Thursday, June 6, 2013

E-mail, the Taliban, and the Confession of Sin


A man named Mullah Omar prepares weekly press releases for the Taliban.  The press releases are distributed to journalists as well as Taliban members throughout the world.  Last November, Omar accidentally revealed the identities of those members (many of whom were secret operatives) by listing their e-mail addresses in the wrong copy line of the message.  Addresses intended for the “bcc” line were pasted in the “cc” line.  Hundreds of e-mail addresses belonging to people affiliated with the Taliban were broadcast around the world.  Talk about a bad day at the office.

While we may not be Taliban members, we’ve all had associations we wanted to keep secret.  We associated with bad and unhealthy things.  We sinned.  Then, we tried to hide it in order to avoid embarrassment.  When it was brought to light, we were horrified.

The Bible encourages us to avoid all that drama by simply fessing up.  Christians are instructed to admit their wrongs to other trusted Christians.  James says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”  In other words, bring sin to light so that it can be given to God and healed.

As you go through the coming week, fess up.  Find a trusted sister or brother in the faith and confess your sins.  Let another Christian walk with you and pray for you so that you don’t have to wrestle with sin alone.  As you do, you will find real freedom.  You will be free from the guilt, anxiety, and isolation of keeping secrets.  You will be free from condemnation as Jesus forgives you.  You will be free from any association with Taliban.

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