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Three Parts:Confessing Your SinAsking for ForgivenessMoving ForwardCommunity Q&A

Asking God to forgive your sins is an important process. It is important that you admit what you did wrong and truly feel sorry that you did it. You must come to God, pray using scripture, and ask Him to forgive you. Then you must believe that he has. After you are forgiven, work on leaving sin behind and living a new life.

Part 1 Confessing Your Sin

1. Name and admit the thing you’ve done.

   Before asking forgiveness, you must specifically state the thing you did wrong and admit that you did it. If you’re feeling guilty, you may be tempted to make excuses or deny that you did anything wrong. Forgiveness is impossible if you don’t admit you did something wrong.

   • You may think, “I guess maybe I shouldn’t have lied, but I had a really good reason and it was a small lie.” You are trying to justify what you did rather than admitting to it.
   • Begin by praying, “Father, I took $5 from my brother without asking him for it.” You have named the sin (stealing) and you have taken the responsibility for it without making an excuse.
2. Tell God that you know what you did was wrong.

   Once you have named what you did, it’s important to recognize that it was wrong. It’s possible to say what you’ve done but to not believe that you were wrong to do it. Admitting you did it is pointless if you do not admit that you know it was wrong.

   • You will not receive forgiveness if you say, “I’ve been sleeping with my co-worker even though I’m married, but I don’t see anything wrong with it.” You must recognize what you did as sin, as something God is unhappy about.
3. Say that you are sorry for what you did.

   It is still not enough to say what you did and admit that it was wrong. Now you must apologize for it. Feel sincerely sorry for the wrong, and let that regret come through in what you say to God. It’s important that you are actually remorseful when you say you are sorry.

   • Asking forgiveness from God is not like when you say sorry to a brother but you really don’t mean it. It must be sincerely from your heart.
   • Say something like, “I know that what I did was wrong, and I feel truly bad for it. I’m sorry that I broke our relationship. I’m sorry for sinning against you.”

Part 2 Asking for Forgiveness

1. Pray about what you’re feeling.

   You must always be honest when you are asking for forgiveness. If you believe that God knows your heart anyway, there is no sense in lying to him. Tell him the guilt you feel for your sin, and that being separated from him has made you sad.

   • Say, “God, I feel sick to my stomach because I know I have caused you pain.”
   • It can be good to pray aloud to God so that you are saying specifically what is on your mind as opposed to only thinking it.
2. Use scripture in your prayer.

   God’s word is powerful, and he encourages you to use it when you speak to him. Since the words in the Bible come from God, they show a model for how to talk to God. Search your Bible, or online, to find scriptures about asking for forgiveness. Use those to make your prayer meaningful.

   • Look these scriptures up and pray them in your prayer: Romans 6:23, John 3:16, 1 John 2:2. These scriptures talk about forgiveness. The New Testament is full of truth about forgiveness.
   • Search on your own and find scriptures that speak to you about the forgiveness you’re seeking. You can repeat the scripture verbatim or paraphrase it so it means more to you.
3. Ask God to forgive you for what you’ve done.

   Just as you would with other people, after saying you are sorry you must ask to be forgiven. There is no special prayer you have to pray to earn forgiveness from God. All you have to do is ask him to forgive you, through Jesus Christ, and believe that he will forgive you.

   • Say to God, “I denied knowing you to my friend. It was wrong and cowardly for me to do that. I’m sorry I didn’t tell him about your love for us. Please forgive me for my weakness in that moment.”
   • You do not need to plead, beg, or repeat yourself over and over. Asking God one time, with a genuine heart, is all you have to do.
4. Tell God that you believe He has forgiven you.

   Belief and forgiveness go hand in hand. It’s no good to ask for forgiveness but not believe God will forgive you. God says that when you ask him to forgive you with sincere hearts that is He is faithful to forgive. Tell yourself you believe Him and tell God you believe Him.

   • 1 John 1:9 tells you that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Say this scripture to God and believe it.
   • It’s important to remember that forgiven sins are forgotten. Hebrews 8:12 says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Part 3 Moving Forward

1. Seek forgiveness from people you hurt by what you did.

   Although sin ultimately breaks relationship with God, other people are often hurt, too. When you know that God has forgiven you, it’s important to seek forgiveness from others. Tell the person you are sorry you hurt them and ask them to forgive you.

   • Remember that you can’t make someone forgive you, and you can’t earn it from them. They will either accept that you are sorry for what you did and forgive you, or they won’t. Don’t pester them if they refuse to forgive. You can’t make them change.
   • Once you have apologized and asked for someone’s forgiveness, you must release yourself from the guilt. Even if they don’t forgive you, you’ve done your part in seeking to make amends.
2. Repent of the wrong behavior.

   Once you are forgiven by God for your sin and by others for any hurt you caused, you must turn away from that sin. Make a conscious decision that you will not purposefully commit the same sin again after being forgiven.

   • You must remember that you will always sin again, but it’s important to say in the moment that you are turning away. The only way to get further from habitual sin is to tell yourself you are not going to do it again.
   • Acts 2:38 is helpful in this process. It says, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
   • Forgiveness is an important step, but walking away from sin is necessary, too, to remain close to God.
3. Work to keep from doing the same wrong thing again.

   Part of your goal in following Christ is to move further from sin, and this takes committed work. You won’t stop sinning immediately, but if you work on it, you will grow stronger. In Matthew 5:48, God calls you to become perfect, as he is perfect. It’s a goal that you must work toward.

   • Find people who can help you avoid repeated sins. Learn scripture to combat temptation. Remember that sin only harms and you don’t need it.
   • Spending time reading your Bible, praying to God, and talking with other Christians are all vitally important to living a life that is free of sin.

Community Q&A

Add New Question

• I am scared to ask my parents for forgiveness. What should I do?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Your parents love you no matter what. Ask for forgiveness. Tell them what you did wrong and how you will fix it.

• I have caused two abortions and after going for confession, I still feel guilty of my sin. Please show me what to do to totally receive forgiveness from God

  Anonononomous

  If you pray to God and repent and ask for forgiveness, you will be totally forgiven. Any guilt left after that is not from God. Instead, make sure you are on birth control so this won’t happen again.

• Will The Lord forgive me for watching porn?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Yes, God loves us and he knows that one day we will turn to him. He is willing to forgive our sins.

• Will God forgive me if I commit a sin and repeat it even if I already asked for forgiveness?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Of course He will. He understands that you struggle. Remember that Jesus experienced temptation and saw people struggle, so he understands. He will forgive you.

• Can God forgive me for watching porn?

  Theladyorthetiger

  God ALWAYS forgives us if we ask for forgiveness. Yes, porn is a sin, but God can forgive you and help you to stop if you ask Him to.

• Will God forgive me for masturbating after resolving not to do it again?

  Jenny22i15

  God will forgive you if you repent in your heart and try not to do it again. Ask God to send his Holy Spirit to you to help you resist the temptation.

• Should I ask forgiveness from the person I’ve wronged before I ask God for forgiveness?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Asking forgiveness from the person you’ve wronged is crucial. Then you should ask for God’s forgiveness and promise you’ll try harder not to repeat the sin.

• Can God forgive me for having an abortion?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Yes, he can forgive anything.

• Do I have to feel guilty if I broke somebody’s heart by dating his friend instead of him?

  TreeofHolz

  No. Some may say it is ‘natural’ to feel guilty when we cause someone else pain; this is called empathy or sympathy, depending on your feelings. However, continuing to feel guilty for a choice you made can actually do more harm. You made a choice that was right for yourself, and you shouldn’t apologize or feel bad about that. In the future, be upfront and honest with anyone who may have such feelings for you as to not lead them on.

• Can God forgive me for sleeping with my cousin and lying to my mom?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Yes, if you ask for forgiveness from your cousin and your mom, then ask God for forgiveness and be sincere in all three.

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Only sincerely! With a contrite heart!

It is important to ask forgiveness from the Almighty, because he forgives us for our sins, and even when we do not ask for His forgiveness. If He did not forgive us, “by default”, then nothing would have happened at all …

To ask forgiveness, sincerely … Confess to the priest, and come to confession with the firm intention of not doing so any more, that is, you must realize this in your heart and soul. And then your sin will be forgiven before God. And then Communion, before the Communion, you need to ask forgiveness for all of you in a quarrel and who is offended at you.

To ask forgiveness from someone, and even more so – from God – in any form is correct, if only you yourself understood and believed that the actions for which you obey, you will never do again!

First ask for forgiveness from the person you have offended or forgive (those) who offended you, and then go for forgiveness to God.

The main thing is that it is from the heart, that you have an inner conviction that repentance is true. And in whatever form it happens there is not much difference.

Praying before bedtime, or in the morning, before daytime worries, you can sincerely ask for forgiveness from God, before the icon and overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross.

Our sincerity and sincere message to God during prayer will be several times stronger if we repent more often in our committed sins in confession if we sacrifice a voluntary sacrifice with fasting or charity.

Repentance is a great gift of the Lord for us, people.

Lord! Forgive my Soul Sinful!

Three times cross himself with a bow to the head, repent and pray:

It is desirable in the Temple, before the icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected joy,” which gives this unintentional joy of forgiveness of our sins.

Or before the icon “Spoonful of sinful”; It is an image of forgiveness and Christian love. If you do it sincerely and with faith in your soul, God will forgive!

Man always pays for his sins with his own well-being. A reasonable law of equilibrium is violated. He begins to suffer, and for the deliverance of these sufferings he goes to God.

And the fact that he has already realized and repents within himself is a big step forward. And asking God for forgiveness is easiest in words. It is much more important that while you are inside it.

How many of those who like asking for forgiveness, and tomorrow doing the same. This is some cunning.

Of course, it’s easy to address abstractly to someone. And you can thank yourself and forgive all your enemies sincerely, because they also taught you something in their life, you gained some experience from them. That’s only then the request for forgiveness will be sincere.

I do not think that asking God’s forgiveness really stands. God already sees and knows everything and he guesses our real feelings, not their verbal or mental expression. So the main thing here is not to ask for forgiveness, but to experience real remorse, in that which did not rightly. Sins speak should be zamalivat, but to pray without repentance is an empty matter.

There are often used words “Forgive me a sinner”, or “Forgive my sinful soul,” which you can ask forgiveness from the Almighty, but again do not repeat them in vain, just so that tomorrow you will do everything again as yesterday, namely, do it with a sense of remorse and regret in their sins and unrighteous deeds.

The most important thing, when you ask God for forgiveness, is to ask in a pure heart, without a crooked soul. It is necessary that there is no double thinking, for example: some can sin, but after the performance of this act ask forgiveness or pretend to God and even artistically let the tear, while being pleased with themselves, thinking that they pray sincerely.

Sincere prayer, it must correspond to the deeds, i.e. if you pray for the forgiveness of sins, but you continue to commit them, then the prayer is not sincere. If you neglect to commit sinful deeds and try your best not to make them again, then the prayer will be heard by God.

As Jesus Christ said, when they wanted to stonewall the prostitutes: “Go and continue not to sin!” (John 8: 11). These words should be attributed not only to the harlot, but to all sinners. If we want God to forgive us, we must make efforts to get rid of sin and not commit it any more, then the Lord can forgive us.

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While painting my bedroom this past weekend, God used Homax Nail Hole Patch (white toothpaste stuff that spackles nail holes) to remind me of what happens when we ask God for forgiveness.

You know I had exactly 75,293 holes to fill in if you’ve ever been in my room. Don’t believe me? SEE BELOW.

This is the “organized chaos” (what JD dubbed it) that was my room for the past 10 years. And yes, those were all tacked in place. It’s probably one of my prouder moments…but maybe not.

Those four walls have held:

• hand-written letters/songs/poems from friends
• old art projects (and other people’s art projects)
• “borrowed” restaurant menus/hall passes/yard signs/Chili’s hot handle holders
• basketball locker room decorations (and “borrowed” volleyball ones)
• Miss Gregg County crown
• a giant, PG-13 birthday card
• a former WOHS teacher’s school pictures I found while cleaning out the choir room (to this day I’m still not sure how or why I was in there…due to the fact I was never actually in choir)
• a broken gatorade-stirrer stick
• an autographed coaster from a really cute Chili’s waiter
• pretend rattlesnake eggs
• a LOT of memories.

This was my first time to ever use Homax Nail Hole Patch (AKA: The Miracle Worker) and IT IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS MY HANDS HAVE EVER TOUCHED DUE TO ITS UNIQUE TEXTURE. I simply dabbed the toothpaste-like stuff on the nail hole, rubbed it in, and VOILA! The walls were GOOD AS NEW! Seriously. You couldn’t see a SINGLE HOLE! It was as if the holes had never existed!

As I was filling in hole after hole (after hole after hole), I realized…when we ask God for forgiveness, it looks a lot like those patched up holes. Stay with me, I promise I’m going somewhere.

Just as Homax Nail Hole Patch restored the walls and made them good as new, so God restores us and we become good as new when we repent and ask Him for forgiveness.

According to the dictionary, to repent means to “feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin.” Basically, this means to genuinely apologize, ask for forgiveness, and turn from our sins. It’s about having a pure heart and wanting to make things RIGHT.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to forget how faithful and merciful He is to forgive me when I repent and ask God for forgiveness. I know God forgives me when I repent, but I still find myself feeling guilty and continue to question, “God…are you SURE you’re not still upset with me about that??” or “God, I still feel bad about what I said/did 7 years ago. Please forgive me…again” (LOL, I have problems, I know).

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We serve a compassionate God who restores our brokenness each and every time we lay our unrighteousness at the alter and ask God for forgiveness.

Because He DELIGHTS in forgiving us, God patches up EVERY HOLE and forgives EVERY SIN when we sincerely repent. It’s who He is and what He does. He repaints the room (forgives) and it’s as if those nail holes (sins) never existed and, as a result, we’re good as new!

We may not always FEEL forgiven (because Satan or other people have told us otherwise), but we are. That is Biblical truth because the scars on Jesus’ hands are proof of that.

God doesn’t hold our sins against us and we shouldn’t either.

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