July 10, 2025 Devo

“Confession is good for the soul.” Have you ever heard that quote? It’s true. Confession empties our hearts of the guilt that is eating away at us on the inside. We feel better when we confess. We ARE better when we confess. But confession is good for more than just our souls. It’s also good for our RELATIONSHIPS.
Some time ago, I snapped at Wanda. I was irritated about something and vented to her a bit. But when she tried to advise me about it, I cut her off with a harsh response and a wave of my hand. She could tell I was frustrated and went into the other room. I immediately felt guilty about how I acted. I wasn’t mad at her. I was angry at something else. But she was the one I took it out on. And it wasn’t right. I went into the other room where she was and apologized. I told her I had no right to speak that way to her and take out my frustration on her. I asked her to forgive me for being a jerk. She appreciated my heartfelt apology and accepted it. I think she especially liked that I called myself a jerk! When she hugged me, my heart felt “healed.” WE felt healed.
I have a feeling that some sincere confessions could heal a lot of hearts and relationships out there. It might be a step worth taking. Confession tears down walls and builds bridges. That’s what David is getting at here. He’s saying that when we know that there are things in our lives that we’re not confessing to God, it creates distance. It becomes a barrier between God and us. It would have been like me trying to go on with my day without ever acknowledging what I had said or done to my wife. Oh, she would have still loved me if I hadn’t confessed. We would have had superficial conversations, eaten meals together, and sat in the same room on our computers. But that “sin” would have still been there. Her heart would have stayed wounded, and my heart would have stayed guilty. Confession healed those. It brought us close again. And that’s what it does with God. It removes the thing that we’ve done that’s hurt His heart. It removes the guilt and shame from us that causes us to pull away from Him. Confession heals. Confession restores. Confession removes the pretense and the awkward dances we do when we know things aren’t as they should be. Oh, God will never stop loving us. He’ll never give up on us. But confession allows us to be CLOSE again. Honest again. Connected again.
So if there’s something between you and someone else, take care of it. Confess it and make amends. Don’t let something stupid you said or did keep you from having a healthy relationship with someone you love. Tell them you were being a jerk. If there’s something between you and God, confess it to Him as well. His arms are always open to us, His Spirit is always drawing us, and His heart is always willing to forgive us. Tell Him you’re sorry. Tell Him you didn’t mean to pull away from Him. Tell Him you want to be CLOSE again. Confession really is good for the soul. Maybe it’s just what YOUR soul needs. That’s God’s Word for you today.