God is eternal and omnipresent in our lives, and as Christians and believers, we continually strive to welcome this reality by surrendering ourselves to His plan in our lives. We are always in God’s presence and watch but as humans, many times we fall into temptations and commit sins inviting the need for honest repentance. Our honesty is demonstrated through confession of our sins and pleading for forgiveness. In Luke 11:4 Jesus Christ taught his followers to pray thus qualifying prayers as the best way of seeking God’s forgiveness. This guide on how to ask God for forgiveness of sins will help you become honest in God’s presence and conform to the image of Christ.
The Bible affirms that God hates sins, but He is a Loving God. According to Hebrews 9: 22 no forgiveness can be achieved without shedding blood as with the Old Testament where lambs were sacrificed to appease God and receive His forgiveness. It is remarkable to note that forgiveness frees us from our past wrongs and it gives us hope for a better future, bringing us closer to God. Genesis 6: 5-6 emphasizes God’s grief over all the wrongdoings that man had inflicted upon each other, a love that eventually saw the human race free from guilt and condemnation through Jesus. God’s judicial and parental forgiveness are apparent through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and cleansing of our sins on merit as His children. The significant difference between the two aspects of forgiveness from God is that judicial forgiveness deals with the penalty for our sins while parental forgiveness deals with the consequences our sins. When asking for forgiveness from God you should ask with a sincere heart and forgive others willingly, completely, and always. By forgiving others, you too will be forgiven.
How to repent
Repent means to turn away from sin. Jesus Christ taught that our primary objective should be to enter Heaven, and this can only happen through earnest repentance among other factors. Psalm 32, in the Bible, is a great place to explore and understand the nature and process of sincere repentance. Different steps on how to repent are as follows:
Accepting your sin
You should be humble before God and admit the wrongs you have done.
Trust in God that your sins will be forgiven.
Reflect on the sins you have committed. You can write them down and go through them. Remember all sins are equal in God’s eyes.
Think about the people you have hurt by your actions and the bad things sin leads you to do.
Repent for the right reasons. Repent because you want to be a better person. Avoid repenting to get earthly material possessions.
Read the Holy Scriptures because they offer guidance on better living. The Holy Scriptures of most religions have passages on repentance.For instance:
The Christian Bible; Matthew 4:17 and Acts 2:38
The Quran: Tahriim 66:8
Jews: Hosea 14:2-5 and Proverbs 28:13
Making things right
Talk with your spiritual leader in your place of worship to receive proper guidance on how to confess and straighten your relationship with God.
Avoid committing sins. You should be willing and committed to changing your past behavior and become a better person.
Get help from other people who can assist you in stopping bad habits. For example, you can join a support group in the case of addictions such as excessive gambling and alcoholism.
Making peace with your past; you can apologize to the people you have hurt or wronged.
Your past sins should be a learning experience to help you shun similar mistakes in the future.
You can help others learn from your mistakes; this may involve going and talking to people about what you did and how they can also solve the problem based on your past or current experience.
Embracing forgiveness
After repenting you should live a life that pleases God. Read the Holy Scriptures of your faith to get guidance. Practice what you learn.
Enter into a religious community formally and be active. In Christianity, you can be baptized and be attending church service regularly to be closer to God.
Stay from things which will lead you to sin. For example, if you are addicted to narcotic drugs, you can purpose to avoid them since they lead you to commit sins.
Accept that you will commit sins in the future. You are not perfect, but you should always strive to make things right.
Purpose to live according to God’s commandments by avoiding sin.
Asking for forgiveness prayer
A prayer for forgiveness is a prayer offered to God to receive a new hope and beginning. It is essential to know the forgiveness prayer since it brings us closer to God. Asking for forgiveness prayer has the following steps:
Confess your sin: you admit the wrongs you have done by naming and listing them.
Repent of your sins: turning away from sin.
Ask for forgiveness
Ask for forgiveness Bible verses
Below are some Bible versus that assist you in asking for God's forgiveness.
1 John 1:9
Psalms 25:11
Matthew 18:21
Mark 11:25
Exodus 32:32
Luke 23:34
Psalm 19:12
Luke 17:4
Daniel 9:9
James 5:15
The above Bible verses are encouraging and helpful for people seeking forgiveness from God regardless of the sins committed. Praying for forgiveness is the most effective way to avoid anger, shame, bitterness, contempt, and defensiveness. Once you seek forgiveness, God will surely accept your plea, and you will enjoy good relations with other people. Use the above tips on how to ask God for forgiveness for spiritual nourishment that will be reflected in your day to day life, and you will be believer worth emulation in the society.
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