7 Powerful Prayers For Repentance and Forgiveness

Having a relationship with God is the most important thing in our lives. Our Lord, wants us to keep his commandments and worship him; yet over and over again we fall short.

The Old Testament is a history book of God’s teachings. God constantly shows up for his people, they follow and obey him for a period of time, and then they walk away from him. This then leads to humanity needing God again, a true believer asking God for help, and God coming to their rescue. It is this circle of love that humanity is constantly walking away.

Thankfully God has given us Jesus for our salvation. Jesus lived a perfect life so that the people who come after him will be forgiven. Jesus withstood humanity’s wickedness and died on the cross, taking with him the sins of the world. Jesus taught us that all we have to do to get to heaven is believe in him and his sacrifice.

John 3:16 reads “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” As Christians and firm believers in Jesus we ask for salvation and it is granted to us, we do our best to live by God’s commandments, but we still fall short. Except now, we can repent for our sins, and continue to try and do our best by our Lord.

Before we begin to repent to God, lets clarify the components of repentance and take the time to understand each step and what it means. I’ve also included a prayer of salvation, for those ready to lead a Christian life and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you have any specific prayers for repentance requests, please leave them in the comments below.

How To Pray for Repentance:

Let’s talk about the right mindset when it comes to praying for repentance, forgiveness or any time you’ve strayed from the path of God.

1. 1. Acknowledge that you have sinned. Everyone does this every day. We sin in ways we are aware of, but also in ways we do not even think about. Acknowledging that we are not perfect allows us to be thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice.
   2. Feel sorry for what has happened. Just saying the words aloud is not enough. You need to feel some sort of remorse for your actions. God will know if you are not being honest.
   3. Renounce what we have done, and decide to give it up. In this step you will verbally promise to never do the action again, and then in life you will do your best to never repeat this action.
   4. Confess your actions. Give them over to God, and let him cleanse you of what you have done.
   5. Forgive those who have wronged you- whether they’ve stolen from you or slandered you they still need forgiveness. Do not let your anger or jealousy sit in your heart. This is incredibly important, if you allow yourself to become bitter and resentful, you are more likely to sin again.
   6. Work towards making yourself a keeper of the commandments. Align your life with Jesus and his teachings. Live an honest and loving Christian life.

Repentance Prayer for Salvation:

Dear God, I know I have sinned and I am not perfect.

Father, please forgive me for my sins. I am truly sorry for the way I have been living my life, Lord.

Father I want to trust in Jesus, I want to give my life to him, Lord. I want to exemplify the love Jesus has for the world.

I believe in the Holy trinity, that exists in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, I believe he was born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, was crucified and buried, and on the third day he rose from the dead.

Father, I believe in your word and I want to rejoice in your salvation. I will do my best to live my life with you first and foremost until the very end. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Simple Repentance Prayer

Heavenly Father, I have made a mistake.

I am sorry for my actions and I promise to never do it again.

Lord, my mistake is something that only you can forgive.

Father I am asking forgiveness to those around me who have contributed to my mistake. Help me forgive them, as you forgive me.

Lord, I promise to do better in walking in Jesus’ light. Thank you for your sacrifice, that allows me another chance at redemption. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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Prayer For Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins

Heavenly Father, I come to you today to tell you that I have sinned. Father, I know that what I have done goes against your teachings. I know that I have disappointed you by not keeping to your laws.

Lord, I am sorry for my sinful nature. I am sorry to have disappointed you. I know I have stood here before, Lord, and I want you to know that I am ashamed, that I continue to stand here today.

I promise you again, Lord, to give up my sinful nature. I promise to remind myself daily of your laws and to think before I make any actions. I ask that you give me a feeling of unease if I stray from your way again, Lord.

I know to stray from your way of life is a sin, Lord. I have done that today. I have made decisions that I knew were wrong. I have made decisions that in the moment, I did not think much of, but they were a sin Father. I have not stood up for you, Lord, in the way that I should have. I give you my deepest regrets, Lord and I ask for your forgiveness.

Father, you forgive me every time. Yet, I have such a hard time forgiving others. Help teach me how to forgive, Lord. Help me learn from your love and sacrifice. Guide me down your path of never-ending light and promise.

Father, I promise to do better tomorrow. I want to earn the forgiveness you have blessed me with today. I want to show you I do not take your forgiveness for granted. Thank you, Father for never giving up on me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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Prayer For Repentance and Cleansing After Straying from God

Dear Lord, I have come to repent for straying from you God. I know better, Lord. I know the path I have gone down is full of sin and short-term pleasure. I know that for true happiness I must not stray. Lord, I have come to acknowledge that I took the wrong path and continued down it even though I knew I should not.

Father, I feel terrible. I feel dirty from the life style I have been living. I know everything I have right now was done for my will and not for yours. Lord, I feel the need for a spiritual cleansing.

Heavenly Father, I stand before you today, to reaffirm my promise to live in your light. I promise to do my best to stay on the path you have laid out for believers. I want to exemplify my faith and help bring others to know you, Lord.

Lord, I promise to not hold those who have helped me stray in contempt. I promise to show them the forgiveness you would so willingly give to them. Father, help my actions lead them into your light.

I thank you Jesus for your sacrifice, I would not be able to return to this path without it. I ask that you cleanse me, Lord and I promise to work hard to stay strong on my faithful path. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Repentance Prayer for Sins You Do Not Always See:

Dear Lord, I come to you today to repent the sins I do unknowingly. Father, I make mistakes every day and I do them without a second glance.

Lord, I feel guilty for not seeing these actions as sins. I feel like I have disappointed you, when I only want to make you proud.

Lord, I am here to ask you for your forgiveness of these sins. I repent to you knowing what I have done, but asking you to open my eyes to these sins. Father, help me see these actions for the sins that they are. Help me stop thinking of these actions as just every day activities.

Lord, I ask that you forgive everyone around me; the other people who sinning in ways they do not see. Father, help me forgive those who I notice pushing me in this direction. Help me remind them that there is a better way, help me teach them your way, Lord.

Thank you for your sacrifice, Lord. Thank you for taking away even my smallest of sins. Guide me with your light, Lord. Only give me opportunities to earn your praise. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Deep Repentance Prayer

Heavenly Father, I have done something that I am afraid I cannot come back from. Lord, I am scared to come to you with this weight. I do not believe I am redeemable, Lord. I do not believe you want someone like me to carry the name of believer. Father, you are the picture of perfection and I am lost. I am so far off the path; I can no longer see the light.

Lord, I had an awakening today. I remembered that I do not have to carry all of this weight alone. I fell hard, Lord. I am not standing in your grace, and I am all alone. I feel weak and abandoned. I am realizing, Lord that I am the one who has abandoned you. I have put myself before the will of God.

Father I am sorry. I come to you small like a child, begging for your forgiveness. I come to you kneeling to apologize, I know better and I walked down the dark path anyways. Lord, I want you to know that I feel ashamed. I feel weak and unsteady. I never want to be consumed by these feelings again, Lord. I only want to feel your love and grace. Please, cleanse me Lord.

Father, I am giving up this dark path I was traveling down. I am laying aside everything that I have gotten out of this lifestyle. I am leaving behind people I believed were my friends, places I thought I belonged, and I am coming back to you.

Lord, I lay my actions at your feet. I ask that you take them from me. I ask that you redeem me and allow me to breathe again. Father, this is something that is crushing me. Please take this weight away, Lord and I promise to do better.

Father, help me forgive those who have wronged me. Help me grant them the grace you are granting me today. Please take away my hurt feelings. Take away the anger and resentment I hold towards these people, Lord. Father, grant me the opportunity to only see what you see in them.

Lord, I want to bring them into the light with me. Give me the courage to speak your mercy to those who are lost, Lord. Guide me down the path of discipleship, as I walk away from this path of sin.

Father, I thank you for this keeping this promise. I promise to try and walk this path with never ending faithfulness. Lord, I ask that you surround me with your faithful believers. Father, guide me towards your church. Guide me towards your family. Help me keep my word by giving me people who would check me if I go down this path again. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

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Closing Thoughts

Repentance through prayer is a gift from God. He loves us and wants us with him always. I pray that you remember his love every day. I pray that you stop yourself short of making a big mistake. I pray that you hold our Lord in such regards you always consider what God wants you to do, instead of what would make your life easier in the moment.

1 John 1:9 reads “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I believe that we can be redeemed again and again. I hope you find faith through your repentance. I think it is important to hold ourselves accountable in the face of our Lord. Remember that you are just as worthy as anyone else for our Lord’s forgiveness.

Don’t forget to leave any specific repentance prayer topic requests in the comments below.