"Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make them well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
How many things can we pull from this passage? When I'm in trouble pray, when I'm happy praise the Lord, when I'm sick, ask people to pray for my healing. I'm only going to write about the part that is most potent to me.
"Confess your sins to each other, and pray for each other..."
Do we do this enough? I don't think I tell many people other than God what my sins are. And how am I supposed to keep from doing them if I don't have my friends to keep me accountable. I think that is the point, that we need a support system in place to help us with our struggles. No matter what the struggle is, God will forgive you. I don't care if it's homosexuality, lust, greed, or murder. God forgives if you truly are trying to live for Him, but we need to talk about it.
A couple of friends and I have been trying to keep each other accountable this semester, and we are still learning, but so far it has helped. The great part of accountability is that it keeps you from doing it, because you have another reason to feel guilty. You aren't just accountable to God, you are accountable to someone that you know will ask you how you are doing. Who will be disappointed in you when you have to admit that you failed them. I know it seems rudimentary, but it definitely helps me.
Along with confession comes prayer; praying for yourself and the other people that you are in the fight with is monumental to your growth. If you pray for God to protect you, He most certainly will. Ask God for His guidance for you and your friends in order to become more like Him. Tell Him you are weak, and He is strong. Because I can honestly say that after years of struggles, there is no other way than to rely on God. Considering He is the only reason you don't want to sin in the first place, you should turn to him for help with it. I know it took me years to figure this out, and the sooner you do it, the sooner you will see the tide turn; when that tide turns, you will see more steps forward and less steps back.
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