“True prayer begins with confession of sin and repentance.” -Charles J. Stanley

“Dealing with my personal sins is one of the areas that I struggle with most in my Christian walk. The use of the 2 parts of the prayer, each containing 10 Bible verses and questions, has really helped me to effectively understand how important confessing my sins, asking for forgiveness and repenting is to an effective prayer life. It allows me a free and clear path of communication with God. Give it a try and I think you will experience the same results.” -Mike, bank president

This series is intended to cleanse you as a believer, the vessel in which the Holy Spirit dwells. This prayer of confession has 2 parts, each including ten sets of Bible verses and questions to help you recognize the negative behaviors and attitudes you may be struggling with and encourage you to confess them to God through prayer.

This post contains the first part of the prayer. The second and final post in this series will come out on October 14, 2016. We have adapted the information for these posts with the permission of Evelyn Christenson Ministries.

One of sin’s most negative effects on a believer’s life is that it blocks our communication with God. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” Psalm 66:18

No prayer will work if sin is not taken care of first because sin grieves the Holy Spirit who lives inside every believer. “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16

However, confession of sin only affects our communication with God, not our salvation. Once we have put our faith in God, He says in John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” Whether we choose to confess our sins or not, we are still God’s children. Confession is simply what allows us to better communicate with Him; it is not what saves us.

***If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please do not start this program. Instead, go to the “Salvation” page on our blog to learn how to become a child of the only God who loves you enough to give up His Son to save you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

A verse to keep in mind as you go through this series is Psalm 139:23-24, which says: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties [thoughts]; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Dealing with sin is a process that will continue throughout your life, and while this prayer may not be the most comfortable or exciting one to pray, God promises that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

God also says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Psalm 32:1-2

If you are not sure how to pray a prayer of confession, you can use the following prayer as a guideline:

“Lord, I bring to You the sins that You have shown me which are currently in my life. I ask You to forgive me and help me to turn from the sin of ______ and set me free. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me‘ as  Your Word says in Psalm51:10. I come to You in Jesus’ Name and put my trust in You to help me make the corrections needed. Amen.

A suggested way to go through this prayer is to print out the verses and questions and read one verse every day with your devotions or during your quiet time. Confess any “yes” answers to God.

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
   • Do you worry about anything?
   • Have you failed to thank God for all things, the seemingly bad as well as the good?
   • Do you neglect to give thanks at mealtimes?
2. Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think…”
   • Are you proud of YOUR accomplishments, YOUR talents, YOUR family?
   • Do you fail to see others as better than yourself and more important than yourself in the body of Christ?
   • Do you insist on your own rights?
   • Do you think that you are doing quite well as a Christian?
   • Do you rebel when God wants to change you?
3. Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,”
   • Do you fail to attempt things for God because you are “not talented enough”?
   • Do feelings of inferiority keep you from trying to serve God?
   • When you do accomplish something for Christ, do you fail to give Him all the glory?
4. Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth…”
   • Do you ever use dirty language?
   • Do you tell crude jokes?
   • Do you condone others doing so in your presence or in your home?
5. Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
   • Have you failed to be a witness with your life for Christ?
   • Have you felt it was enough just to live your faith and not witness with your words to unbelievers?
6. Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”
   • Do you complain, find fault, argue?
   • Do you have a critical spirit?
   • Do you speak unkindly about people when they aren’t present?
   • Are you angry with yourself? Others? God?
7. 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”
   • Are you careless with your body?
   • Are you guilty of not caring for your body in your eating and exercise habits?
   • Are you remaining sexually pure?
   • Do you self-harm?
8. Ephesians 4:27 “nor give place to the devil.”
   • Do you expose yourself to Satanic activity such as psychics, occult literature and movies or “games” like ouija boards or tarot cards?
   • Do you get advice for daily living from horoscopes rather than from God?
   • Do you distract from Christ in your church through criticism, gossip or being  unsupportive?
9. Romans 12:11 “not lagging in diligence…”
   • Do you fail to pay your debts on time or avoid paying them altogether?
   • Do you overuse your credit cards?
   • Are you dishonest on income tax records?
   • Do you have unethical business practices?
10. 1 Corinthians 8:9 “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.”
    • Do you feel that you can do anything you want because the Bible says you are free in Christ?
    • Even though you were strong enough not to fall, do you fail to take responsibility for a weaker Christian who has fallen because of following your example?

***To find Part 2 of this series, click here.***