Sin is shameful.
Sin is painful to relive and embarrassing to acknowledge.
But it is verbal confession that opens our soul to receive the healing and freedom that God offers. Many of us may think, contemplate, and meditate on the wrongs in our lives. We may silently pray our confession. We may feel remorse. We may even work to make things right. But if we do not verbally confess our sins, our soul remains enslaved.
“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Psalms 32:1, 3, 5 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.32.1-5.NIV
There is something powerful about words spoken. They have the ability to build up or destroy. Verbal confession leads to freedom and life. Our Catholic brothers and sisters have built verbal confession into their culture. And while confessing our sins to one another is helpful and actually a command, it is not a requirement. But verbal confession to our Lord is an absolute necessity.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
James 5:16 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.5.16.NIV
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/1jn.1.9.NIV
Why verbal? There is something powerful about the words we speak.
we don’t confess our sins so that God can hear them. We confess them so that we can hear them. Speaking is more powerful than thinking. God didn’t think the world into existence; He spoke it into existence. So, too, our words have power. When we confess our sins, we break down barriers that block our soul. We let go of toxins that poison our spirit. Most importantly, we engage God in our cleansing process, and it is only He Who can truly purify our souls.
https://www.bible.com/en/reading-plans/12652
Worlds are created and destroyed with the words we utter. From the smallest of beings to nations, the words we project transform the physical reality around us. And our souls need transformation. They hunger for freedom. They thirst for the light and life of the Spirit, who releases a peace (shalom) that is beyond human understanding.