How to Survive Discipline -- Submission (part 3)

OK you've thought about what's likely to happen if news of your sin gets out. And you take the consequences. Lets say its sexual immorality of some sort and your husband would be hurt but he would understand the honesty might be helpful. Lets say its gossip and everybody already knows your mouth is way too big. Or maybe you didn't do it at all, but the consequences of leaving the church or fighting far outweigh the consequences of just "repenting" and going on with life.

Lets face it, you probably joined this church at least in part to improve your walk with God. Going through the discipline process will help that.

For those that have not caught sight of the glorious beauty of church discipline, fearfulness is often the main obstacle. The fearful one must ask himself, however, what the real object of his fear is. Is the worried look of one, the furrowed brow of another, the imploring expression of still another, something to strike terror into one's soul? One should ask himself whether his fear is not rather the fear of having sin exposed which was comfortably hushed up and tucked away in the privacy of his heart. Fear in this sense is sin. Overcoming such sinful fear is necessary in order for the believer to stand before God with a clear conscience. This comes near to the essence of godliness. (From Timoth Harris, see Walk Throughs)

At the end of the day unless you have a good reason not to (see part 2), this is the method of choice. Living in fear is truly horrible and learning to be honest without yourself can be enormously freeing. Further if you are still religious after this it can make a big difference. This can be an opportunity to fix things that have been a drain for years. "Come out of the closet" and into the light.