authentically admit our sin, our weakness, our fault, our frailty, our character defects, confessing this to ourselves, to God, and to other people. What do you need to admit about yourself?