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We've talked about why confession matters. But what does it actually look like to confess? What words do you use?

Hey, Christ Church! I'm Dustin Hacker, and this is our final devotion in this week's "Holy Habits" series on Prayer and Confession. Yesterday, we laid the foundation for confession—what it is and why we need it. Today, we're getting practical. I'm going to walk you through what a prayer of confession can look like, using a beautiful, ancient framework from the Book of Common Prayer.

In this devotion, we explore:

• A simple, personal prayer of confession: naming the specific sin, acknowledging it as wrong, and asking for God's forgiveness. It can be that straightforward.
• A deeper, more reflective model from the Book of Common Prayer that the church has prayed for centuries.
• The difference between sins of commission (the wrong things we do) and sins of omission (the good things we leave undone).
• Why Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, calls us to confess not just our actions, but the thoughts and intentions of our hearts—anger, lust, and the hidden things that lead to sin.
• How confession leads to repentance, which leads to life change—all for the glory of God.

Whether you use a formal prayer, pray through Psalm 51 (David's prayer of confession), or simply speak from your heart in your own words, the goal is the same: to stop hiding, bring your sin into the light, and receive the grace and mercy that God offers you in Christ Jesus.

This Lenten season, I hope you'll engage in this practice. It might just change your heart.

Don't forget to like and subscribe as we continue our Holy Habits series with more topics in the weeks ahead!