A prayer based on 1 John 1:1-10.

<aside> 🙏🏻 Our Father in heaven, We are so grateful that your Son came into our world, took on flesh, and has made you known. We thank you for the testimony of the apostles, Those men who saw Him, our Saviour Jesus, with their own eyes. His life and ministry. His glory revealed in the transfiguration. His suffering, bleeding, dying in place of sinners and His resurrection. Those men who heard Him speak words of life with their own ears. And because of their testimony we praise you that we can know the truth.

We can know the truth about you, our God. That you are light, and in you there is no darkness at all. You are morally pure. Utterly holy. Totally right. Completely perfect. How you cannot co-exist or have anything to do with that which is evil.

We can know the truth about ourselves. That we are sinners. Against your holiness and purity, the darkness and sin in us is exposed. The multitude of ways we break your law. Our rebellion and disobedience. That we are all, like sheep who have gone astray, turning to our own ways. That we do not do anything that is truly good. How our lives are full of moments when we say something we wished we never had. When we have done something that has caused great hurt to someone else. Where we are ashamed of our actions.

And we can know the wonderful and beautiful truth about the Lord Jesus. The One whose blood can cleanse us from all sin. Because He came to seek and to save. Because He has made full atonement for our sins on the cross. Because He has conquered death and hell by His resurrection from the dead. Because He lives to intercede for us and will come again to make us fully and finally holy and righteous in your sight.

But while we wait for that day, Lord, help us we pray, to acknowledge who we really are before you. To not deny it. To not make excuses for the way we behave. To not try and lesson the seriousness of our sin against you.

Father, we confess that we have sinned against you. And we are so thankful that you are a faithful and just God. That you are faithful to your promises. Your promise to forgive your people’s wickedness. Your promise to remember your people’s sins no more. Your promise to cleanse them. Your promise to purify them from all unrighteousness. And that you are just because that punishment we deserve has been taken by another, Jesus your Son, so that we can be forgiven.

Thank You that as we confess our sins each day, each week, each month, each year to you. His sacrifice is applied to them. That He says to you, “You have already punished those sins; I have paid for them in My death; they can be forgiven!”

So, help us Holy Spirit, to be quick to admit our sins and accept Christ’s forgiveness. Help us to put to death our pride, which deceives us into thinking we are better than we are. And increase our joy which comes from knowing that we have been forgiven much, and we have been brought into fellowship with our Saviour and Lord, and you our Father in heaven.

Amen.

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