Prayer For Sins That Keep On Reoccurring

 We spoke yesterday about claiming our worth and dignity in who God says we are.  We belong. We have worth.  We are adequate and competent to do the things God has prepared for us to do.  

One of the reasons we get sidetracked and lose sight of these truth is that we see that we fall

short so often and do things we didn’t want to do or don’t get around to doing things we should. 

We, rightfully so, have a sense of our sinfulness and our guilt before God. 

We know God forgives when we confess and ask for it and He washes us clean because His Word

affirms that over and over again.  One of the most famous sentences about this in the Bible is

this:

If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.  1 John 1:9

We often feel awkward about bringing our sins to God anyway but then when they recur over

and over again??  Yikes.  We may be embarrassed by the number of times we have had to deal

with the same issues -- those things that we don’t want to do, yet we keep doing over and over

again.  What is going on?  Why can’t we beat these things that cause us problems?  What will it

take for us to find solid ground on which to stand.

God’s offer to us today and every day is freedom through Jesus who sets us free:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.  Galatians 5:1

The slogan – “If nothing changes, nothing changes” – is true.  Each time we find ourselves

coming back from the “same old failure” we need to reassess what changes we have made and

what we are holding back. 

Heavenly Father, we take this opportunity to let You take us deeper into our buried pain and allow Your forgiveness and healing to change our hearts.  Show us what the resentment is, the hatred, the fear, the pain, or the shame that we are seeking to cover that our stumbles reveal. 

Thank you God for Your offer to us of comfort for our grief and healing for our hurts.  We know this freedom requires honesty in what we are willing to reveal and deal with.  Only the truth – the whole truth --will set us free. 

Your word instructs us:

Humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. James 4:7-8, 10

So gracious God, help us not to just talk about what has happened in our lives but to repent and turn away from all destructive behavior.  We ask You to give us the courage to be honest and confess those things that bring us pain. 

We turn to you for healing and ask for strength to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  We want to honour You in all our affairs. Amen

Every day is a fresh beginning so let's do that today - let's have a fresh and new beginning with God today.  Have a great day.