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.
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.
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. ”
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.
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.
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.
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. ”
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.
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.
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.
