Have you ever confessed without really meaning it? A confession without any real remorse or repentance? Like… “Yeah, I flipped that guy off at the red light, and I’m glad I did! He deserved it!” How about a confession as a humble brag? “Sorry I cussed you out, I just have a tendency to tell it like it is.” How about false self-deprecation? “Yeah, best watch out, I have a little bit of an anger problem lol.” Have you ever used a confession to drum up pity or compassion? To manipulate people to feel sorry for you? “I made some bad choices, and now I am suffering this consequence or that hardship, please feel bad for me.” What about confession combined with promises we don’t intend to keep? “I’m sorry give me one more chance.” Those confessions can seem genuine, but really are fertile grounds for self-deception and false spirituality. We’ve all offered confession without really meaning them, confessions lacking repentance and true brokenness. These false confessions are particularly self-destructive, and indicate a deeper spiritual problem. What about moments of real confession? Have you ever been repentant, teachable, humble, broken? Have you ever experienced the cathartic, healing power of rea confession? Can you remember the last time? How can we tell a difference? How can we make sure we aren’t deceiving ourselves? We can learn a lot from Jonah.
