Category: NIV First Person

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Understand the Condemning Nature of your Sin

Confession 2.18 | NIV

I must judge and condemn myself for my sins, and own myself liable to punishment.

And now, O my God, what can I say after this? For I have disregarded the commands. Ezra 9:10(NIV) I have sinned; what have I done to you, you watcher of men? Job 7:20(NIV)

I know that the law curses everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law; Galatians 3:10(NIV) that the wages of every sin is death; Romans 6:23(NIV) and that for these things’ sake God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Ephesians 5:6(NIV)

And I am held accountable to God; Romans 3:19(NIV) the Scripture declares me a prisoner of sin; Galatians 3:22(NIV) and therefore you might justly be angry enough with me to destroy me, so that I should not be left among your remnant or your survivors. Ezra 9:14(NIV)

If you should make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line, Isaiah 28:17(NIV) you might justly separate me to all evil, according to all the curses of the covenant, and blot out my name from under heaven. Deuteronomy 29:20(KJV)

You might justly declare on oath in your anger that I should never enter your rest; Psalm 95:11(NIV) might justly strip me naked and bare, Hosea 2:3(NIV) and take away my grain when it ripens, Hosea 2:9(NIV) and put into my hands the goblet that makes men stagger, and make me drain it to its dregs. Isaiah 51:17(NIV)

You have been just in all that you have been pleased to lay upon me; for you have acted faithfully, while I have done wrong. Nehemiah 9:33(NIV) Indeed, you, my God, have punished me less than my sins have deserved. Ezra 9:13(NIV)

You therefore shall be proved right when you speak and justified when you judge; Psalm 51:4(NIV) and I will accept the punishment for my sins, Leviticus 26:43(KJV) and humble myself under your mighty hand, 1 Peter 5:6(NIV) and say, “The LORD is just.” 2 Chronicles 12:6(NIV)

Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? Lamentations 3:39(NIV) No, I will bear the LORD’s wrath, because I have sinned against him. Micah 7:9(NIV)

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Consider your Evil Sins in Light of the Corrections you have Received and the Vows you have Made

Confession 2.17 | NIV

The greater afflictions I have been under for sin, the greater is the sin if I go on in it.

You have struck me, but I have not grieved; I have refused correction and have made my face harder than stone, Jeremiah 5:3(KJV) and the rod has not driven the folly out of my heart. Proverbs 22:15(NIV)

You have punished me with the rod of men and with floggings inflicted by men, 2 Samuel 7:14(NIV) yet I have not returned to you who struck me, nor have I sought the LORD Almighty. Isaiah 9:13(NIV)

When some have been overthrown as Sodom and Gomorrah were, I have been like a burning stick snatched from the fire; yet I have not returned to you, O LORD. Amos 4:11(NIV) And when your hand has been lifted high, I have not seen it. Isaiah 26:11(NIV)

The more vows and promises I have made of better obedience, the greater has been my sin.

I have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant which I have made before you; Jeremiah 34:18(NIV) but being treacherous, I have betrayed with treachery. Isaiah 24:16(NIV)

Did I not say, “I would not transgress, Jeremaih 2:20(KJV) I would offend no more?” Job 34:31(NIV) I did, and yet I have returned with the dog to its vomit; 2 Peter 2:22(NIV) I have returned to folly after God has promised peace. Psalm 85:8(NIV)

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Consider your Evil Sins in Light of the Mercies and Warnings of God

Confession 2.16 | NIV

The more mercies I have received from God, the greater has been my sin.

You have reared me as a child and brought me up, but I have rebelled against you. Isaiah 1:2(NIV)

I have ill repaid you, O LORD, as a foolish and unwise person: You are my Father, my Creator, who made me and formed me, yet my mark has not been the mark of one of your children. Deuteronomy 32:5-6(KJV)

I have not responded to the kindness you have shown me. 2 Chronicles 32:25(NIV)

The fairer warning I have had from the word of God and from my own conscience concerning my danger of sin and danger by sin, the greater is the sin if I go on in it.

Even after many rebukes, I have remained stiff-necked, Proverbs 29:1(NIV) and have kept on in my willful ways. Isaiah 57:17(NIV)

You have sent to me, saying, “Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!” But I have not listened or paid attention. Jeremiah 44:4-5(NIV)

The word of God has been to me: Do and do, and rule on rule; Isaiah 28:13(NIV) and though I have looked at my face in a mirror, yet I have gone away and immediately forgotten what I look like. James 1:23-24(NIV)

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Consider your Evil Sins in Light of your Moral Knowledge and Profession of Faith

Confession 2.15 | NIV

I must aggravate* my sins and take notice of those things which make them more heinous in the sight of God and more dangerous to myself.

I bewail before you all my sins, and all my rebellion in my sins. Leviticus 16:21(NIV)

The more knowledge I have of good and evil, the greater is my sin.

I have known my Master’s will but have not done it, and therefore deserve to be beaten with many blows. Luke 12:47(NIV)

I have known the way of the LORD and the requirements of my God, and yet have broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds. Jeremiah 5:4-5(NIV)

I have known God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, and yet I have not only continued to do them but have approved of those who practice them. Romans 1:32(NIV)

I have taught others, and yet have not taught myself; Romans 2:21(NIV) and while I claim to know God, I have in actions denied him. Titus 1:16(NIV)

The greater profession I have made of religion, the greater has been my sin.

I call myself a citizen of the holy city and rely on the God of Israel and invoke his name, but not in truth or righteousness. Isaiah 48:1-2(NIV) For I have dishonored that worthy name by which I have been called, James 2:23(NIV) and by doing this I have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt. 2 Samuel 12:14(NIV)

I have confessed the name of the Lord, and yet have not turned away from wickedness. 2 Timothy 2:19(NIV)

* The author means that we must look at our sins in the worst light, to see just how evil they are, taking into account the persons we have offended, the nature of the offense, the circumstances of our sin, etc. See The Westminster Larger Catechism, Questions 150 and 151. Editor.

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Acknowledge that Sin is an Affront to the Holy God and Damages the Soul

Confession 2.14 | NIV

The offense which by sin I have given to the Holy God.

I have dishonored God by breaking the law, Romans 2:23(NIV) and have spurned the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 1:4(NIV) and bitterly provoked him to anger. Hosea 12:14(NIV) And many a thing that I have done has displeased the LORD. 2 Samuel 11:27(NIV)

God has been grieved by my adulterous heart and my eyes that have lusted after my idols. Ezekiel 6:9(NIV)

I have tested him and tried him and angered him in the wilderness; Psalm 95:9-10(NIV) have rebelled, and grieved his Holy Spirit, Isaiah 63:10(NIV) and pressed him with my iniquities, as a cart is pressed when loaded with grain. Amos 2:13(KJV)

I have grieved the Holy Spirit of God, with whom I was sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30(NIV)

The damage which by sin I have done to my own soul and its great interests.

By my sins I have sold myself; Isaiah 50:1(NIV) and in sinning against you, I have wronged my own soul. Proverbs 8:36(KJV)

My iniquities have separated me from my God, Isaiah 59:2(NIV) and have deprived me of good; Jeremiah 5:25(NIV) and by them, my mind and conscience have been corrupted. Titus 1:15(NIV)

My own wickedness has punished me, and backslidings have rebuked me; and I cannot but consider and realize how evil and bitter it is for me when I forsake the LORD my God and have no awe of him. Jeremiah 2:19(NIV)

O what fools are they who mock at sin! Proverbs 14:9(KJV)

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Acknowledge the Great Evil of Sin, its Unprofitableness and Deceitfulness

Confession 2.13 | NIV

The unprofitableness of sin.

I have sinned and perverted what was right, but it did not profit me. Job 33:27(NIV)

What benefit did I reap from those things that I am now ashamed of, seeing that they result in death? Romans 6:21(NIV) And what good will it be if I should gain the whole world, yet forfeit my soul? Matthew 16:26(NIV)

The deceitfulness of sin.

Sin has deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death; Romans 7:11(NIV) for my heart has been hardened by sin’s deceitfulness, Hebrews 3:13(NIV) and by my own evil desire I have been dragged away and enticed. James 1:14(NIV)

It has promised me freedom, but has made me a slave of depravity; 2 Peter 2:19(NIV) has promised me that I will not surely die and that I will be like God, Genesis 3:4-5(NIV) but it has flattered me and spread a net for my feet. Proverbs 29:5(NIV)

The pride of my heart, particularly, has deceived me. Obadiah 1:3(NIV)

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Acknowledge the Great Evil of Sin, its Sinfulness and Foolishness

Confession 2.12 | NIV

I must acknowledge the great evil that there is in sin, and in my sin; the malignity of its nature, and its mischievousness to me.

The sinfulness of sin.

O that sin might be recognized as sin to me and appear in its own colors; and that through the commandment I might see it to be utterly sinful, Romans 7:13(NIV) because it is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4(NIV)

By every willful sin I have in effect said, “I don’t want this man to be my king.” Luke 19:14(NIV) And, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey him?” Exodus 5:2(NIV) And thus have I blasphemed the LORD, Numbers 15:30(NIV) and put his law behind my back. Nehemiah 9:26(NIV)

The foolishness of sin.

You know my folly, O God; and my guilt is not hidden from you. Psalm 69:5(NIV) I was foolish in being disobedient, Titus 3:3(NIV) and my desires are foolish and harmful. 1 Timothy 6:9(NIV)

Folly was bound up in my heart when I was a child; Proverbs 22:15(NIV) for though vain man would be wise, he is born like the wild donkey’s colt. Job 11:12(KJV)

My way has been my folly, Psalm 49:13(KJV) and in many instances I have done very foolishly. 2 Samuel 24:10(NIV)

I have been senseless and ignorant, and even as a brute beast before God. Psalm 73:22(NIV)

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Bewail your Sins of the Tongue and Spiritual Sloth

Confession 2.11 | NIV

My tongue sins.

When words are many, sin is not absent; Proverbs 10:19(NIV) nor can a man full of talk be vindicated. Job 11:2(NIV)

While the lips of the righteous nourish many, Proverbs 10:21(NIV) my lips have gushed folly, Proverbs 15:2(NIV) and known what is perverse. Proverbs 10:32(NIV)

Much unwholesome talk has come out of my mouth; that foolish talk and coarse joking, which are out of place, Ephesians 5:4(NIV) and little of that which is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it might benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29(NIV)

If men will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken, and if by my words I must be acquitted and by my words I must be condemned, Matthew 12:36-37(NIV) woe to me! I am ruined! For I am of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips. Isaiah 6:5(NIV)

What would become of me, if God should turn my own tongue against me and bring me to ruin? Psalm 64:8(NIV)

My spiritual slothfulness and decay.

I have been lacking in zeal and have not kept my spiritual fervor in serving the Lord. Romans 12:11(NIV)

The things which remain are about to die, and my deeds have not been found complete in the sight of God. Revelation 3:2(NIV)

I have watched the wind, and therefore have not planted; have looked at the clouds, and therefore have not reaped; Ecclesiastes 11:4(NIV) and with the sluggard have frightened myself with the fancy of a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets, and have turned on my bed as the door on its hinges, Proverbs 26:13-14(NIV) still crying, “A little sleep, a little slumber.” Proverbs 6:10(NIV)

I have lost my first love; Revelation 2:4(NIV) what has happened to all of my joy? Galatians 4:15(NIV)

My love has been like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. Hosea 6:4(NIV)

And that which is at the bottom of all is the sinful, unbelieving heart in me, which inclines me to turn away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12(NIV)

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Bewail your Lack of Love for Others

Confession 2.10 | NIV

My uncharitableness towards my brethren, and unpeaceableness with my relations, neighbors, and friends, and perhaps injustice towards them.

I have been very guilty concerning my brother; Genesis 42:21(KJV) for I have not made every effort to do what leads to peace or to mutual edification. Romans 14:19(NIV)

I have been ready to judge my brother and to look down on him, forgetting that I must shortly stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Romans 14:10(NIV)

Contrary to the royal law of love, I have boasted and been proud, have been rude and self-seeking; I have been easily angered, have delighted in evil, 1 Corinthians 13:4-6(NIV) and have secretly gloated over disaster. Proverbs 17:5(NIV)

I have been conceited, provoking and envying others, Galatians 5:26(NIV) when I should have considered how to spur others on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24(NIV)

I have not had pity on those who are in need; 1 John 3:17(NIV) and I have turned away from my own flesh and blood. Isaiah 58:7(NIV) Indeed, perhaps I have shown ill will toward my needy brother, Deuteronomy 15:9(NIV) and have insulted the poor. James 2:6(NIV)

And if in anything I have wronged my brother or taken advantage of him, 1 Thessalonians 4:6(NIV) if I have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit, Job 31:5(NIV) or my hands have been defiled, Job 31:7(NIV) Lord, discover it to me, that if I have done wrong, I may not do so again. Job 34:32(NIV)

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Method for Prayer NIV First Person

Bewail your False Security, Fretfulness, and Impatience

Confession 2.9 | NIV

My security and unmindfulness of the changes I am liable to in this world.

I have put off the evil day, Amos 6:3(NIV) and feeling secure have said, “I will never be shaken,” Psalm 30:6(NIV) as if tomorrow will have to be like today, or even far better. Isaiah 56:12(NIV)

I have encouraged myself to take life easy; to eat, drink, and be merry, as if I had plenty of good things laid up for many years, when perhaps this very night my life will be demanded from me. Luke 12:19-20(NIV)

I have been ready to put my hope in wealth, rather than in God; 1 Timothy 6:17(NIV) to put my trust in gold, and say to pure gold, “You are my security.” Job 31:24(NIV)

My fretfulness and impatience and murmuring under my afflictions, my inordinate dejection and distrust of God and his providence.

When you have disciplined me, and I have been disciplined, I have been like an unruly calf; Jeremiah 31:18(NIV) and though my own folly has ruined my life, yet my heart has raged against the LORD; Proverbs 19:3(NIV) and thus, in my time of trouble I have become even more unfaithful to the LORD. 2 Chronicles 28:22(NIV)

I have either despised the LORD’s discipline or resented his rebuke; Proverbs 3:11(NIV) and if I falter in times of trouble, how small is my strength. Proverbs 24:10(NIV)

I have said in my alarm, “I am cut off from your sight!” Psalm 31:22(NIV) and, “The LORD has forsaken me, my God has forgotten me”; Isaiah 49:14(NIV) as if God would never show his favor again, Psalm 77:7(NIV) as if he had forgotten to be merciful and had in anger withheld his compassion.  This has been my infirmity. Psalm 77:9-10(NIV)