O Righteous Father,
My soul trembles before Your holiness.
You have called me Your child,
and yet I so often walk like a stranger
forgetting the One who loved me first.
You wrote these words so I would not sin
yet I confess, I have sinned.
I have loved the world more than You.
I have chased the desires of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
the pride of this fleeting life.
But You, Jesus
You are my Advocate.
You stand between my guilt and the throne of justice.
You, the Righteous One, the Lamb of God,
took my shame,
and became the propitiation for my sin
and not only mine,
but for the sins of the whole world.
Thank You.
Thank You for not leaving me alone in my failure.
Teach me now to keep Your commandments
not as a burden, but as a joy.
Let my words match my walk.
Let my love prove my confession.
Perfect Your love in me, O God,
until I walk as Jesus walked.
Strip away my hatred, my envy, my pride.
How can I claim the light and still harbor darkness in my heart?
Help me love my brother truly love
even when it costs, even when it breaks,
even when the world teaches me to hate.
The world is fading, Lord.
Its promises are dust.
Its glitter blinds, its pride deceives.
Let me not anchor my soul to what is passing away.
Fix my eyes on You,
on what abides forever.
I praise You for the anointing,
for the Spirit who teaches me all things.
I do not need the empty noise of false teachers,
for I know the truth,
and no lie is of the truth.
Jesus, I confess You.
I will not deny You.
You are the Christ.
You are the Son.
You are my life, my Lord, my only hope.
Abide in me as I abide in You.
Let what I heard from the beginning burn in my bones.
Keep me from shame when You return
clothe me with confidence born of righteousness,
not my own, but Yours.
Father, Your Word says that those who do what is right
are born of You.
So make me new again and again.
Root me in truth,
bathe me in light,
and raise me to walk
as one who knows the Holy One.
In Jesus’ mighty and merciful name,
Amen.