There is a depth of fellowship that can be known only through honesty.
David tells of the devastation he felt day after day when he was trying to hide the truth of his behavior from God. Awful things like decaying bones and depleting strength (see Psalm 32). It wasn’t until he “came clean” with God that David felt joy again. We can almost hear the “Hallelujah” that had been locked up inside him.
Confession to God is the main thing, the first stop on the way to forgiveness and freedom. Yet there is another aspect that is often neglected: “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another”( James 5:16).
Are there risks to such honesty? Of course. Are there rewards? Oh, yes.
God wants us to be honest with Him. And He wants His children to be honest with each other. He wants them to encourage each other, “be there” for each other, pray for each other, help each other, love each other … be known by each other.
What if you were to begin living in honesty with some fellow believers? Imagine the freedom that could come through being fully known and unconditionally loved.
If we walk in the light,
as he is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus his Son
cleanses us from all sin.
(1 John 1:7 ESV)