Prayers of Confession on Lust
Adapted from Matthew 5:27-28, 31-32, 43-44
Pastor: Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
All: We have lusted for others’ bodies. Forgive our adulterous, lustful hearts.
Pastor: Jesus said, “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
All: We have treated our marriages with contempt and have not treated them with appropriate delight and solemnity.
Pastor: Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
All: I have hated both my neighbor and my enemy. Forgive my bitterness and hatred, O merciful God.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Adapted from Romans 13:12-13
God of night and day,
there is no shadow that can conceal our sin from you
and no secret that you will not bring to light.
For our reveling and drunkenness, forgive us, O God.
For our debauchery and licentiousness, forgive us, O God.
For our quarreling and jealousy, forgive us, O God.
O God, forgive us our sins,
renew us in love,
and teach us to live in a way
that brings honor and glory to your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Adapted from “Confession and Petition” in The Valley of Vision
Pastor: Holy Lord, I have sinned times without number and been guilty of pride and unbelief, failed to delight in your Word, neglected you in my daily life.
All: My transgressions and sins present me a list of accusations, but I praise you because they will not stand against me because they have been laid on Christ!
Pastor: Go on and subdue my corruptions and grant me grace to live above them. Let not the passions of the flesh nor the lustings of the mind bring my spirit into subjection, but rule over me in liberty and power.
All: Thank you for your wisdom and love, for all the acts of discipline to which I am subject, for sometimes putting me into the furnace to refine my gold and remove my dross.
Submitted by Dustin Ray
Almighty God, you bless us so richly. You renew us and give us new life. You equip us with the gifts of your Spirit. You give us an amazing calling to follow you each day. But we fail to use the gifts that you’ve given us. We complain that we don’t have enough. We covet and lust after things we don’t need. Please help us to see how you’ve already blessed us with your gifts as we silently confess our sins to you now.…
Submitted by Austin D. Hill
(Prayer of Adoration)
Great God our Father: You are good and You are strong.
You are faithful and true,
and You won’t tempt or lie to us.
In a world that appeals to our sinful cravings
and dominated by spin:
You alone are worthy of our trust, loyalty and love.
You alone have loved us with such an everlasting love
as to give Your Son or us.
You alone never abandon us, living with and within us
by Your Holy Spirit.
(Prayer of Confession)
Yet, we so easily trade Your truth for a lie,
and substitute our lusts for Your love.
We blame others for our errors and for our wanton sin.
We close our eyes to the truth about who we are
and run from the truth of who You are.
Forgive us for choosing to love and live for the world:
by following our own cravings,
giving into the lust of our eyes, and
boasting of who we are,
what we’ve done and what we’ve got.
Hear us as we say,
in whispers too soft for any one else to hear but You,
the sin we’re too ashamed to let anyone else know
but You who know all about us and love us anyway.
Hear our silent confessions of sin: (PAUSE)
Lord, forgive us for the times when we fail to follow your word. During this time, we silently reflect on the times when we’ve ignored your commandments in Scripture, the times when we have…
Failed to love those who make our lives difficult…
Sought our own will instead of yours…
Settled for complaining instead of seeking contentment…
Spoken in ways that dishonor you and others…
Let our eyes linger on things they should pass over…
Allowed our anger to get the best of us…
Lord, we thank you for your grace and patience with us. Amen.
Submitted by Austin D. Hill