1 John 1:5-10 - Confession in Our Prayers

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
--1 John 1:5-10 NASB

Simply put, sin separates us from God. Before we accept that Jesus Christ, God's Son, died in our place, the barrier is an eternal one. Once we are following Christ, any unconfessed sin prevents a deeper relationship with God and hinders our prayers. These Scripture passages (Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1-2; Proverbs 28:13) tell us that our relationship with God is impaired by the presence of sin.

When we pray we should spend time confessing and repenting of (turning away from) specific sins and accept God's forgiveness and cleansing. God knows our sins before we confess them. But our confession demonstrates that we are aware of them and that we desire to remove those barriers to our relationship with Him.

Our confession does not have to be elaborate, but truthful and to the point. We should ask God to search our heart and show us the areas that displease Him (Psalm 139:23-24). We should then repent of those sins, ask God to forgive us and allow God to cleanse us (Psalm 51:10-13).

Father, I praise You for who You are. I bring to You my sins, which separate us. I now turn away from those sins. Forgive me and help me not to do them again. I thank You for Your forgiveness. In Jesus' name, amen.

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