Scripture to Read: Matthew 5:25–26
As we finish out this week, we read what Jesus says in Matthew 5:25–26, “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.” Jesus takes the scenario of offending someone and now adds that the person also owes this person money. As we already discussed the biblical way to seek reconciliation, Jesus adds that if the situation has gotten so bad that our opponent is suing, we need to do everything we can to make things right before letting the case go to court. A great way to handle our confession is to practice the “7 A’s of confession.” Again, these principles come from “PeaceMaking Principles” (https://www.peacemakerministries.org/) and can be used whenever we must confess our sins. We must follow these seven steps. First, we must be sure and ADDRESS everyone involved. Second, we must AVOID the words“ if,” “but,” and “maybe.” When we use these words, we are rationalizing our sin and are not truly confessing. Third, we must ADMIT what we’ve done wrong and how we’ve offended the other(s) involved. Fourth, we must ACKNOWLEDGE the hurt we’ve caused to the people involved. Fifth, we must ACCEPT the consequences of our sins. Sixth, we must choose to ALTER our behavior. Seventh, we must ASK everyone we’ve sinned against for their forgiveness.
Challenge & Application
· What did God teach you today through the “7 A’s of confession?”
· How can you apply what God has taught you, and how can you help others do the same?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!