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15 Effective Prayers for Guilty Conscience

15 Effective Prayers for Guilty Conscience

Does guilt burden your conscience? You can be free from it, regardless of your mistakes.We all make mistakes because we are humans; that’s why the word of God says we all have sinned.

Now it does not matter how long you have carried that distressing burden of guilt; your Heavenly Father is always ready to forgive and receive you back with His outstretched arms.

By the time you are done reading this article, praying the prayers we have provided, and meditating on the specially selected Scriptures, there’s no doubt you will find relief from every feeling of guilt in your conscience.

The following are the resources in this article:

  1. How do you pray against guilt?
  2. Prayers for Guilty Conscience.
  3. Bible verses to help when you are struggling with guilt.
  4. Frequently Asked Questions about Guilty Conscience.

How Do You Pray Against Guilt?

Often, many of us find it hard to forgive ourselves for past mistakes. We long to turn back the hand of time, but the truth is that regardless of how hard you try or torment yourself for over a wrongdoing, you cannot. However, there is something you can do – Pray.

A simple prayer will work wonders, especially a prayer for forgiving yourself. The Bible in 1 John 1:9 says – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Here’s how to pray against guilt:

  1. Approach God with sincerity. Come to God exactly as you are with your guilt and allow Him to take it.
  2. Empty your heart from all your shame before God without fear of judgment because He is the only one who won’t judge you.
  3. Ask for forgiveness and repent genuinely from your wrongdoing that brought the guilt.
  4. Let go of all the guilt weighing heavily on your conscience.
  5. Read God’s word concerning forgiveness and meditate on it.
  6. Thank God for hearing your prayers.
  7. Tell the devil God has forgiven you when he comes with his accusations and remind him that God has forgiven you.

Here Are Prayers for Guilty Conscience.

  1. Prayer for Guilty Conscience.

Isaiah 43:25. NIV – I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the grace of knowing you. I am here to bare my heart to you. My heart is heavy from the guilt and burden I bear.

Please, Lord, help me believe in your love and forgiveness. Help me accept what happened and free me from self-condemnation and guilt.

Assist me in forgiving myself for my mistake. Cleanse my conscience with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Make me truly free from this guilt so that the devil will no longer torment me with these disturbing emotions.

Most importantly, please give me the grace to move on. Thank you, dear God, for hearing me.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. Prayer for Forgiveness and Letting Go.

1 John 1:9. NIV – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Dear Heavenly Father, I am grateful for the grace to be called out of darkness and translated into your marvelous light.

Please forgive my shortcomings. I submit myself to you, the one who died for me and resurrected, so my sin can be taken away.

Holy God, cleanse me from my wrongdoings. You said if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

According to your word, forgive me of my unrighteous acts and make me whole again. Above all, please give me the grace to let go so I can finally move on.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. Prayer to Clear a Guilty Conscience.

Romans 8:1. NIV – Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Merciful God, I know I wronged ____, and especially you. But I ask that you be merciful to me and extend your grace of forgiveness toward me.

Clear away my guilt and all the burdens that have robbed me of my peace and sleep. I don’t want to go on living like this.

Your word says even if my sins are as red as scarlet, they shall be made whiter than snow. Therefore, I ask that you wash me thoroughly from this guilt and my sin in the name of Jesus.

Assist me in accepting your forgiveness so I can also truly forgive myself for my mistake. Thank you, Loving God, for granting my petition.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. Prayer Points for Something You Feel Guilty About.

Jeremiah 50:20. NIV – In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt,

but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.

Precious Holy Spirit, your word says the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart will you not despise.

So, in your infinite mercy, I ask that you relieve my mind and heart from this heaviness. I know I made a terrible mistake.

Lord, I also realize I can’t take back what I have done. Therefore, I pray that you divinely intervene in my current situation and make way for me where there is no way.

You said you would have compassion upon me and subdue my iniquities, and I will cast all my sins into the depths of the sea.

Lord Jesus, you also told me to let my sins go because I have been forgiven. May I walk in the grace of this forgiveness. Let it swallow every feeling of guilt trying to overwhelm me.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. Prayer for God’s Peace When You Feel Guilty.

Jeremiah 33:8. NIV – I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.

Faithful God, I pray that you create in me a clean heart. Please give me a heart that is free from guilt and sin. Restore the peace that my wrongdoing has taken away from me.

Help me conform to your image so that I will only do what I want to do that aligns perfectly with your will and precepts.

Be my guide, my comforter, and my deliverer. As I study your word daily, give me a meaningful understanding of it, so your truth will be revealed.

Let this understanding and revelation erase every feeling of guilt and shame in my life.

Lastly, may I enjoy your constant peace regardless of how hard the devil tries to fill my heart with guilt.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. A Prayer for Freedom from Guilt.

2 Corinthians 3:17. NIV – Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Gracious God, I surrender my heart and all the guilt I feel to you. I know you have already forgiven me. So, by faith, I confess that the blood of Jesus washes away my sins.

Holy Spirit, set my heart free and be in charge of my emotion henceforth. I surrender my conscience to you. This is where I hear your voice daily.

Therefore, I ask that you set it free and always make me open to the truth of your word so that you can guide me daily.

From now on, assist me in guarding my heart against evil and any form of wrongdoing that will bring guilt to my conscience.

I declare that all the guilt and pain of things that I have done in the past are taken away in the name of Jesus.

Guilty Conscience

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  1. Prayer to Deal with Habitual Sin.

 1 Timothy 3:9. NIV – They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience.

Dear Lord God, the Bible says if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things are passed away, and everything has become new. So, I ask that you break every circle of habitual sin in my life.

Father God, I also pray that you give me the grace to be conscious so I will no longer be my old self. In addition, I ask that you give me the knowledge to discern when the devil is trying to pull me away from you by filling my conscience with guilt.

Most of all, Gracious God, let me always have an assurance that I belong to you and those old things are indeed all passed away.

This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

  1. Prayer for Guilty Conscience.

Hebrews 10:22. NIV – Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings,

having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Mighty God, please search my heart to and through and take away every evil in it. Remove the guilt threatening my inner peace.

I do not feel proud of what I have done; that’s why I ask that you unburden my conscience of this guilt. Give me a sincere heart and draw me close to you.

May the assurance of my salvation and faith bring me peace. Above all, cleanse my heart from guilt.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. Prayers for When You Need Forgiveness.

Hebrews 8:12. NIV – For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

Dear Lord Jesus, I acknowledge my sin to you today. I no longer want to cover up my iniquity. The devil wants to use my sins to keep me away from you, but I confess my transgressions to you.

I request that you forgive me all my sins and iniquities. Give me the grace never to return to them anymore, in Jesus’ name.

Thank you for taking away the guilt the enemy wants me to feel trapped in.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. Prayers for Forgiveness of Sin.

1 John 1:19. NIV – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Merciful Father, thank you for the love and sacrifice of your loving Son, Jesus, that made forgiveness of sins possible.

So often, I sin and need to run back to you and say I am sorry. Teach me to come to you quickly and offer the prayer for pardon so that I might be restored to you.

In addition to pardon, I ask for a deep cleansing of my flawed character so that my heart might be pure before you, dear God.

Thank you, Most Precious Lord, for forgiving and purging my conscience of guilt.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name, I pray, Amen.

  1. Prayer for Asking for Forgiveness.

Hebrews 9:14. NIV – How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,

cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Almighty God, I come before you, opening my mind to you. I feel terrible for what I have done.

Dear Lord, I do not deserve to be free from this burden. But I ask that you be merciful and remove this guilty feeling.

Grant me the grace to flee from everything that does not please you. I pray for the forgiveness of my iniquity.

This guilty feeling often overwhelms me, but I know you can make me whole. So, Lord, I request that you look mercifully upon me and make me whole again.

Take away all the guilt and shame I feel each time I recall what I have done.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. Prayers for Conscience.

2 Corinthians 5:17. NIV – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Dear Father, I praise you for the many beautiful things you have done for me. I lift my hands and voice in complete adoration of your Holy Name.

Lord God, you are both great and worthy to be praised and honored above everyone else.

I pour my heart and soul into worshiping you, so you would be moved with compassion to save me from this toxic guilt that seems not to be abating.

Fill my heart with your peace. Clear my conscience of guilt, cause my heart to forgive myself, and forgive my wrongdoing because you have indeed forgiven me.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. Morning Prayer for Forgiveness.

Psalm 32:4-5. NIV – For day and night, your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

5: Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Heavenly Father, thank you for a blessed morning. Thank you also because you have not cast me away from your presence despite my actions and in-actions that do not glorify you.

I’m most grateful because you always forgive me regardless of how grievous my offenses may be.

This morning, I come before you in repentance, asking that you please be merciful to me and forgive me for _____.

I know if I sinned against a man, my sin would never be punished. But I’m glad that I’m dealing with you, not man.

Please, Lord, forgive me and restore me in fellowship with you.

In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

  1. Prayer for a Good Examination of Conscience.

Psalm 139:23-24. NIV – Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24: See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.

Abba Father, according to your word, search me and know my heart. Test me and know all my guilty and anxious thoughts.

Point me to my wrongs and lead me on the right path. I recognize that my flesh desires to control my circumstances, maximize comfort, protect my ego, and minimize pain.

Instead of allowing my conscience and flesh to control me, I ask that you defend your interest in my life. Help me surrender my conscience and will to you, dear Lord.

May this action lead me closer to you and farther away from evil.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  1. Prayer for Forgiveness for Hurting Someone.

Proverbs 28:13. NIV – Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Loving God, I have been unable to forgive myself since I hurt ______. I still feel a deep sense of guilt and therefore pray that you please forgive me and cleanse me from it.

Speak to _____ so she would forgive me. Also, give me the courage to physically seek her forgiveness after this prayer.

Lord, I have been dealing with a guilty conscience since I offended her. But the truth is that I am clueless about how to overcome a guilty conscience, especially this one eating me up.

So, I ask that you forgive me and unburden my heart today so I can be free again.

This I pray, in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Prayers for Guilty Conscience

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Bible Verses to Help When You’re Struggling with Guilt.

If your conscience is battling guilty, here are some Scriptures that will give you relief:

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13: As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14: for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel: I am God, your God.

You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

18: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.

  • 1 John 1:9 NIV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

Conclusion

Prayers for guilty conscience will certainly give you relief from the burden you bear.

This, however, does not mean that the devil, whom the Bible calls the accuser of the brethren, will not try to make you second-guess God’s forgiveness toward you. Only ensure you shut out his accusing voice when he comes.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you clear a guilty conscience?

  1. Stop making up excuses in your head about why you did what you did.
  2. Acknowledge how wrong your actions were.
  3. Show remorse.
  4. Apologize to whom you offended (or God if your sin was directly against Him) and make amends.
  5. Lastly, ask for forgiveness with every sense of sincerity.

2. I feel guilty – can the Bible help me find relief?

If you are struggling with guilt over something you have done, the Bible will help you find relief. God has promised to forgive us for all our unrighteousness.

Hence, I have provided many relevant Scriptures in this article that will help you find relief when battling a guilty conscience.

Some of these Bible verses to find relief when struggling with a guilty conscience include 1 John 1:9, Romans 8:1, Psalm 103:12-14, etc.

3. How do you pray for someone who has wronged you?

You may wonder, “Why does God even want us to pray for those who hurt us when they have done such awful things? Why does God expect something so painful from us?

The truth is that sitting in pain only makes things difficult for us and increases our pain. As such, we must forgive and pray for anyone who has hurt us.

4. Here is how to pray for someone who has wronged you

  1. Show up and be honest with God. Tell Him how difficult it feels to forgive the person who hurt you. But let Him know how willing you are to try.
  2. Ask God for a forgiving spirit. Without this, it may be too difficult to accomplish on your own.
  3. Ignore the actual wrong and pain they caused you and forgive.
  4. Ask God to help you forgive what you can’t forget.

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