Next Level: PrayerSample

The final thing Jesus taught us about prayer is that we need to take time to confess when we pray. 

We constantly mess up—it’s the way that we are. We can’t expect to be perfect, even if we have been following Jesus for years. Trusting Jesus doesn’t mean that we’ll never make mistakes again, and Jesus knew this. When he prayed, he said, “Forgive us our sins, as we’ve forgiven those who sin against us.” 

We should make confession a regular part of prayer because we need to tell God when we’ve messed up. If someone does something wrong and hurts you, you would most likely want them to come to you and admit what they did, even if you already knew about it. The same is true for our relationship with God. He already knows everything that we think, say, and do. 

Confessing when we mess up isn’t surprising to God; he already knows. But, it makes our relationship with God stronger when we still come to him and ask for forgiveness. And the best news is that God is always ready to forgive us. 

Challenge: Make a list of things that you need to confess today. Is it time to finally come clean to God about something that you’ve been hiding? Write those things down. Then, take time to pray. Ask God for his forgiveness and for strength to make the right choice next time.