
There has been hundreds if not thousands of jokes, comedy skits and down right hate filled statements concerning confession in the Catholic Church. Yet it remains as one of the most effective and healing spiritual principles in religion today.
In Twelve Step groups recovery begins with an admission of your addiction and latter confession of your character flaws.
Consider this verse:
Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
In the light of what has been said above I am going to make a public confession that I hope no one will consider in bad taste. In does affect others so I will keep it very general.
For most of my life I have suffered from explosive temper. In my outburst I have hurt others close to me with harsh words and even physical violence. I am deeply ashamed of this behavior but seem to be unable to stop it no matter how much prayer and psychological principles I have applied.
Today while meditating about what I will be writing on the 10th Commandment in the workbook, a thought occurred to me that I had been praying for the wrong thing. You see I have been asking God to remove this anger from me but kept sensing that He would not. Suddenly, I realized why and what was wrong with my request. Anger is a God given character trait, it has it's healthy uses and our species would not exist if it were removed.
What I needed to be praying for was the removal of my inappropriate use of anger.
When I saw that and changed my thinking God showed me that I was using it to control and dominate the people in my life and to cause myself to feel superior. I further saw that this pattern had developed in early childhood and carried on into adulthood. It is the manifestation of a poor self image and the sin of false pride. It has been the guiding force behind nearly all of my choices; from who I would like and dislike to my career.
I had wondered why my anger seemed to be getting greater and more frequent as my body size has decreased since God has granted me release from compulsive overeating (down to 210 from 349). I now see that a healthier better looking me doesn't fit well with my image of myself, an image that believes it is ugly, unlovable and is a victim of life.
This revelation has hit at a very deep level and will undoubtedly change my life.
Dear Precious Father, Thank-you for this life changing revelation, I come before you and the folks that will read this confession I ask that you remove from me every vestige of false pride and change my self image that I may see myself and others as you see us. Keep me ever vigilant to this character flaw that I might expose and confess any resistance to your healing. I of my own free will give full control to your Holy Spirit to mold me and shape me into the man you would have me to be.
Amen
Php 3:12 I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize.
Php 3:13 My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead.
Php 3:14 I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done.
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