A guy in his mid-twenties walked out onto the stage wearing jeans and an un-tucked, button-up shirt. Like most of the people who walked onto that stage, he asked the only questions certain to get at least a mildly energetic response from the junior high crowd: “What’s up Impact?! Are you excited to be here tonight?!” Of course, there were many cheers that came pouring fourth from the 1,200 people in the audience, though not as many as when the song leader had asked the same question approximately 45 minutes before. He then stood center stage and introduced himself by saying, “My name is Trevor. I’m a former Lipscomb student. And I am an alcoholic.” The crowd erupted into the loudest chorus of approval it had exhibited all weekend.

I could not help but chuckle a bit inside because here these teenagers were giving a standing ovation to a man who had just confessed one of the more taboo sins in our culture (there is a reason it is called Alcoholic Anonymous ). Obviously, they were not applauding his addiction to hard liquor at a “church camp,” although the thought of that struck me as funny. Instead, they were showing their immense approval for this act of confession, an act which three days of lessons had convinced them was essential for any true disciple of Jesus.

Jeff Walling spoke about Adam and Eve and how they became ashamed after sinning in the garden. He said that the only way to rid oneself of that kind of guilt is to confess, or name it. Walling pointed out that the verb “confess” is similar to the one used when Adam named the animals. To confess something is to name it, and if you name something you assume control over it. Trevor gained control over his problem by calling it what it was, not just in the privacy of his apartment, but in the presence of trusted friends and family members.

God has given us a spiritual family in which we are free to name our shortcomings so that with the help of fellow Christians we can assert control over, as the Hebrews writer called it, the sin which so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1). James says to, “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The intense prayer of the righteous is very powerful” (James 5:16). James seems to indicate that confession is only the beginning.

Naming your sin does no good if there is no prayer and intercession to follow. Often, disciples will get worked into an emotional frenzy, so much so that they let go of all the secrets they possess. As wonderful and liberating as that moment is, we must remember James’ admonition to pray, not just once or twice, but continually. The epistle concludes with these words:
“My brothers, if any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back he should know that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his life from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20)
Confession is the first step in a new direction, but to “turn” takes many more intentional choices that lead back to what James calls the “truth.”