When I was young I thought I’d need to do something powerfully great for God in order for Him to be pleased with me. Every time I’d sing for a larger group, I’d wonder if this would be enough for God to take away the ugliness hidden in me, yet haunting me at every turn. Today, I’ve come to realize that God always wanted me to confess this to Him and open up to those I trust so I could be healed as James 5:16 tells us. The word confess means “to agree” along with other synonyms like admit or saying the same thing.

When I finally needed to confess my past, I sure didn’t do it agreeing with anything. I just did it because it was haunting me for marrying Kathy when she had no idea what a filthy person she’d married. I needed to let her go so she could find a mate worthy of her. It has taken a lifetime of confessing and learning from endless lessons to know how confessing is the same as agreeing. God’s Word tells me that if I confess to someone I trust, I will be healed. In order for this to take place I not only needed to tell, I needed to agree (believe). God has taught me to trust Him fully. In so doing, I agree with Him and believe I will be healed which has begun with me now believing I am a new creation.

This message is something God wants me to pass along to His children who struggle as I have. It is a message of Grace and Mercy. I had always seen it as a huge message of discipline with severe consequences. Instead, when I finally confessed my message for the first time to Kathy it was met with love and compassion–Grace and Mercy. I thought this was only because Kathy is nice. However, over time I learned that God is also extremely nice, providing this Grace and Mercy. Wow, GOD IS GOOD!