Prayer and Promises

THE PROMISE 

Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

— 2 Corinthians 5:18,19, HCSB 

THE TESTIMONY 

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed...”

All are fallible, all make mistakes and fall into sin; but if the wrong-doer is willing to see his errors, as they are made plain by the convicting Spirit of God, and in humility of heart will confess them to God and to the brethren, then he may be restored; then the wound that sin has made will be healed. If this course were pursued, there would be in the church much more child-like simplicity and brotherly love, heart beating in unison with heart. 

Suppose that one brother misjudges another. He might have had opportunity to learn whether his suspicions were well founded; but instead of waiting to do this, he repeats to others his surmisings. Thus evil thoughts are stirred in them, and the evil becomes wide-spread. And all the time the one pronounced guilty is not told of the matter; there is no investigation, no inquiry is made directly of him, so that he may have an opportunity either to acknowledge his fault or to clear himself from unjust suspicion. A serious wrong has been done him because his brethren had not the moral courage to go directly to him and talk with him freely in the spirit of Christian love. 

You have thought evil... cure the wound, confess your mistake, and seek to be in complete harmony with your brother. This is the only way to correct your errors. Confess to your brother, and bind him close to your heart, so that you can labor together in love and unity. 

Whatever the character of your sin, confess it. If it is against God only, confess only to him. If you have wronged or offended others, confess also to them, and the blessing of the Lord will rest upon you. In this way you die to self, and Christ is formed within. Thus you may establish yourself in the confidence of your brethren, and may be a help and blessing to them. 

To all who seek him with true repentance, God gives the assurance: “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” These promises are full of comfort and hope and peace. 

— The Review and Herald, December 16, 1890 

THE RESPONSE 

Be willing to see your errors when you make mistakes and in humility of heart confess them to God and one another that heart may beat in unison with heart. 

Have moral courage to go directly to the one who is in error and talk with this person freely in the spirit of Christian love. 

Cure the wound by confessing your mistakes and seekIng to be in complete harmony with one another so that you can labor together in love and unity. 

Seek God with true repentance. God gives the assurance to blot out your transgressions, His promises are full of comfort and hope and peace.