A Prayer for Awareness of Sin
By Mary Southerland
If you hide your sins, you will not succeed. If you confess and reject them, you will receive mercy (Proverbs 28:13, NIV).
The first time we commit a sin it is painful. We are filled with remorse and mourn the fact that we have grieved the heart of God. But regret is not enough when it comes to dealing with sin.
Unless we confess and turn away from that sin, we are likely to commit it again. If we allow sin to settle into our life and refuse to confess it, that sin eventually hardens our heart and builds spiritual calluses in our soul. When we become comfortable with our sin, we are walking in enemy territory and setting ourselves up for spiritual failure and discouragement.
The good news is that Jesus understands human frailty. He is well acquainted with temptation and the tactics of Satan. Jesus gave His life as a ransom for our sin – and He paid our sin debt in full.
But if we confess our sins, He will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done (1 John 1:9, NCV).
This verse was written to believers as an encouragement to deal with sin and a promise that when we do so, God is faithful to forgive us and to clean up the mess that sin has caused.
We are not perfect – just forgiven. God is very serious about sin. We should be as well.
Let’s Pray
Father, do not let me ever forget the price You paid for my sin. Thank You for the forgiveness and freedom You purchased with Your death on the cross. Bring swift awareness and conviction when I sin. Give me the strength and power to deal with and turn from the sin in my life.
For Your glory and in Your Name I pray,
Amen.
Set aside time each day to pray and study His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of every sin that stands between you and God. Confess that sin. Choose against it and walk on in His power and forgiveness. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What sin do I need to confess right now?
- Why have I held on to this sin?
- What effect has this sin had on my life?
- What changes do I need to make in order to “turn” from my sin?
- Do I really believe that God can and will forgive this sin? Why? Why not?
Editor’s Note: Content taken from the Girlfriends in God devotional, “Remember the Ninevites,” written by Mary Southerland. You can read that piece in full here. All rights reserved.
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