Anyone who has at least once apologized for deliberately or unintentionally causing harm or pain, and received forgiveness, knows that the feeling of relief that replaces the torment of conscience cannot be compared with anything.
This is one of the forms of true happiness that colors the days with sunshine and removes the heaviest clouds from the horizon.
But the forgiveness that we ask from the Lord for our actions is capable of more. Thanks to prayer for the forgiveness of sins, you can not only remove a heavy burden from your soul, but also see the path along which you should go further so that life brings joy and is full of peace.
The importance of repentance in Orthodoxy
From early times, Christianity instilled in believers the importance of repentance, recognition of their mistakes, sinful deeds, and awareness of the consequences of their actions. A person who has turned to Christ and faith must understand that the misdeeds he committed earlier will not go away, will remain in memory and will influence the way of life.
What, in the understanding of Orthodoxy, should be considered a sin:
- A wrong action that leads to negative consequences that change a person’s life.
- Actions that caused harm to another person, causing his death or severe emotional distress.
- A wrong decision that led to certain consequences that affected the way of life of other people.
Sin is a wound that is in the soul, and not on the body, and this wound constantly bleeds and rots. If you do not cauterize the wound, it will continue to rot, and the inside of the person will rot along with it. In the literal sense, this is not an offense, a criminal offense, but an offense that a person has committed or plans to commit.
Christ said in his teachings that a person who plans a murder, who has conceived it, is already a criminal, a sinner, since his thoughts are unclean, and not his deeds.
This is difficult to convey to the understanding of people who are not close to the Lord and faith, but a sinner should be considered a person who has not yet done anything, but is thinking about it. Thus, a person who saw a woman and instantly desired her, but hid his desires, should be considered an adulterer. And a thief is a person who planned the theft. Naturally, awareness of sinful acts and understanding of them is easier for ordinary people. You can repent of the wrongdoings that have been committed by hiding your sinful thoughts. In this case, there is no need to wait for forgiveness.
A person must change himself, change not only his life, but also his perception of the world and the people around him.
- This is extremely important, because confession of sins is not yet repentance; awareness of actions, thoughts and the chronology of events is what is needed for repentance.
- Christ said that a person can do nothing, but still be a sinner. Anyone who plans a bad crime will certainly commit it sooner or later. Because the demon, the very personification of evil, already “sits” in him.
There are those same 7 deadly sins, which are considered the main ones, however, the thoughts that a person “scrolls” in his head can also be sinful if they do not contain virtues.
Turning to the Lord with repentance
A person must carry Christian prayer in his soul throughout his life as repentance for the original sin of Adam and Eve, who violated God’s only commandment. Throughout our lives, we cannot avoid the heavy burden of not only small, but also major sins, which, without sincere repentance, increasingly alienate people from God.
Such is the nature of man that in society he is unable to avoid sinfulness; only Christians who have gone into asceticism and completely devoted themselves to serving the Almighty are able to live in holiness.
For those who remain in worldly life, it is important to remember the need for liberation from sin, but asking a prayer for the forgiveness of their sins must be accompanied by:
- awareness of the sinfulness of one’s action;
- admission of guilt, wrongdoing;
- a firm decision not to repeat sinful acts.
In addition, to receive remission of one’s sins, the petitioner needs unconditional faith in God’s mercy and sincere repentance for what he has done, supported by the performance of good deeds. Then the repentant prayer of the sinner’s soul will be heard and accepted by God, and the believer will feel God’s grace protecting him from sinful thoughts.
How to ask for forgiveness for sins: 3 prayers to the Lord
How to pray and ask correctly
It is worth reading sacred texts under certain conditions, in compliance with all the rules, otherwise you can hardly count on cleansing the soul from thoughts and sinful acts.
How to properly pray to God for forgiveness of sins:
- It is worth sincerely accepting and admitting your guilt and realizing the depth of the consequences of your actions.
- Kneel before the image of the Savior, bowing your head.
- Sincerely, with all my heart, ask the Lord for forgiveness.
- The request ends with a blessed gesture and the word “Amen.”
It is not necessary to read prayers; some people are unfamiliar with church texts and cannot accept and understand them. In this case, you can ask for forgiveness in your own words, formulating the request clearly. The sincerity of a person and his desires are important, but it is better to seek help from a priest before starting to read prayers. A confessor will help a person confess; for a sinner, this is the first place to start.
Attention! Earning forgiveness and remission of sins is not so easy; many people spend many years on this, trying to atone for their guilt with good, right actions.
A person can atone for guilt by dedicating himself to serving the Lord, but not all people are capable of this. What is required from a person who wants to change his life, or where to start:
- accept the teachings of Christ, delve into his covenants;
- attend church, staying for services;
- observe fasts, they help to cleanse the body and soul, to accept the will of the Lord with humility.
Before turning to the Lord, confessors advise observing a short fast, limiting yourself in food. This will help cleanse your body and soul. If a person does not know how to communicate with God, then he should learn this, turn to the temple of the Lord with such a request.
Prayers to Matrona of Moscow
Help from saints is a special intercession before the Lord for those who have sinned. The most revered among Russian Orthodox Christians remains the Blessed Matrona of Moscow, who helps people during life and works true miracles after death. Prayer to Saint Matrona is protection and salvation from any adversity:
God's servant helps in all difficulties. In addition to asking for atonement for sinful acts, believers come to her when there are difficulties in their family and personal life, poor health and failures in financial matters.
It doesn't matter whether you did something bad or just thought about it. Anyone who believes must remember that forgiveness of sins is always possible if one prays not for show, but according to the dictates of the heart.
Texts of strong Orthodox prayers in Russian
There are many prayers that will help a person cleanse his soul and get rid of sinful thoughts.
Repentance and forgiveness from the Lord God
Lord, forgive your sinful servant (name), I beg you, hear my words and accept them. You know what is saving, help, guide me on the right path. Help me not to perish in sins, deliver me from temptations and grant me prudence. A weak person and weak in spirit, help strengthen faith in Your power and grant salvation. Deliver us from the machinations of our enemies, help us to resist and not sin. Forgive the servant of God (name) for all his wrongdoings and help him atone for his guilt. Amen
Repentant about grievances
Heavenly Father! I turn to You in prayer, realizing the severity of sinful acts. Forgive all my sins and cleanse the soul of the person asking from filth and untruth. For there is no desire to live in sin, as was the case before. Lord, please fill my heart and mind with Your light, become a teacher and mentor for me. I ask you to hear my prayers, accept them as a request and direct me on the righteous path. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen!
Jesus Christ
Our Lord Almighty, You sacrificed Your Son for the good of humanity. Forgive your sinful servants, we ask You and your Son Jesus Christ for the salvation of the souls of those who suffer forgiveness and grace. Help us not to wallow in sin and illuminate the lives of Your servants (names) with virtue and grace. Guide me on the path of truth and righteousness, deliver me from temptations and help me endure difficulties and trials. Jesus Christ, son of God, help me atone for sins before Your Father. Amen.
To the Creator about forgiveness of sins
Lord, You see my weakness, grant correction to the sufferer and help me find the true path and earn Your love. Grant me patience and diligence, help me commit righteous and virtuous deeds, please accept my unworthy prayer and gratitude for Your deeds and teachings. Amen.
Forgotten sins
Lord, forgive me all my sins, because it is already a sin to forget my sins. For I have sinned and I repent to You. Forgive me everything out of your kindness and love for the human race. For this is how Your grace and mercy are manifested; save my soul from sinful thoughts and help me remember all my sins. So that, kneeling in prayer, asking for forgiveness and mercy from You. Amen.
John Krestyankin about forgiveness and atonement for generational sins
Lord, forgive us the grave sins of childhood and those that I have committed from my youth to this day. And remove the punishment from my family, from me. God! All of me is before You. Make me worthy to be in Your will and mercy, because I do not know what is good for me. Punish my enemies, prove to them Your power, because I am not able to see all their malice and all their tricks.
For aborting children
Lord Almighty, have mercy on my children, who were killed by my consent in my womb. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, for the sake of Your mercy for my faith and tears, baptize them in the sea of bounties and do not deprive them of Your Divine Light, save my soul and reunite me in the Kingdom of Heaven with my children. Amen. (So 3 times during the day and for the rest of your life).
About forgiveness of enemies
Lord, Heavenly Father and Savior! Do not abandon those in need in difficult times. Enlighten not the one asking, but his enemies, guide them on the path of atonement for sins, for they are going into darkness. Their souls will perish and will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Grant them Your wisdom, as you have given it to me, Your servant. Save from sins and deeds that cannot be considered righteous. Amen.
Repentance to Archangel Michael
O Great Michael the Archangel! Deliver me from the burden of sin and grant me the courage to admit my guilt before the Heavenly Father. Strengthen your faith in the power of the Lord, support you in difficult situations and protect you from unfair judgment. Before your face I confess my misdeeds, accept punishment and understand the severity and sinfulness of Myself. Amen.
Daily
Lord, forgive me my grave and minor sins, as You forgave them to the ignorant. Give me strength and reason to overcome temptation and betray You and virtue. May every day of me, Your servant, be filled with Divine mercy. Help in times of need and do not abandon, for man is weak without the strength of the Lord and infirm. Amen.
Rare and special
Lord Almighty! I entrust my body and soul to You, for I have no strength to cope with temptation and take the path of the righteous, having atoneed for the entire severity of sin. Calm my soul and make a decision about when to take my soul to You, I trust in Your power and mercy. Forgive me, Lord, my misdeeds, serious and minor, judge Your servant with severity and justice and grant me punishment that I could endure steadfastly without losing faith in You. May my sinful deeds be completely atoned for, for standing before You, I wish to cleanse My soul from filth. If you manage to atone for your guilt, then forgive me, sanctify me with grace and accept me into the Royal Heavenly. Amen.
Sinner's mercy
Forgive me, Heavenly Father, for I am a sinner, like many of Your servants. I pray not for forgiveness, realizing the severity of my burden, but for Your mercy, which You bestow on people. Do not let people judge me, for I am judged and a sinner. Save my soul from a heavy burden, but do not remove it, but lighten it, so that for the rest of my life I remember the price that Your Son paid for the deeds of the human race and its sins. Accept me, as I once accepted faith and was imbued with Your matchmaker. Amen.
Praying to God for help
Without the support of the Lord, it is difficult for us to solve difficult and simple everyday matters. Prayer texts for the help of the Almighty can be universal or carry a specific request (for work, child success, health, marriage, protection from enemies). The most effective prayer for every need is presented in Church Slavonic and Russian.
It is necessary to turn to Higher powers for support in difficult times. You should not refuse this opportunity, citing the insignificance of the request, or set “conditions” for the immediate fulfillment of the desire. We must remember that people come to the Almighty Jesus Christ not for instant benefits, but so that he can console, give strength and guide them to the right decisions.
Repentance according to church canons
Confession and repentance are two different things. Confession and its sacrament imply a story about one’s deeds, which is carried out alone with the priest. A person can repent and atone for his sins himself. To do this, he needs to realize his actions. This happens in the following way:
- A person experiences certain emotions that are considered wrong: envy, anger, desire.
- Realizes their sinfulness, feeling a reproach of conscience, which is considered a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
- He asks the Lord for forgiveness for his thoughts and actions, promising not to make such mistakes/misconducts again.
This is considered repentance. In confession, a person must talk about how he acted in a difficult situation, and whether he was able to cope with temptation or not, whether he succumbed to it and how he felt.
How to read prayers correctly
You need to pray in isolation from the bustle of the world, without haste and with sincerity.
Before reading the prayer text, you should leave distracting thoughts for a while, listen to yourself, and remember the mistakes you made intentionally or unintentionally. The Almighty, the Mother of God or the saints are addressed out loud or mentally. The main thing is to believe that any word will be heard.
How to earn remission of sin
You can beg the Lord for forgiveness, but this will take several years, a lot of work, which will have to be supported by the right actions. This is not a simple apology that can be made to a person, it is a global awareness of the actions that a person has committed.
If a person talks with his confessor about what he did wrong, it will become clearer to him why he should ask forgiveness from the Lord and how to do it correctly.
The fact that the Lord has forgiven a person will become known to him by receiving a blessing. Life will change, and the burden that weighed on the sinner will disappear from the soul. There will be no sinful thoughts left in your head, and life will consist of virtue, prayers and holidays spent with your family and loved ones.
A person will receive everything he asks for if God favors him, so say the clergy. Asking the Lord to forgive sins is a complex, conscious act that can take several years. This can be done in several ways, but the main task of the believer is to realize his actions, to understand what and when he made a mistake. This will help you make amends for your misdeeds and avoid their repetition.
How to atone for your guilt before the Almighty
It is also not forbidden to address pleas for forgiveness to saints or great martyrs. Before you say a prayer, you should find the right mood - clear your mind of unnecessary thoughts that distract from the main task.
Repentance for deeds that burden the soul (unintentional or intentional) must be sincere, then daily prayers to the Lord will bring purification along with enlightenment of consciousness.
Great words of prayers of repentance addressed to the Lord, Our Lady and other saints can change a person’s inner world for the better:
- a repentant Christian becomes kinder to the people around him;
- the secrets of the hidden nature of good and also evil are revealed to him;
- a believer himself does not commit sinful acts and does not allow others to do so.
According to church canons, in order to gain the Lord's mercy and forgiveness of all one's sins, in addition to reading sacred texts at home, one must attend church. The Orthodox are required to regularly confess to the priest, who is destined to play the role of mediator between God and the laity.
After the ritual of listing your unsightly deeds and your sincere repentance, the priest, by the will of the Lord, will forgive the sins you have committed, and you will feel great relief. By participating in the sacrament of communion, the final ritual of confession, you will be cleansed of sinful acts in order to be resurrected into holiness.
Rules for daily prayers
According to a brief prayer rule compiled by Seraphim of Sarov, the creation of daily prayers (morning and evening) begins with reading the following prayers - Our Father (3 times), Virgin Mary, Rejoice (3 times), and the Creed (1 time).
This is followed by repentant prayer texts, and the prayer service ends with the reading of the main psalm - Our Father.
You need to ask for forgiveness not only for the wrong action you have already committed, but also for sinful thoughts about it. After all, the Almighty and the army of his holy helpers see not only our outer shell, but also the most hidden corners of the inner world of every believer.
Therefore, the Holy Gospel prescribes to repent of committed sinful actions and thoughts every day, and not to postpone repentance until the dying minutes. Even short appeals asking for mercy to a sinner reach the heavenly palaces, especially those pronounced within the walls of God's temple.
I want to share with you the text of the daily prayer of repentance, which I read at night after all the evening prayers. Wonderful words remove the burden of all voluntary or involuntary sins committed during the day, and the high intensity of sincere repentance allows you to fall asleep with a feeling of God's mercy through forgiveness.
For your own sins you need not just ask for forgiveness, but pray for your fall from grace for a long time, depending on the severity of the sin. Jesus sacrificed himself for the remission of our sins, he was crucified for his mercy towards us, which is why His forgiveness has such great power and works miracles.
Prayer to Ephraim the Syrian for those who hate and offend us
Resentment, insults, betrayal of people close to us, injustice and cruelty leave deep wounds in our souls and provoke us to desire revenge. A person takes a double dose of the poisonous bitterness of insult and the desire for revenge.
The principle of "an eye for an eye" has a destructive effect, creating a gap between the despairing soul and the Lord. The ability to forgive an offender requires a lot of spiritual work and effort, because three important tasks are being solved simultaneously:
- forgiveness;
- deal with your own anger;
- Replace negative thoughts with righteous intentions.
The prayer of Ephraim the Syrian contains an unprecedented power that helps to overcome pain and sorrow, learn to forgive, and show mercy to a neighbor who does not have the fortitude to resist the impulses of the evil one.
This is a request to eradicate the evil in the hearts of those who hate, are angry or jealous, and give them peace. It attracts worshipers to the highest degree of spiritual virtue and grace. Recognizing that the villain has fallen into slavery of his evil deeds and thoughts and is a victim of the evil that he himself created, the Christian rises spiritually. This is precisely the behavior that the Savior recommends to believers.
Video on the topic
No one knows how long God has given him to live on earth and when his soul will go to heaven. Therefore, we must constantly take care of gaining the Kingdom of Heaven, so that nothing interferes with this. This can only be achieved by a righteous life, faith in the Almighty and constant cleansing of negativity - repentance for sins. In order for the Lord to forgive, one must pray to him every day, visit the temple if possible, and give alms to those in need. And then God will guide you on the true path, forgive your sins and protect you from committing new ones.
Prayer for forgiveness of sins for aborted children
Abortion is a terrible sin that certainly requires prayer and repentance. When a woman realizes what she has done, she strives to somehow correct the crime and turns to the Lord. In order to atone for this sin, you will need to bring home the icon of the Mother of God “Grieving for the babies killed in the womb.”
You should not choose a prayer to pray for an abortion on your own. First, you need to visit the church and confess to a clergyman, who will assign penance depending on the physical and spiritual state of the sinned woman, taking into account various circumstances. In order to come to true repentance, the priest has the right to assign a special prayer rule, depending on the number of abortions and the sincerity of the repentant woman.
However, there is a canonical rule generally accepted by all churches and temples - a sequence of prayers, troparions and psalms about the murder of children in the womb, beginning with the praise of the Lord, His Son and the Holy Spirit. The sequence is pronounced once; you can download the full text using this link.
After atonement for sin, you should also read a prayer to the Mother of God for the soul of the unborn child:
“Most Holy Mother of God, Patroness of the Family Hearth, Protector of Children, I ask you to save and preserve the soul of the child of the Servant of God (name). Hold him to your heart like your own son and love him as much as I love him. I pray for your mercy, grant his soul peace and happiness in eternal heaven, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen".
Donating items to children in need or a shelter is highly recommended.
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How to ask God for forgiveness for masturbation?
Fornication (malakia or, scientifically, masturbation) is a prodigal sin, which consists of self-satisfaction of one’s sexual desires. The reality is that society no longer condemns men and women for masturbation. On the contrary, such acts are considered normal and even necessary (according to some doctors). The views of the Orthodox Church have not changed, and masturbation still remains unnatural and sinful.
IMPORTANT: According to the Church, masturbation lowers a person to the level of a mindless animal. This sin dishonors both himself and God. Punishment must follow from both the Church and God.
You can ask God for forgiveness for masturbation in confession or by reading one of the above prayers. We must remember to specify this sin. There is also a very strong prayer against lust (fornication, debauchery, fornication).
Prayer against lust (fornication, debauchery, masturbation).
