Prayer Of Confession for My Gluttony

Confession of God’s Word Builds Faith – Kenneth E. Hagin

It is always possible to tell if a person is believing right by what he says. If his confession is wrong, his believing is wrong. If his believing is wrong, his thinking is wrong.

If his thinking is wrong, it is because his mind has not been renewed with the Word of God. All three – believing, thinking, saying – go together. God has given us His Word to get our thinking straightened out.

We can think in line with God’s Word.

In our studies on the subject of confession we have dealt with three types of confession: the confession of the sins of the Jews, the confession of the sinner today, and the confession of a believer who is fellowship with God. In this lesson we will discuss the confessing of our faith in God’s Word.

As we mentioned in a previous lesson, whenever the word “confession” is used, we instinctively think of sin and failure. But that is the negative side. That is important in its place, of course, but there is a positive side and the Bible has more to say about the positive than the negative.

Confession’s Five Parts

Confessing is affirming something we believe. It is testifying to something we know. It is witnessing for a truth that we have embraced. Our confession should center around five things:

1. What God in Christ has wrought for us in His plan of redemption.

2. What God, through the Word and the Holy Spirit, has wrought in us in the new birth and the infilling of the Holy Ghost.

3. What we are to God the Father in Christ Jesus.

4. What Jesus is doing for us now at the right hand of the Father, where He ever lives to make intercession for us.

5. What God can do through us, or what his Word can do through our lips.

Confession at Work – Preaching the Word

Mark 16:15-20

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.

God works through us by His Word through our lips. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” That is the way God works through us. We carry the Word to the lost. If we do not carry the Word to the world, then we waste our time praying that God will do something.

In other words, it would be useless to pray for someone who is lost if we do not also carry the gospel of salvation to him. If we could just pray and get people saved, we wouldn’t have to send missionaries all over the world. We could just pray all the heathen into the Kingdom.

However, the Holy Ghost works only in connection with the Word.

In obedience to Christ’s command to go into all the world and preach the gospel, the disciples went forth preaching the Word everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed the Word with signs following. God didn’t do a thing until the disciples preached the Word. Then signs followed.

Speaking of signs following, they do not follow an individual, they follow the Word. Give the Word out and the signs will take care of themselves. You don’t follow signs. Signs follow the Word.

In the last church I pastored I became greatly concerned that there weren’t enough signs following my ministry. I shut myself away in prayer for several days asking God for more signs to follow.

If the Signs aren’t following, then you are not preaching the Word.”

I was startled by this, but upon closer examination of my preaching, I discovered that it was true. I had mingled a lot of tradition and personal opinion into my sermons. And God won’t confirm tradition with signs following. As I began preaching more and more of the undiluted Word of God, I began to see more signs following. The more Word I preached, the more signs I had.

God moves only in line with His Word. He has magnified His Word above His name. And we cannot expect to get help from God if we are taking sides against His Word, even though it may be an unconscious act on our part. We should treat the Word of God with the same reverence that we would show to Jesus if He were present in the natural.

Confession Dispels Fear

Isaiah 41:10

10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Have you ever noticed, in reading the Bible, how many times God has told His children to “fear not”? When Jairus sought Jesus to heal his daughter, the Lord said to him, “… Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole” (Luke 8:50).

When Christ was preaching to His disciples, He said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

When the Lord appeared unto Isaac, renewing the covenant He had made with Isaac’s father Abraham, the Lord said, “… Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee …” (Gen. 26:24).

If God had just said, “Don’t be afraid,” and left us there, we might say, “But I can’t help being afraid.” But not only did He say, “Fear not,” He also said, “for I am with thee.

” Can we really believe that He is with us and still be afraid? No, if we are afraid, it is because we are doubting Him. “But,” someone might say, “I am so weak.” God said, “I will strengthen thee.

” “But I am so helpless,” someone might say. God said, “I will uphold thee.”

Psalm 119:28, 130

28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.

130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

It is true that in ourselves we may be weak and helpless, burdened down with cares and problems. But in our weakness we look to His Word for strength, for “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

Instead of talking about how impossible it is, look to Him who is inside you and say, “God is in me now.” You’ll find that your confession of faith will cause Him to work in your behalf. He will rise up in you and give you success. The Master of Creation is in you.

You can face life fearlessly because you know that greater is He that is in you than any forces that may be arrayed against you. This should be your continual confession.

Confession Increases Faith

There is no faith without confession. Confession is faith’s way of expressing itself. Faith, love, is of the heart, of the spirit. And we know that there is no love without word or action.

We cannot reason love into people nor can we reason love them. It is of the heart. As faith too is of the spirit or heart, we can safely say that there is no faith without confession.

Faith grows with confession.

The confession of the believer does several things for him. First, it locates him. Second, it fixes the landmarks of his life. He will never have more than his confession.

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23). If we say that we cannot do something, then of course we can’t.

But if we say that we can, then we can. According to Mark 11:23, we can have whatever we say, or confess, whether it be belief or unbelief, success or failure, sickness or health.

The reason the majority of Christians, although they are sincere, are weak is that they have never dared to make a confession of what they are in Christ. What they must do is find out how in the mind of God He looks at them and then confess it.

We will look into this in more detail in the next lesson, but these privileges are found mostly in the New Testament epistles, as they were written to the church. When you discover all that God has for you, then boldly confess what the Word declares you are in Christ.

As you do this, your faith will abound.

The reason that faith is throttled and held in bondage is that you have never dared to confess what God says you are. Remember, faith never grows beyond your confession. Your daily confession of what the Father is to you, of what Jesus is doing for you now at the right hand of the Father, and of what His Holy Spirit is doing in you will build a solid positive faith life.

Looking again at the key scripture in Romans 10:10, we see in capsule form God’s law of faith. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

” In seeking anything from God, we must first believe in our heart, because the Word said it. Then we must confess with our mouth that it is so.

For example, to be saved a man must believe in his heart and then confess with his mouth that Jesus died for him according to the scriptures, and that He was raised from the dead for his justification.

We confess with our mouth that it is so. For example, to be saved a man must believe in his heart and then confess with his mouth what God’s Word says about it; and third, we see the answer to our prayer. Believe it, confess it, receive it. “… Whosoever … shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23).

As you study God’s Word and learn what His Word says you are, who you are, and what you have in Christ Jesus, even though it may not seem real to you, start confessing, “Yes, that’s mine, according to God’s Word.” You will then find that faith’s confession creates reality.

Faith in Action: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only ….” (James 1:22)

Previous Lesson – Kenneth Hagin – Confession Restores Broken Fellowship
Next Lesson – Kenneth Hagin – Confession of the Believer’s Privileges in Christ

Источник: //www.hopefaithprayer.com/faith/kenneth-hagin-faith-lesson-no-12-confession-of-gods-word-builds-faith/

Prayers for Confession

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For Catholics, the sacrament of Confession (also known as Reconciliation or Penance) is a wonderful opportunity to encounter the mercy of God through the ministry of the priest. God always offers grace and forgiveness through Confession, but you can increase your openness to this grace by making Confession a prayerful experience before, during, and after confessing.

Before Confession

Sometimes the hardest part of Confession comes before we even receive the sacrament! It is common to feel anxious about going to Confession and to be ashamed of our sins. What is important to remember, however, is that going to Confession is going to see a doctor.

The more honest we are about what is wrong (whether it is being honest about our sins in confession or being honest about our symptoms with a doctor), the easier it will be for us to experience healing.

 Preparing well to go to Confession can help you not only make a good Confession, but also feel less anxious about going to Confession.

Preparation for Confession can be broken down into three steps:

1. Invite the Holy Spirit into your preparations
2. Do an Examination of Conscience
3. Write down your sins (this is optional but can be very helpful)

Invite the Holy Spirit

In the spiritual life, we are always guided by the Holy Spirit, so the first step to spiritual preparation for Confession is to invite the Holy Spirit into your heart. Ask him to show you your sins and to inspire in you a proper spirit of repentance. This can be a simple prayer, as simple as saying,

“Holy Spirit, come into my heart and show me my sins. Give me a proper spirit of repentance and the grace to make a good confession. Give me your peace that I might not be anxious but rather trust in your abundant mercies.”

Examination of Conscience

Once you have invited the Holy Spirit into your preparations, it is time to make an examination of conscience, searching your conscience to discern where you have fallen short through actions, thoughts, words, and even inaction.

Fortunately, there are many resources to help with your examination of conscience. Sometimes your church will have pamphlets that contain an examination of conscience. You can also find several examinations of conscience online.

Today, there are even phone apps for Confession that include examinations of conscience.

Many examinations of conscience are organized along the themes of the Ten Commandments, listing specific sins that violate each commandment. Some of them also include the precepts of the Church as part of the examination.

You should also try to be aware of other ways you may have fallen short not mentioned in these guides. The more frequently you examine your conscience, the more you will be aware of sins you have committed.

It is a good idea, although not required, to examine your sins on a regular basis even when you are not going to Confession immediately afterwards.

Write Down Your Sins

It may help to write down your sins as you examine your conscience. This way you will not have to worry about forgetting your sins when you walk into the confessional. This will help the process of confessing your sins because you will know exactly what to confess.

It can also help the final stages of preparation for Confession, because instead of trying to make sure you remember all of your sins you can spend the last moments before you enter the Confessional saying a final prayer that you may make a good Confession.

You might have to wait in line, and this can be a helpful time to say some final prayers of preparation.

You might pray along these lines:

God, thank you for showing me the things that wound my relationship with you. Calm my nerves and give me the grace to make a good Confession, not holding anything back due to shame or anxiety. Thank you for the gift of this Sacrament.

During Confession

Depending on where you go to confession, you will usually have a choice of going face-to-face with the priest or behind a screen. Either way is fine; it’s just a matter of what you prefer.

The priest is not allowed to tell anyone your sins, so don’t worry about the priest knowing who you are if you go face-to-face.

The priest will keep your confession a secret whether or not he knows who you are.

Then, say, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was [then tell him how long ago your last confession was].”

Now it is time to confess your sins. You should begin by saying, “These are my sins.” Then list your sins. It is not necessary to go into great detail as long as you confess your sins fully and honestly.

For example, if you lied to a friend, you don’t need to talk about all of the circumstances surrounding the lie. You can just confess that you lied, and if the priest thinks he needs to know the circumstances, he can ask you when you are done confessing your sins.

You must confess any mortal sins you have committed. It is also a good idea, although not required, to confess your venial sins. When you have confessed your sins, finish with, “For these and all my sins I am heartily sorry.

” This will cover confessing any sins you may have forgotten about or are not aware of committing, as well as letting the priest know that you are done confessing your sins.

The priest may offer you some advice or ask further questions about what you have confessed, but this is not essential to the sacrament.

Next, the priest will ask you to make an Act of Contrition. Although you are not required to say any particular Act of Contrition, and you can even make up your own, most people to have an Act of Contrition memorized or written down.

If you don’t have one memorized, the same places you can get an examination of conscience (a pamphlet about confession, a phone app, or the internet) will often provide you with an act of contrition.

If you do not have it written down or forget the words of the Act of Contrition when you are in the confessional, you can also ask the priest to guide you through an Act of Contrition.

One common Act of Contrition is:

Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee. I detest my sins because of thy just punishment, but most of all because they offend thee, my Lord, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.

After Confession

After you have gone to Confession, there are several steps you can take to integrate the graces of this great sacrament into your life as you leave the confessional and head back into the world.

1. Do Your Penance (this is required)
2. Pray in thanksgiving for God’s mercy
3. Resolve to avoid sin in the future

How to Do Your Penance

When you confess your sins, the priest will give you a penance. Usually your penance will involve saying certain prayers. Sometimes the priest may ask you to do a good work in addition to or instead of saying a particular prayer or prayers. Often you can pray these prayers before you even leave the church building and go out into the world again.

Thank God for His Mercy

In addition to your penance, there are other ways you can prayerfully respond to the experience of Confession. Thank God for the grace of a good Confession and for his forgiveness and mercy in the sacrament. You may want to pray a prayer this:

God, I thank you for your abundant mercies. No sin of mine is beyond your power to forgive, and your forgiveness has restored my soul to friendship with you. Thank you for never ceasing to love me even when my actions show that I do not love you fully. Thank you for seeking me out as the shepherd seeks the lost sheep.

You may also want to pray for the priest who heard your confession.

Resolve to Avoid Sin

If you have written down your sins, it can be very satisfying to rip up the paper on which you wrote your sins and throw it away as a gesture expressing your freedom from the sins you have confessed and your resolve not to sin again. Whether you do this or not, you should ask God for the grace to sin no more, to avoid the near occasion of sin, and to resist the temptation to sin.

God, I always want to live in friendship with you. I ask that you give me strength to resist and reject sin in all of its forms as I continue to grow in love of you and in my understanding of your immense love for me.

One wonderful thing about the sacrament of Confession is that it provides you with the grace to resist sin in the future. That means that in addition to absolving you of your past sins, Confession also helps your future growth in holiness.

Источник: //www.aboutcatholics.com/prayers/prayers-for-confession/

A Guide for Confession – Prayers – Catholic Online

The basic requirement for a good confession is to have the intention of returning to God the “prodigal son” and to acknowledge our sins with true sorrow before the priest.

Sin in my Life

Modern society has lost a sense of sin. As a Catholic follower of Christ, I must make an effort to recognize sin in my daily actions, words and omissions.

The Gospels show how important is the forgiveness of our sins. Lives of saints prove that the person who grows in holiness has a stronger sense of sin, sorrow for sins, and a need for the Sacrament of Penance or Confession.

The Differences in Sins

As a result of Original Sin, human nature is weakened. Baptism, by imparting the life of Christ's grace, takes away Original Sin, and turns us back toward God. The consequences of this weakness and the inclination to evil persist, and we often commit personal or actual sin.

Actual sin is sin which people commit. There are two kinds of actual sin, mortal and venial.

Mortal sin is a deadly offense against God, so horrible that it destroys the life of grace in the soul. Three simultaneous conditions must be fulfilled for a mortal sin: 1) the act must be something very serious; 2) the person must have sufficient understanding of what is being done; 3) the person must have sufficient freedom of the will.

Remember

If you need help-especially if you have been away for some time-simply ask the priest and he will help you by “walking” you through the steps to make a good confession.

At the End of Confession

Listen to the words of absolution, the sacramental forgiveness of the Church through the ordained priest.

As you listen to the words of forgiveness you may make the sign of the cross with the priest. If he closes by saying, “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good,” answer, “For His mercy endures forever.”