He that covereth his sins, shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy – Proverbs 28:13

It’s hard to learn from a mistake you don’t acknowledge making. To learn from an error you need to admit it, analyze it, and make adjustments so that it doesn’t happen again. Everyone makes mistakes, so after repentance, there is no need to continue to beat yourself about it.

In life, we will make mistakes and we should learn by our mistakes. Confession is good for the soul, it releases guilt and shame as well as healing (Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much – James 5:16). 

When confessing our sins, we also need to know who to confess them to. You can’t confess your sins to everyone because some aren’t mature enough to handle what you tell them; others may tell everyone that will listen. So when confessing sins, they must be confessed to someone who is mature, someone who will pray with you until you’re strong enough to flee from sinful actions, someone you know that will not release your confessions to others.

Those who hear confessions shouldn’t go to anyone other than our heavenly Father, anyone else shouldn’t know the confession unless its detrimental to the individual or someone else. This is why so many Christians are bound by sin, because they are afraid to confess their sins. As the body of Christ, we should help each other walk this spiritual journey, and strengthen those who has fallen in weakness. Confession is not be held over a person neither should it be our conversation at the church or our homes. Prayer is needed for the individual, encouragement, as well as someone they can confide in.