Jesus, help me realize that if I know the good I ought to do and I don’t do it, I sin (James 4:17). I, like all the rest of humans, have done things that have hurt people. In some cases I didn’t mean to, in others I did. There have been times when I couldn’t identify with other’s situations; and, I said and did things that damaged them. There have been times when I was insensitive to their needs and problems. They tried to reach out to me; but, I couldn’t or wouldn’t help. Since God calls these two types of behavior, sin, empower me to stop doing wrong, bad, and evil things. And, help me to start doing right, good, and righeous things to myself, others, and Your plan.

Rom 3:23 (NIV) For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus, I understand that I contracted the spiritual disease of sin, just like everyone else; I hurt people because I was damaged myself. Help me see that God understood that I couldn’t help myself. He knew I was going to continue to hurt people until I had been healed in those damaged areas of my heart. He knew that, if He didn’t help me, sin was going to keep on making me worse. Make it clear to me that no matter how hard I try, I am going to keep on mistreating more and more people. Show me that, that was one of the reasons I made You the Savior, Lord, and King of my life.

Jesus, teach me that God isn’t upset with the fact that I do things that hurt people. The Bible says that He has responded to my condition with love. At a time when I was infected with this sin disease, He demonstrated His love for me by dying for my sins so I could be cured. God demonstrates His own love for me in this: While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me (Rom 5:8). Show me that, if He felt this way about me BEFORE I became a Christian, then He REALLY feels this way about me now that He is my heavenly Father.

Teach me that God says pretty much the same thing in the book of First John. This is how God showed His love to me: He sent His one and only Son into the world that I might live through Him. This is love: not that I loved God, but that He loved me and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for my sins (1 John 4:9-10).

Jesus, I do not understand what I do. For what I WANT to do I do not do, but what I HATE I do (Rom 7:15). Teach me that as a NEW child in the family of God, I am going to have to learn how to live a new life. Help me consider a baby or even a teenager who is learning how to live as a human. THEY MAKE A LOT OF MISTAKES. They will need a lot of forgiveness AND they will need to learn how to do a lot of forgiving. Teach me that this is also true of me as a new child of God.

Jesus, keep me from becoming one of those who although I know God, I neither glorified Him as God nor give thanks to Him, but my thinking is becoming futile and my foolish heart is becoming darkened (Rom 1:21).

Jesus, make it clear to me that the reason I was forgiven of all my past, present, and future sins, was SO THAT I would have You and the Holy Spirit living inside me. I was forgiven so I could have DIRECT access to my heavenly Father. I was forgiven so I could GET Your help with my problem with sin. Teach me that without God’s help, I didn’t stand a chance of EVER getting better in my relationship with myself, other people, and God’s plan. Help me WANT to take advantage of this special relationship with my heavenly Father, You, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, what I do is not the good I WANT to do; no, the evil I DO NOT WANT TO DO--this I keep on doing (Rom 7:19). Help me not try to excuse myself, forgive myself, justify myself, or get people to tell me it isn’t my fault. Help me see that I have to WANT to stop doing wrong, bad, and evil things to myself, others, and God’s plan. Help me see that I have to WANT to do right, good, and righteous things to myself, others, and God’s plan.

Jesus, I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the DESIRE to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out (Rom 7:18). BUT, teach me that just because I cannot carry it out, doesn’t mean I can’t get the power from You to carry it out. Teach me that I can do everything through You Who give me strength (Phil 4:13).

Jesus, forgive me my debts, just like I also have forgiven my debtors. I HAVE TO WANT TO FORGIVE OTHERS! How do I get to a place where I will WANT to forgive others so I can keep getting God’s forgiveness? Teach me that even after I have been a Christian for a long time, I will still do things that need to be forgiven. Teach me that I will have to ask people to forgive me; and, I will need to ask God to forgive me.

Jesus, show me that as I grow in my Bible knowledge, I will do less and less of those things God calls sin; but, I will never be perfect while here on earth. Help me understand that me being forgiven by You is based on me forgiving others. Teach me what this means: Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Show me that there is a way God wants me to look at my imperfections that will help me be able to forgive others.

Jesus, teach me that in the same way I judge others, I will be judged, and with the measure I use, it will be measured to me. Help me understand why I look at the speck of sawdust in my brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in my own eye? How can I say to my brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in my own eye? Show me that I am being a hypocrite, help me first take the plank out of my own eye, and then I will see clearly to remove the speck from my brother’s eye (Mat 7:2-5).

Help me see my own imperfections as always being worse than those of the people around me. Show me why He would want me to look at myself in such a way. Make it clear to me that it is because I have a tendency to see my mistakes as being less important than those things others do to me. Also make it clear to me that I often magnify the bad things others do and minimize those bad things I do. Show me that this causes me to judge others harshly and I “forgive myself.”

Jesus, teach me that if I am offering my gift at the altar and there remember that my brother has something against me, help me leave my gift there in front of the altar. Help me first go and be reconciled to my brother; then come and offer my gift (Mat 5:23-24). Jesus, even though this is NOT fun, when You bring something I did to my attention and cause me to feel bad about it, help me go make it right. Help me not try to “forgive myself,” justify myself, explain why it wasn’t my fault, talk to some of my friends and see if they see it my way, or try to just get You to forgive me, if I promise to never do it again.

Jesus, help me to FIRST go and be reconciled to my brother; then come and offer my gift. Help me be willing and empowered to go make right everything I do wrong, bad, or evil to other people before I come and offer my gift. Let making thing right help me WANT to stop doing wrong, bad, or evil things to others. Teach me that it won’t cure me; but, let it help me to seek Your help with this problem.

Jesus, teach me that this word “debts” is being used to describe all the things that people have done, are doing, and will do to hurt me. When they do, help me not see it as a debt they owe me. Help me not think they OWE me an apology, a refund, a payment, or a chance for revenge. Help me not struggle with being able to see how bad those things were, are, and will be that I do to people so I won’t feel people OWE me a lot.

Jesus, help me be able to see HOW MUCH You forgave me from; and, help me appreciate it enough so I can use it to be able to forgive others. Empower me to allow You to show me how bad I REALLY was; show me how important it is for me to forgive others.

Teach me that to the degree I see how much You forgave me from, will be the same degree of appreciation I will have for that forgiveness. If I appreciate it a little bit, then I will have a small ability to forgive others. However, if I am very impressed with how much You have forgiven me from, I will have a great heart of forgiveness for others. Let this part of this prayer help me get the appreciation I need.

Jesus, I want forgiveness for myself and want to be able to forgive others; I now say these words: “Forgive me my debts, as I also have forgiven my debtors; and, forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”