"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 ESV
WHEN YOU ARE stuck in sin, what are you compelled to do? Are you compelled to engage other believers and prayerfully work through sin's power in your life? Hopefully that is the case, but for many believers we urge ourselves to withdraw, retract, and disengage from those who would walk through our sin with us.
Let us remember, as Christians, we are called to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16), and this is not an arbitrary rule meant to shame us into compliance. Contrarily, it is intended for our benefit and building one another up in love. We may be grieved by our sin, but if it is habitual and ever reoccurring, we are unrepentant. This is because repentance is much more than feeling sorry about our sin, it is literally turning around and going the opposite direction. It is leaving that sin splattered on the concrete, instead of, like a dog, returning to it (Proverbs 26:11).
Rather than living in the dark and returning to your folly, confess your sin to a brother or sister, and stay accountable to him or her. When this happens, you will find you both become sharper, more useful tools for the Lord.
Do your closest friendships have a confessional element to them? How do these people sharpen you, and vice versa?
Source: Relevant Magazine
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