Life's Healing ChoicesSample

If You Want to Be Healed, Tell Other People You know that problem you’d like to get rid of in your life? That temptation, defect, fault, fear, worry, loneliness — whatever is in your life that messes you up? You’re never going to get rid of it on your own. If you could, you would, but you can’t, so you won’t. You’re only going to get well when you’re honest with God — and with other people. You say, “I don’t want to do that. That makes me uncomfortable. Why should I do that?” Because it humbles you, and God gives grace to the humble. It’s your pride that keeps you stuck. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up” (NIV). God wired us so that we need each other. You were never meant to face your problems or your sins by yourself. We need each other. We have a longing for belonging. We’re to help each other out. James 5:16 is one of the most important verses for your health and holiness as you get over your habits and hang-ups: “Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (LB). You’ve heard me say it before: Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. It’s based on James 5:16. The way you get well in life is by revealing your feeling. When somebody comes up to me and says, “Pastor Rick, I’ve never told this to anybody,” I know that person is on the road to recovery, because when you share something for the first time, you’re opening the closet door where the boogeyman hides — but it turns out he’s not as big as you thought he was, and you breathe a sigh of relief. There is relief and healing in admitting and sharing. Why? Because the moment you do that, you humble yourself, and God gives grace to the humble. This is the hardest step for some of you because it really hits your pride. You don’t mind telling God about your habit, but you’re not about to tell anybody else. Your stomach just starts churning even thinking about it. If that’s the case, you’re going to be stuck in that sin the rest of your life because you’re never going to get well on your own. God has wired you in a way that you need other people to help you grow. If all you want to do is be forgiven, tell God. But if you want to be healed, you’ve got to tell other people. This devotional © 2014 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.