Becoming Like Jesus: Confession and RepentanceSample

Feeling shaky and uncertain?

In this Plan, we are learning to practice the spiritual disciplines of confession and repentance. Spiritual disciplines are the habits and practices that help us become like Jesus. What is confession? What’s repentance? How do those things help us become more like Jesus? Great questions.

John, a disciple of Jesus and an eyewitness to the resurrection, wrote a letter to a community of Jesus followers who were confused about what was true and how they should live as Christians.

Have you ever felt like the people John wrote to—shaky and uncertain? Perhaps you were rattled by something you heard in a YouTube video or on TikTok and it made you question what you believe. Maybe a loved one recently passed away and it’s hard to even begin to process. Maybe someone said something to you or about you that really hurt, and now that’s the soundtrack you hear in your mind every time you set out to try something new. Is it possible to find healing and have confidence?

Let’s see what John had to say.

Pray…

Heavenly Father, I’m coming to you today. I may feel confused and uncertain, but I am choosing to come anyway. Jesus, would you show me what’s real and true today? Holy Spirit, teach me how to be open and honest with You. I want to know You better. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 1 John 1:8-9 NLT

Consider….

To understand what John is telling us, first, we need to know what sin is. Because John says that if we claim we have no sin, we’re straight up lying to ourselves. He isn’t pulling any punches in the first part of this letter.

So what is sin? Sin is the disease of self-centeredness that leads us to disobey God and hurt others. Sin blinds us to the image of God in ourselves and others. It leads us to use people instead of loving them. It tells us the lie that people are only worth what they can do for us or how they make us feel.

Think about your day yesterday. How many decisions did you make simply because the outcome would be favorable for you? Maybe you made a joke that intentionally pointed out someone else’s flaws just to make yourself look better. Maybe you pushed your boyfriend or girlfriend to go further than they wanted to physically because it felt really good for you. Maybe you lied to people you care about because you knew they wouldn't approve of the decisions you were making.

If you look at your decisions through the filter of selfishness vs. selflessness, you’ll notice pretty quickly how true what John said really is. We are kidding ourselves if we try to ignore the reality of sin and how it infects our lives.

Sin seriously damages our relationships and our world. None of us are immune, and that’s really bad news.

But there is good news. Jesus came to this earth and He lived the life we could not. He was never corrupted or infected by sin. And because Jesus was never blinded by self-centeredness, He continually chose self-sacrifice. Jesus showed us that real love is a choice.

Practice…

In what parts of your life are you looking through the lens of self-centeredness?

Practicing confession begins with admitting we’ve sinned. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to places where sin has been festering in your heart. We can’t defeat it if we don’t acknowledge it. Take a step to admitting the broken lenses you have used before.

Listen…

Find a quiet place where you can continue to spend time with God. Maybe you have a favorite chair, a certain spot in your backyard, or a particularly cozy closet. Wherever you need to go to limit distractions, do it.

Set a timer for five minutes.

Ask God to speak to you.

When you get distracted in your mind, and you will, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, use it as an opportunity to come back to Jesus by praying this prayer:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24 NLT

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you spent together and go into your day looking for opportunities to love Him and love others.