Confession

James 5:16...Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Confession, as it is used here is command. James is writing a letter to Christians who are encountering a variety of trials in their lives. They are finding that their faith in God does not keep them from having to deal with difficult and often very painful circumstances. James does not write to tell them how to avoid all trials and live a pain-free life. He assumes that trials are going to come. He is trying to help his readers know how to go through the trials that are inevitable in a broken in hurting world.

Even though life is not always a bed of roses, God has given us friends and fellow believers to help us through. He calls us to confess our sins to others and in communion with them pray for help, wisdom and deliverance. God never leaves us helpless or alone. All who have faced difficult situations realize that these are the times we learn to put our full confidence in God. A wise man is not one who has lived a life without difficulties, he is one who has learned how to live life victoriously.