There are constants across all spiritual disciplines in the Church. One constant is the need for confession and repentance. Confession is our agreement with God that what we have done is a sin. Repentance is the act of turning away from those sins and living a life aligned with God’s truth. 

Recently, I have been reading a book by a Catholic exorcist titled “Spiritual Warfare Q & A.” While wading through distinctly Catholic views and opinions, there are constants we share.

The author highlighted the words of a Catholic priest, Gabriele Amorth, who has performed over 50,000 exorcisms. Amorth said, “One good confession is worth one hundred exorcisms.” The author of the book, who himself had been involved in exorcisms, said, “Demons attach to sin, so you must clear that out first, if you hope to drive the demon out. Typically, you will find that the person will want the demon gone but has little or no desire to change his life of sin.”

Much of what we see happening in the global Church is projecting a negative image to the world and stems from a lack of confession and repentance. That choice degrades and demeans the work of the Cross. 

I once spoke to a pastor about the need to confess our sins to our spouse. He rejected that opinion and said he did not want to snitch on himself to his wife. Because I knew the pastor loved God, I believed that, in his journey of faith, he would eventually be led by the Spirit to see the folly of his words.

Confession and repentance are not just the gateway to our salvation; they should become a constant in our lives if we want to live a hope-filled life of faith. As our relationship with the Lord matures, He will reveal the smallest sins that are too easily ignored, which will eventually grow into greater sins and, at some point, be broadcast to the world, where our shame and dishonor will be revealed.

We need to be willing to confess our sins before others discover we are living a lie. No matter what may come from our act of confession, it is the only way to keep our lives clear of any hidden deception that will ruin our lives and our witness to the world. With God, there is always hope when we have sinned if we choose to live a life of transparency before the Lord and those with whom we live and minister.

In one of our most sacred acts, partaking in communion, we need to examine ourselves and confess our sins to each other before we eat the bread and drink the wine. 

“So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and some have even died. But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (I Corinthians 11:27-32).