CONFESSION PRAYERS USED AT THE AXIS
Prayer and repentance is the foundation of a healthy Christian. If you find yourself in need of a prayer of repentance, check out the ones below. After each prayer, there is an assurance of your pardon from scripture.
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Lord Jesus, you taught us that citizens of your kingdom will be keenly aware of their own spiritual poverty, and know well their need of divine grace. Yet, this week we have been tempted by pride, thinking ourselves holier than others. You told us that those who are pure in heart will see Your Father most clearly, yet, we have been deeply influenced by the impurity of our culture, and have thought it no serious thing. You told us those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will receive satisfaction. We confess we have often been enamored by the “likes” of men, rather than the righteous pursuit of godliness. Merciful Savior, You graciously and patiently stand ready to reshape our affections and to forgive our transgressions. Merciful Savior, feeling the weight of our sin, we bleed afresh Your cleansing blood, and ask Your Holy Spirit to renew our minds.
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2 Corinthians 5:17-21
English Standard Version
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.[a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[b] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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Righteous Father, your Word tells us that after hearing of Christ and His glorious gospel, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. We confess that our attention is so easily captivated by the temporal and trivial, not on the glorious and the eternal Father, we confess that we do not want to drift, we do not want our attention ensnared daily like the world, but the flesh is weak. Forgive us, O Lord! May we be captivated again by Christ and His Kingdom For it is only when Christ is seen in His glory, that the axe will be laid to the root of all those lesser distractions. Awaken us, O Lord! May we be captivated again by Christ and His Kingdom
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2 Corinthians 5:17-21
English Standard Version
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.[a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[b] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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God of our wilderness wanderings, you have proven faithful through every step of our journey, and have commanded us to continually remember your goodness to us. Yet Lord, we have often sinned by despising the path you have put us on. Our clothes have not worn out, and our food both physical and spiritual has been daily provided. Forgive us, O Lord, for calling into question your wisdom and your goodness. Our times of testing truly have shown the indwelling sin and unbelief that still exists in our hearts. We repent of our sin. Teach us to fear your name. And give us the wisdom to know that any hardship you ordain now will produce an eternal weight of glory. We bless you in the valley, with our eyes ever on the horizon.
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Titus 2:11-14
English Standard Version
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
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Righteous Father, your Word tells us that after hearing of Christ and His glorious gospel, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. We confess that our attention is so easily captivated by the temporal and trivial, not on the glorious and the eternal Father. We confess that we do not want to drift, we do not want our attention ensnared daily like the world, but the flesh is weak. Forgive us, O Lord! May we be captivated again by Christ and His Kingdom. For it is only when Christ is seen in His glory, that the axe will be laid to the root of all those lesser distractions. Awaken us, O Lord! May we be captivated again by Christ and His Kingdom
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Romans 5:6-8
English Standard Version
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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God of our salvation, you have made us heirs with Christ and have called us to live lives of holiness.Yet, at times this week we have not lived lives worthy of that calling. We have sinned in word and deed. In this moment, our sins are before us. We feel the weight of them and recognize our sin is the very reason Jesus Christ was condemned to die. Wash us thoroughly from our iniquity. Have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.Behold, you delight in truth and you teach us wisdom in the secret heart. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.
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omans 8:1-4
English Standard Version
Life in the Spirit
8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[b] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,[c] he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
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Holy God, you have told us the one unto whom you will look graciously upon: All those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at your word. We confess that we have been marked by pride and have not rightly understood our own spiritual poverty, apart from Christ. Forgive us, Lord. In this moment, our sin is before us.And we confess that we have not trembled at Your Word as we ought but have often been suspect of it, trusting the wisdom of man over the wisdom of God. We repent of this and confess that You are the only wise God and that Your Word is both true and good. Teach us the fear of the Lord, even now, and the beauty of Your commandments. We long to live lives worthy of the gospel. Help us in our weakness.
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Colossians 1:10-14
English Standard Version
10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks[a] to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
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Lord our God, your Word pronounces a blessing on those who are assured of the forgiveness of their sins; that you hold not their iniquities against them. Yet, often we are slow to confess our sins. This causes our spirits to groan, our strength to be dried up, and makes us susceptible to Satan’s accusations. Therefore, we come to you in humble recognition of the sins of this past week. Where we have left undone good works you called us to, and have committed sins that grieve your Holy Spirit. Thank you that when we come to you – even now – we find you not as our Judge, but as our Refuge. Yet, we know you will discipline even your own, especially when we are slothful in our obedience to honor your commandments Lord, instruct us and teach us in the way we should go; counsel us with your eye upon us. Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Though we are humbled because of our sin, our hearts are glad because of your steadfast love.
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1 John 1:8-9
English Standard Version
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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Eternal God, the one Who exists in unapproachable light, and who is worshipped continually by the unfallen angels. Your holiness reveals to us that we are a people of unclean lips and dwell amongst people of unclean lips. We confess that we have sinned even this week, even this day, and are unworthy within ourselves to approach you. Purify us, O Lord, purify us Lord, we recognize that we have made provision for our flesh, and have downplayed the seriousness of transgressing against your holiness. Make us to know the horror of sin, and the beauty of holiness. We thank you that, as the angel touched Isaiah with a burning coal and made him clean, so you have applied to us the blood of Christ, covering all our sin. Receive now our heartfelt repentance, as we remember afresh the price of our atonement.
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Lord Jesus, you are not only the Author and Perfecter of our faith but are also the perfect example of joyful perseverance. You beckon us to lay aside our sins which still cling so closely. Yet, we have often taken our eyes off of you and have grown fainthearted and slothful in our fight against our specific sins.Forgive us, O Lord, and let us never make peace with our sin. We have often presumed upon the cross and not felt with sufficient weight the horror of the sins we’ve committed these days.Forgive us, O Lord, and let us see our sin as you do.We lift our eyes again to you, Lord Jesus, in repentance for our sins, in awe of your endurance and sacrifice, and in gratitude for your grace. We know that even the struggles we endure now are but the wise discipline of our good Father.Help us this coming week to run with endurance the sanctifying race set before us.
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Psalm 103:11-12
English Standard Version
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.