Chapter Five

Am I A Terrible Person?

God, Forgive Me

Starting Off:	To Memorize : If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). God is so gracious; so quick to forgive! But while we're rejoicing in His grace, it's a good idea to remember that there are rules, and there are consequences in our lives here and now. For instance: If I regard sin in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. (Psalm 66:18). This study is about getting God to say “yes” to our prayers, isn't it? So, confession is our route around a big roadblock to answered prayer. Sin is such a serious matter to God that He gave the life of His Son to set us free from it, so it pays to keep short accounts with Him. He has not made that difficult to do. Repentance isn't a time for dread. God isn't waiting to beat us up, but to set us free into His forgiveness. He loves to remove that sackful of unrepented sin and guilt from our shoulders so that, like the Grinch, our hearts can “grow three sizes.” At least! And as we grow in Christ, and he grows in us, we won't need to repent as often, because His Holy Spirit living in us won't let us sin as comfortably as we once did. Isn't that good news? Sometimes getting honest with God isn't our biggest problem when it comes to confession. The harder part may be getting honest with ourselves. Anthony says: There are people who refuse to believe anything is wrong with them...but they couldn't be more wrong!...So many problems they're dealing with right now could be resolved easily if they weren't so dead set against admitting their spiritual shortcomings. Right now you can get honest and remove those “sin-roadblocks” to answered prayer. You can be sure you're connecting with God because he never, never turns away from a contrite heart. You can do this privately at home, or with help from someone in the Group or from your pastor or priest. (For Catholics, see Anthony's note about “Confession” on page 82)
Reconnecting:	Think over your time since the last session. Have you asked God to get you through some suffering in your life? What happened? Or maybe God has used you to bring comfort and help to someone else who is suffering. Tell the Group about it. Have you read Chapter Five, God, Forgive Me, and answered the Talk About This questions in the Study Guide? Then it's time to…
Talk About This:	•  What helped you the most in this chapter? •  What did you think of Anthony's story about the little boy who kept getting up “one more time?” What attitude did he have that was so special? Can you apply that attitude to your life? (Page 77) •  Anthony says: When it comes to being forgiven for the bad things we've done, the hardest part has already been done for us. What does he mean by that? Talk about God's part in the “forgiveness” process. Talk about ours. (Page 78, 79) •  Can you think of some possible emotional and spiritual consequences when we fail to confess and repent of our sins and failures? •  What does the book mean by “presumption”? (See page 83). Have you ever been guilty of that? Well, you can confess that, too! •  What does it mean to forgive? Do we have to pretend that terrible offenses never happened? How do we deal with that? How do we pray? (Page 85, 86) •  How do you feel about Jesus' statement that we will be forgiven in the same measure we forgive others? Might that lead you to some confession of unforgiveness toward someone? •  Has confession to God been a regular part of your life and worship? If it hasn't, will you keep “short accounts” with Him from now on? How will you do that?
Action:	Pray for any needs in the Group. Perhaps some will need others to help them pray. Remember, when it comes to confession, whatever you hear in the Group stays in the Group. It needs to be a place of confidence and safety. Try some one-on-one praying with someone sitting next to you. Are there people you need to forgive? Maybe they've caused long-festering wounds or resentments that have never really been dealt with. You can silently name them and speak forgiveness to them right now! It will set you free, too. Remember to start with the folks at home. They need to see God at work in you through real forgiveness. Pray for renewed strength to resist all temptation to sin. God will hear and help.
Closing Prayer:	Lord, we need to be forgiven and we need to forgive. Help us. As we think of our own secret sins, we find we are a lot more reluctant to condemn others. So first of all, forgive us where we have been self-righteous when we should have been repenting. Then, Lord, give us a new measure of the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts and minds and protect us from the temptations of the world around us. We confess our weakness and the ease with which we can be tempted when we are not conscious of Your presence with us. We do love You, Lord. We want to please You and have fellowship with You. Give us cleansing for our hearts, strength for obedience, and grace for forgiveness. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Assignment:	Read Chapter 6. Be ready to share your notes and your answers to the Talk About This section. Be ready to share the answers to the prayers you've been learning about and praying. At home, continue to ask God to show you any failures that need to be confessed and abandoned. Then go ahead and tell Him all about it. If you remember the verse you memorized for this session, you'll see that God welcomes those prayers with His smile.