Prayer to repent for my sins

Whether we are seeking forgiveness for our own sins or asking God to help us forgive others, prayer is the first place to start when seeking restoration and healing.  The below prayers can help guide your thoughts and words as you seek being forgiven or help in forgiving others. It is a big step to seek out forgiveness and you have taken a bold step in faith! 

Before we jump into specific prayers for forgiveness, you may want to take some time to consider what God commands of us concerning forgiveness and why it’s so critical to be able to forgive. Visit our article: What Does the Bible Say About Forgiveness?

Prayer to God for Forgiveness of Sins

Even while I encourage you to pray this prayer, I caution you that saying words alone will not save you. Prayer doesn’t save. Only Christ can save. But prayer can be a means of reaching out to the Lord in true saving faith. If you pray these words in faith, Christ will save you. You can be sure of that.

Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer in sincere faith, you may want to put your initials by the prayer along with today’s date as a reminder that you have come to Christ in faith, trusting him as your Lord and Savior.
– Dr Ray Pritchard

Prayer for Forgiving  Others

Dear Merciful Lord,
Thank you for your gift of forgiveness. Your only Son loved me enough to come to earth and experience the worst pain imaginable so I could be forgiven. Your mercy flows to me in spite of my faults and failures. Your Word says to “clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.” (Col. 3:14) Help me demonstrate unconditional love today, even to those who hurt me. 

I understand that even though I feel scarred, my emotions don’t have to control my actions. Father, may Your sweet words saturate my mind and direct my thoughts. Help me release the hurt and begin to love as Jesus loves. I want to see my offender through my Savior’s eyes. If I can be forgiven, so can he. I understand there are no levels to your love. We are all your children, and your desire is that none of us should perish.

You teach us to “let the peace that comes from Christ rule in our hearts.” (Col. 3:15) When I forgive in words, allow your Holy Spirit to fill my heart with peace. I pray this peace that only comes from Jesus will rule in my heart, keeping out doubt and questions. And above all, I am thankful. Not just today, not just this week, but always. Thank you for the reminder, “Always be thankful.” (Col. 3:15) With gratitude I can draw closer to you and let go of unforgiveness. With gratitude I can see the person who caused my pain as a child of the Most High God. Loved and accepted. Help me find the compassion that comes with true forgiveness.

And when I see the person who hurt me, bring this prayer back to my remembrance, so I can take any ungodly thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5) And may the confidence of Christ in my heart guide me into the freedom of forgiveness. I praise you for the work you are doing in my life, teaching and perfecting my faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
– Kristine Brown

Short Prayer to Forgive Others

Dear Lord, I thank You for the power of forgiveness, and I choose to forgive everyone who has hurt me. Help me set free and release them to You . Help me bless those who have hurt me . Help me walk in righteousness, peace, and joy, demonstrating Your life here on earth. I choose to be kind and compassionate, forgiving others, just as You forgave me . In Jesus’ name, amen.
– Debbie Przybylski

Short Prayer to Forgive Yourself

Father, today I ask forgiveness of all the negative and harmful words I have spoken about myself. I do not want to abuse myself in such a way again. Transform my thoughts and let me understand how marvelously you made me. Change my habits so I use my tongue to speak hope and favor upon my life. In Jesus’ name. 
– Sarah Coleman

Matthew West – Forgiveness (Official Lyric Video) from matthew-west on GodTube.

Bible Verses About Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15 – For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Isaiah 1:18 – “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 

Micah 7:18-19 – Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Mark 11:25 – And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” 

Colossians 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 4:31-32 – Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Luke 17:3-4 – So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” 

Read more Bible Verses on Forgiveness at BibleStudyTools.com

If you’ve been set free from sin and the hurt from others, comment below so that others can live in freedom through forgiveness too! Be a light to our online community and recieve encouragement for your own walk of faith. 

This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray.

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Forgiveness and repentance go hand-in-hand in a Christian’s life.  We must learn to always forgive others and to ask for forgiveness ourselves.  Without repentance, we are liable of judgment from God.  If we withhold forgiveness to others, forgiveness will also be withheld from us.  Here are 7 prayers focusing on forgiveness and repentance.  May we all strive to live as holy as possible by allowing the Spirit to convict us of our sins and to forgive others that sin against us.

Forgive Me

Father,

There are no words to express how filthy I feel every time I break Your heart.  The guilt and the shame are overwhelming!  Lord, I need Your touch right now.  I am so sick of being “born again” and still doing the things I hate doing.  Like Paul, I am conflicted.  “For I do not do what I want, but do the very thing that I hate.” (Romans 7:15) I am so sorry!  Father, I ask for Your forgiveness right now.  I am shocked that my life has come to a point where even some sins don’t affect me at all.  Father, I have some hard layers on my heart that need peeling.  Please give me a 100% heart of flesh.  The hardness is a barrier between us that I can’t stand!  I love You and I am so regrettably sorry for my selfish actions.  Thank You for Your forgiveness, Lord.  Without forgiveness I am nothing.  With Your forgiveness I am whole again.  I praise Your Name!  Amen

Strength To Forgive Others

Holy Lord,

With Your forgiveness I am whole again. I praise Your Name! Amen

I can’t seem to shake the harm that’s been done to me off my shoulders.  I am wallowing in the anger I feel.  Lord, I shouldn’t think the vengeful thoughts that I have.  You have called me to forgive every single person that wrongs me.  I need Your strength to overcome these trespasses against me.  Father, I want to forgive these people.  Please cast the devil’s evil ways from me.  I want to look at these people and see lost souls that need You.  I want to forgive them completely so that You can use me however You wish, to be Jesus to them.  Father, I am done with holding these grudges!  Forgive me for holding on to them.  I cast this burden at Your throne now.  Do with me as you please Father.  I love You and thank you for Your patience with me.  Amen

Why Lord?

Beautiful Lord,

Why do You forgive us?  We shout praises to You when we sing worship.  With the same tongue we curse other people that are made in Your image. (James 3:9 reference)  Why do You forgive us?  We say we love You and still keep sinning.  Why do You forgive us?  We spend time in prayer thanking You for your blessings and then we refuse to bless others.  Why do You forgive us?  We read our Bibles when we make time for it, but we also read other nonsense that is offensive to You.  Why do You forgive us?  We praise Jesus for His death on the cross for the atonement of our sins and then we nail Him to it again every time we trespass against You.  Why do You forgive us every single time?  I am so thankful for your endless supply of forgiveness!  I can’t fathom how You do it, for I am only one man.  You do this for every single person!  The compassion and grace and mercy that flow from You is absolutely amazing and I love You for it!  Thank you so much for forgiving me every time I sin!  You are worthy to be praised!  Amen

Repentance From Unbelievers

Father in heaven,

My heart grieves for those close to me that do not want to know You.  They are lost souls wandering wherever the devil takes them.  They are fulfilling their own desires of the flesh instead of yearning for the life that You give.  Father, use me or anyone that You please to show Christ-like love to them.  Father, I love these men and women and to think of them in eternal torment is tormenting me!  I pray that the seeds that are planted in them Lord will be grown by You.  You make miracles happen every day and I pray that You make one today in the lives of the lost.  I praise Your Holy Name!  Amen

Forgiveness For Children

Father,

Just as Job continually offered burnt offerings to you for the forgiveness of his children, (Job 1:5) I am praying for the forgiveness of mine.  Lord, only You know what they have done.  If they have sinned against You I pray that You would forgive them.  I pray that they would seek repentance to make things right with You.  Lord, if there is any sin that needs to be forgiven, I pray that You would soften their hearts and bring them safely into Your arms of grace and mercy.  I thank you for Your unlimited love for us!  Amen

Our Leaders

Omnipotent Father,

You are all-powerful!  Even Your thoughts produce action.  I pray for our leaders in the government.  Lord, they also have power, though it is limited.  I pray that they would use their positions wisely, for You are the One who has allowed them to lead us.  We need strong men and women of faith in these kinds of roles.  I pray that our men and women in authority will strive to live godly lives and to repent when necessary.  As in Animal Farm, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  If there is any corruption, I pray that our leaders would repent and ask for forgiveness, so that our country doesn’t fall apart.  I thank you for our leaders and pray for their safety.  I love you Father!  Amen

Our Pastors

Dear Lord,

I pray for pastors around the world.  If there is any un-confessed sin active in their lives, I pray that You would bring them to the deepest valleys if that is what it takes to get them back on the narrow path.  We need strong pastors leading our congregations.  I pray that You would use the people closest to their pastors to keep them accountable, Lord.  Accountability is a must in every Christian’s life.  I thank you for our pastors, Lord, for they have a huge role to play here on earth.  They have many big responsibilities and I am so grateful that they accept the challenges of pastoring.  I love You, Lord!  Amen

Conclusion

Forgiveness is absolutely necessary in a Christian’s walk with the Lord.  “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” (Luke 11:4)  God bless you as you live a life worthy of the calling!

Have you read this other article about prayer?

What Does the Bible Say About Prayer?

Resources –  The Holy Bible, English Standard Version “Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Tagged as: Prayers, Prayers for forgiveness and repentance

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Submitted by: Cheryce Rampersad

Dear God, I humbly come before You in total appreciation for all that You have done for me. Jesus, thank You for dying on that cross so that I can be reconciled back to the Father and be set free from bondage and sin.

Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

Thank You for enduring so much suffering on my behalf. I pray that I may have the same kind of strength to endure life for Your sake. You died and rose again so I can live for You.

Thank You Lord, for enduring so much suffering on my behalf. Click To Tweet

Romans 7:15 “For I do not do what I want, but do the very thing that I hate.”

I repent, Oh Lord my God, of all iniquities. I have been led astray, but now I renounce iniquity.

Wash me in your cleansing blood, purify my soul. Strip me of anything displeasing to You, that’s against Your Holiness. I declare my heart and my mind are clean and pure! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen and Amen!

We repent Oh Lord my God of all iniquities. We have been led astray, but now we renounce iniquity. Click To Tweet

2 Corinthians 7:8-9 For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.

 Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place — unless you repent.

I’m a young Christian, from South Trinidad, seeking the wisdom of the Word and God’s blessings on my life. A journey, that’s just begun, but living to the Glory of God.

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UPDATE ~ I HAVE RE-WORKED THE REPENTANCE PRAYERS SECTION OF THE BLOG.  A LOT OF PEOPLE COME TO THIS PAGE, SO I AM.  PUTTING THE LINKS TO THE PRAYERS THAT HAVE BEEN ON THIS PAGE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE THE MENUS FOR ALL THE REPENTANCE PRAYERS NOW AVAILABLE.  USE THEM TO HELP SOMEONE WHO IS LOOKING FOR HELP TO GET TO GOD.  (04/09/18)

BELOW IS A TEACHING ON REPENTANCE THAT IS IN THE NEW BOOK “BECOMING CLEAN.”  THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE AS A FREE EBOOK AT Becoming Clean eBook

OR IT IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON IN PRINT FORMAT OR KINDLE FORMAT.  Becoming Clean on Amazon

It is also available directly from me in print format at a cheaper price than Amazon.  Just send me a prayer request and I’ll get it and contact you for more specific information from there.

Shortcut links to popular prayers on this page:

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About the Repentance Prayers 

Sometimes we just don’t know how to pray effectively, especially if we are new to all this.  The Repentance Prayers section of this blog has several prayers that have the Word of God woven into them to help you repent effectively.  These prayers are guides to help you.  Eventually, as your relationship with Him deepens in intimacy, you won’t need these prayers as much.  You can just talk it out with Him from your heart.  Keep in mind that speaking these prayers without faith or a heart change is futile.  They are just words on a page without a heart of repentance.  The prayers in this section are broken into categories that can be referred to easily.  You can use this section to help others get free as part of your ministry!

TEACHING ON REPENTANCE

What is Repentance?

 Repentance is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “to feel or show that you are sorry for something bad or wrong that you did and that you want to do what is right.”  Repentance is making the conscious decision to turn from your current choices and embracing God’s will for your life.  You can’t walk East and West at the same time.  Your back will be facing one direction or the other.  Repentance is making the decision to stop doing it your way and letting God fill your life with His plans and purposes.

Repentance is the very first step in salvation.  In fact, it is impossible to receive salvation WITHOUT repentance.  John the Baptist came before Jesus preaching repentance.  Matthew 3:1-2 says “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  The Kingdom of God has come to mankind and repentance is the gateway to this kingdom.  After Jesus returned from His time in the wilderness, He began to preach repentance as well.  Matthew 4:17 says “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Without repentance, it is impossible to be accepted by God.  It is through repentance that grace comes.  And grace will not be applied to a person’s sin unless there is repentance.

Repentance is acknowledging that you have missed the mark and fallen short of God’s glory.  Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”  In Alcoholics Anonymous the first step in recovery is acknowledging that you have a problem with alcohol.  Likewise, the first step in repentance is acknowledging to God your sinful state.  Repentance is making the conscious choice to turn and go in the other direction—towards God.  Repentance is NOT saying “I’m sorry Lord” and continuing to do the things you have been doing.  True repentance with bear the fruit of it.

John the Baptist told the Pharisees to start bearing the fruit of repentance.  Matthew 3:7-9 says “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.”  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”  John sure didn’t pull any punches, did he?  True repentance will be evident in your words and in your behavior.

Why do I have to Repent?

The Word of God is clear on why it is necessary for us to repent of our sins.

• Isaiah 30:15 says “For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: In repentance and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and faith shall be your strength.” But you would not.”
• Acts 3:19 says “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

II Corinthians 7:9-10 says “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance.  For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.”

There is no remission of sin without repentance because repentance is directly tied to the Blood of Jesus.  Hebrews 9:22 says “And according to the law, almost all things are purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.”  The Blood of Jesus cannot be applied to anything other than a truly repentant heart.

God is very orderly.  He has set the path to salvation for us to follow.  It has to be done His way or it simply cannot be done.  Entrance into the Kingdom of God requires the ID of repentance.  We are not legally allowed to drive a vehicle in America without a license to do so.  The only way we can get behind the wheel is to be able to prove to a police officer that we have permission to be on the road.  Repentance is our “license” to enter the Kingdom of God.  Without it, we are outside the kingdom and subject to Satan’s attacks.

Repentance has more to do with the state of our heart before God than the words of our mouth.  Saying “I’m sorry I had sex with that person Lord” but in your heart you know you would do it again should the opportunity arise.  This is NOT repentance.  It’s not even a sincere apology!  It is rebellion and it puts you squarely in Satan’s realm and vulnerable to his attacks.

Why do I have to repent?  Because God’s mercy cannot be applied to your life without confessing and turning from the sin.  Jesus already paid the price.  You are already forgiven, but it cannot be APPLIED to your life until you confess with your mouth and turn away from it.  You might say “but I did repent twenty years ago when I asked Jesus into my heart…doesn’t that count?”  When you became born-again, and you repented of your sinful lifestyle the Blood of Jesus was applied, but we live in a fallen world and sometimes we mess up.  Repentance is required for disobedience, for wrong attitudes, and for not loving people, to name a few.  Faith is now.  We live in the NOW.  What are you doing today?  Let’s look at what the book of Ezekiel says about this:

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, You shall surely die, and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.  Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.  Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand.  Nevertheless, if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also, you will have delivered your soul.” (Ezekiel 3:17-21 NKJV).

God is the God of the NOW.  Today is the day of salvation.  Are you serving Him today?  You can’t live in the past.  When a person really meets Jesus Christ, they are never the same.  It is impossible to have an encounter with Him and remain the same.  A TRUE conversion to Christianity will bear the fruit of it and that fruit comes from true repentance.

We must all take inventory of our spiritual lives before God on a regular basis.  If our hearts convict us we need to repent and get things settled.  We are not promised tomorrow.  That is not to say that He is waiting to throw us into Hell if we say a cuss word and then die of a heart attack before we say, “I repent Lord.”  I’m not saying that.  I’m saying that your heart must be tender and pliable in His hands.  That is a repentant heart.  He can work with a repentant person.  When our hearts are repentant, we feel His conviction immediately.  It is at this point when we go to Him and repent and get cleansed by the Blood of Jesus.

There is a parallel world that we, who are on the earth are not fully aware of.  It is the spirit world.  It is the realm where the Kingdom of God is.  John 4:24 says “God is a Spirit and those who seek to worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”  To understand repentance, we have to understand how sin affects us in the spirit-world.

Sin came into the earth through the first humans: Adam and Eve.  This brought the sin-nature into every human being born since that time.  We are born heading for destruction.  The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Jesus Christ came, lived a sinless life, gave His life on the Cross and rose from the grave three days later for one purpose: to reconcile all people back to the Father.  He paid the price, and redemption is there for us when we repent of our sins and ask Jesus Christ to be Lord of our lives.  Jesus defeated all the power of Satan on the Cross and through His resurrection from the grave.  If we sin, Satan starts licking his lips because he knows he can attack us using our sins as weapons against us.   Let’s look at two scenarios

Jimmy has never been to church.  His whole life he has done what he wanted when he wanted and the way he wanted.  He was in control of his life, or so he thought.  Jimmy loved to party, and he was the life of the party.  Jimmy lived like there was no tomorrow.  If Jimmy were to die at this moment, he would go to Hell because Jesus’ Blood has not washed away his sins through repentance and forgiveness.  He’s lost and can do nothing to save himself.  But there is a friend in Jimmy’s life that God wants to flow through to give him the opportunity to repent and come to Jesus.  This person’s name is Ray.  Ray knows God wants him to talk to Jimmy, but he is afraid of what Jimmy will say to him and about him to others.  So, he doesn’t say a word.  Jimmy gets behind the wheel after a night of partying and dies in a car crash.  He is now lost forever.  Jimmy did not repent.  His died in his sins.  He went to Hell and will eventually end up in the Lake of Fire with Satan and his angels.  If Ray would have obeyed God when the Spirit spoke to him, things may have been different.  God loves everyone very much and it hurt His heart to lose Jimmy because Ray was afraid.

Now let’s reverse this and Ray hears God’s voice and jumps in excitement to share the Gospel with Jimmy!  Ray calls Jimmy up and asks him to go to lunch with him.  Jimmy is hungover from the night before and lately, has been getting tired of all the partying.  He’s even wondering if there is more to life than this.  They meet and sure enough, the Holy Spirit directs Ray when to speak to Jimmy.  Jimmy feels the conviction of the Holy Spirit for his sinful life and makes the decision to follow Jesus.  He repents right there and gets cleansed with the Blood of Jesus.  Jimmy doesn’t die in that car crash because he quit drinking and partying and went on to win souls for Jesus. 

Jimmy quit living like he did previously.  He quit hanging around the bad influences.  He quit drinking and he started walking in the Christian lifestyle.  That is repentance!  A soul was saved from destruction because of one man’s obedience.

Repentance is not a one-time event.  The Apostle Paul says, “I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” (I Corinthians 15:31).  If we are diligent to establish an intimate relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, we can overcome sin every day.  Can we say we’ll never fall short of His glory?  No.  The odds are we will mess up sometimes, but we don’t have to.  But if we do, be quick to repent. and don’t let the sun go down on a sin else it will gain a foothold and become a stumbling block.  Repentance is like taking a spiritual shower.  It is a precious gift from God.  Repentance is a powerful weapon to defeat Satan’s attacks.  Repentance is a beautiful word.

Repentance and Grace

In today’s world, repentance is a four-letter word.  They teach that grace covers sins, and it does, but they are leaving out the ingredient of repentance.  The grace of God is released into a person’s life once a repentant heart cries out to God.  The Blood of Jesus is the only thing that eradicates sin from our lives and the Blood of the Lamb won’t be applied without repentance.  It is just that plain and simple.  No amount of wishing it were otherwise will change that.

People always want their cake and eat it too.  They want their ticket to heaven, but they want to enjoy the pleasures of the world at the same time.  Sooner or later you will find out it’s just a fairy tale and believe me, you don’t want to find out when you die and are facing eternity in the Lake of Fire.  There are lots of people in Hell who can testify to the reality of believing in the “greasy grace” doctrine.

Did you know that repentance has to be granted by God?  His grace is what moves the Holy Spirit to convict you of sin.  Repentance is a gift from God, because without the conviction of the Holy Spirit, you will just go along without realizing the peril you are in.  It is for this reason that God has told His people to always pray for those who are lost and outside the kingdom!

Intercessory prayer brings the grace to grant repentance to the lost!  There is nothing more powerful OR pleasing to God than to pray for the lost.  When someone is steeped in sin and comfortable with it, they need the intercessory prayers of the people of God to grant them repentance.  What does this mean?  When repentance is granted, the Holy Spirit will begin to draw them to God.  They will begin to feel bad about their sin.  That is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  He is the ONLY One who brings conviction of sin.  It is at this point that the person has the opportunity to choose to repent or continue on in their sin.

We all have been given a free will to choose God or our own way.  The person will either repent and turn away from their sin or reject the conviction and continue on in the sin.  As long as someone is praying for that person, God will continue to draw them; even if they reject Him time and again.  Don’t stop praying for the lost!  There is always a chance as long as they are alive.

Let’s look at this scenario: II Timothy 2:24-25 says “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

The last time we saw Jimmy, he was off and running full steam ahead for God.  Boldly proclaiming the Gospel and winning souls!  But Jimmy is a young Christian, not fully mature in the Lord and he still has areas in his life that are weak and the enemy works in those areas to cause him to sin.  One of these areas is his ex-girlfriend.  He was so in love with her, but she wants nothing to do with God.  Because their relationship was sexual, it is difficult for Jimmy to pull completely away from her.  They have a strong sexual bond or “soul-tie” that Satan uses to pull Jimmy back into sexual sin.  Jimmy ran into her one evening and ended up going home with her.  Afterward, the conviction of the Holy Spirit was all over Jimmy.  He felt terrible because he knew he had hurt the Lord Jesus.  Jimmy made the decision to completely break away from his ex-girlfriend and told her so.  He left and went home and repented before God sincerely.  The grace of God was issued to him and he was cleansed by the Blood of Jesus.  He felt so clean! 

The grace issued to Jimmy was able to keep him strong in this area.  The Lord broke the soul-tie between them and he no longer felt the same about her.  Jimmy was quick to repent and because he was, God immediately blessed him with grace and forgiveness—and victory in this area!  Grace and repentance go hand in hand.  Repentance unlocks the blessing of God’s grace and God’s grace empowers us to overcome sin.

The Protocol of Repentance

There is a protocol to repentance because you are bringing your sin-stained life to the Creator of the universe for cleansing.  He is the Almighty One.  There is nothing haphazard about anything God does.  Everything has a specific purpose.  The protocol of repentance is as follows:

• Acknowledge that you need forgiveness of sin – This is the most critical part of the whole process because when you can acknowledge your sin, then you will know that repentance has been granted to you. Remember, that repentance is in the HEART, not the head.  God looks on the HEART and He weighs the motives of the heart.  A person that says “I’m sorry Lord, but I just can’t forgive that person” has no true repentance in their heart.  They want to hold on to bitterness and unforgiveness.  The Bible says in II Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”  God has to give it to you!  Part of His GRACE is the issuance of repentance.  It is the conviction of the Holy Spirit that brings us to the place where we can actually acknowledge that we have sinned or are a lost sinner.
• Confess your sins to God through prayers of repentance – The next step is to tell God all about the sin. You can tell Him because He knows about it anyway!  Just lay it all out there honestly and directly.  GRACE comes in with the boldness to speak to God directly and honestly.  The Hebrews 4:16 says that “we can come boldly to His throne of GRACE to find help in times of trouble.”  There is always a pile of trouble where sin is!  Run to Him when you mess up.  Take that spiritual shower and He will restore you so completely your sin won’t even exist.  It is blotted out and erased by the Blood of Jesus.  Isn’t that good news?  Isn’t God so good?
• Receive by faith His forgiveness through the Blood of Jesus – The next step is to receive His forgiveness. Believe and expect His forgiveness to wash away your sin completely.  Suppose you are a guest in someone’s house and they bring you to a beautiful bathroom to use while you are there.  It’s full of all the amenities that make a great bathroom a great bathroom.  But if you just stand and admire it but don’t use it, it is not doing you any good.  It’s the same thing with God’s grace and forgiveness—you have to step into the shower to get clean.
• Stop doing the sinful activities and start following Jesus and His ways with all your heart. – This is the final step in the protocol of repentance. However, this step cannot be accomplished unless the repentance is TRUE and SINCERE.  When Jesus touches your life, you are never the same.  When His forgiveness and His Blood cover you, your life WILL bear the fruit of it.  Like Jimmy, when he repented, he gave up his girlfriend for Jesus.  Following Jesus will require sacrifices to be made by each of us.  If you are truly in love with Jesus, there is nothing and I mean NOTHING that can compare to His presence in your life!

Examine your heart and life every day and if you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit in a certain area, be quick to repent and bring it to God.   There is nothing more refreshing than a hot, steamy shower after a hard day’s work.  You just feel good!  It is the same with repentance.  The Blood of Jesus washes away the filthiness of sin and we are squeaky clean before our God and Father.  Isn’t God good?

Repentance is part of the Christian walk because we live in a fallen world where the temptation to fall short of the glory of God is a reality we must be aware of.  We can fall short with our attitudes, our faithlessness, our words and our deeds.  However, it is NOT impossible to live sinless before our God.  The closer you get to Him, the less sin’s power has over you.  You truly can be hidden in Christ in God where you can live above it.  For this reason, it is very important that we all spend quality time with God every day.  This communication time with Him will bring the conviction of sin and we can deal with it right then.

When you overcome the sin in your life through the protocol of repentance, you will discover the true meaning of living.  A life spent following the Lord is the greatest adventure that you will ever know, and repentance plays a crucial role in your life with Jesus.

The Results of Repentance

What are the results of repentance?  What happens when you truly repent?  There are two main areas that showcase the fruit of repentance.  The first area is your life on the earth and the second area is in the spirit world.  Let’s look at each of these areas a little closer.  Your life will show what is going on in your heart.  Your words and your decisions will show what is in your heart.  When true repentance is done, the fruit it bears is the fruit of RIGHTEOUSNESS.  What does this mean?  It means that if the Holy Spirit convicted you of something in your life that is not in God’s best plan for you, such as smoking, you will no longer smoke.  If He convicted you of drinking, you would stop drinking or find help in getting off alcohol or drugs.  If He convicted you of sexual sin, whether it is heterosexual or homosexual, fornication or adultery, you would no longer be doing it.

Note that the only sexual activity ordained by God in His Word is a Biblical marriage between one man and one woman.  Anything else is outside of His perfect will and outside the Kingdom.  Engaging in it will be sin or falling short of His standard in this area.  Does this mean that God hates anyone who is participating in these acts?  No!  He loves, loves, loves everyone.  However, these activities result in a split in the relationship with God and there is no way to return except through true repentance and restoration of the relationship by God.  The list could go on for a long time, but the point is that when true repentance is made in a person’s life, there will be a visible change in their life.  Be it in their words, or their deeds.

The result of repentance has a direct impact in the spirit world—namely Satan’s realm.  When we sin, Satan’s forces take note of it.  If we fail to repent quickly, Satan begins to build a legal “case” against us in the Court of Heaven.  We see this truth in Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”  Satan is relentless in his pursuit of our destruction.  Because Jesus defeated him so completely on the Cross, he has to use our UNREPENTANT sins against us.  Let’s look at this scenario:

Jimmy has been serving the Lord for some time now and has grown a lot.  He has overcome a lot of besetting sins.  Jimmy got so busy doing things for the Lord that he forgot about his personal relationship with Him.  His prayer life slacked off, his Word studies faded and soon he began to watch TV shows that he knew were anti-Christ.  Occult horror movies were what he used to watch when he was in the world.  His life grew cold towards God through this compromise.  Unknown to Jimmy, Satan had built a case against him and took it to the Court of Heaven.  He demanded to sift Jimmy like wheat.  He almost got Peter, why try for not Jimmy too?  Jimmy opened the door for him through sin.  The sin of prayerlessness, disobedience to God’s known and perfect will for his life.  Jimmy was oblivious because his conscience was seared from the sin.  But Ray, Jimmy’s long-time friend got a burden to pray for him from the Holy Spirit.  So, every night Ray lifted Jimmy to the Lord for repentance to be granted.  For his spiritual eyes to be opened.  The Lord heard Ray’s prayers and granted grace towards Jimmy.  In other words, Satan was not allowed to sift him.  He was granted a space of time to repent.  The Holy Spirit began working in Jimmy’s heart and gave Ray another opportunity to talk to him.  Through the gift of repentance, Jimmy came to his senses and returned wholeheartedly to the Lord.

The beauty of repentance is that it completely takes the wind out of Satan’s sails against you!  When we repent, and the Blood of Jesus is applied to the sin, it is completely dissolved and evaporated like a puff of smoke.  Then the Father has the pleasure of telling Satan the case is dismissed.

Repentance is a gift and a weapon at the same time.  To overcome Satan’s legal maneuvers in the Court of Heaven, it takes quick repentance to eliminate the legal ground he has built against us.  Remember this: in the spirit world, it is all about LEGALITIES.  God has set forth eternal laws that the entire universe is bound by and that includes human beings.  Satan knows this very well.  Repentance is the knockout punch to stop his evil plans against us!

The Mercy of God and Your Created Value

What is our created value?  It is the value that God the Father placed on each one of us.  How many of us know that God has a really big heart?  Did you know that you have ALWAYS been in His heart?  He loved you from the foundation of the world because you were in His heart.  Your life and purpose were in His heart.  There is not a single person like you.  Even if you are an identical twin, you are still unique—one of a kind.  God doesn’t have any molds when He created us.  We are a work of art He delights in.  We are all an original masterpiece!

The Mercy of God

The mercy of God is incredible.  He is so longsuffering!  His mercy is rooted in His great love for every person ever born into the earth.  He loves to show mercy and loving-kindness.  The Psalms are full of scriptures on His great mercy.

• Psalm 86:5 ~ “Lord, You are so good to me, so kind in every way and ready to forgive, for Your grace fountain keeps overflowing, drenching all Your lovers who pray to You.” (The Passion Translation)
• Psalm 13:5-6 ~ But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. (KJV)
• Psalm 25:6-7 ~ “Forgive my failures as a young man and overlook the sins of my immaturity. Give me grace, Lord!  Always look at me through Your eyes of love—Your forgiving eyes of mercy and compassion.  When You think of me, see me as one You love and care for.  How good You are to me!” (The Passion Translation)

Our Created Value

We are EVERYTHING to the Father.  Our value to Him is worth the death of His Son.  He knew when He made the move to create Adam, that he would fall and give dominion of the earth to Satan.  Yet God had ALREADY made arrangements to redeem us.  Revelation 13:8 says “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast — all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.”

When Lucifer saw the dominion and authority that Adam had, he became envious and iniquity was found in him.  God then drove him from Eden.  At this moment, he fell as the covering cherub and lost his identity.  He is now called the Adversary or the Accuser, which means Satan.  Remember, Lucifer wanted to be like the Most High.  Isaiah 14:14 says “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”  He used the serpent to deceive Eve.  Adam listened to his wife and transgressed because he was responsible for guarding the Garden.

Satan now had the unconditional authority over the earth that God gave to Adam.  Satan then led one-third of the heavenly host of angels into a rebellion against God.  He wanted to be like the Most High, which of course he lost and was cast out into the second heavens and the earth.  God prepared Hell and the Lake of Fire for these rebellious spirits at the appointed time of judgment.

Revelation 20:10 says “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Ezekiel 28:13 says “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite, and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.”

When Adam gave his authority and dominion over the earth to Satan, all mankind was headed for the same fate as Satan because ALL rebellion will enter the Lake of Fire at the last judgment.  Satan was gleeful that he had tricked mankind into going to destruction along with him.  But God wasn’t about to let this be the end of His children.  Jesus was slain from the foundation the world for us.  That is our created value to God.

Genesis 3:15 says “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring.  He will bruise and tread your head underfoot and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel.” (AMP)

We must all get the revelation of just how much God loves us.  We cannot wrap our minds around the love of God because HE IS LOVE.  Think about this: when we fall in love with a person and we KNOW they love us.  We feel so warm inside and secure.  We are happy to know that this person loves us more than anyone else.  Right?  Now multiply that feeling by a million and you can get an inkling of the depth of God’s love for YOU.  There is NOTHING that can compare to the love of God.

We are never alone when we have God.  We cannot ever say “nobody loves me.”  That is a lie because God loves you and Jesus already paid the price for every sin you’ll ever commit!  Understanding and embracing our created value will firmly establish your faith and empower you to take dominion over your realm of influence.  Romans 5:8 says “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Psalm 136:26 says “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”   Understanding both your authority and your created value are key to successfully rule your realm of influence.  If you aren’t sure about it, begin to study it out and seek God about it for yourself.

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