Praying to forgive yourself is the first step in healing and growing closer in your relationship with God.
If you have lived any time on earth, you’ve most likely experienced or done things that you probably need to forgive yourself for.
Things happen and remember you’re human!
For that reason, praying to forgive yourself is a powerful way to begin releasing the heaviness of the past and start healing toward a life of restoration and freedom.
Why does forgiving yourself seem hard to do?
Forgiveness can seem complicated to do at times because it’s a significant step into moving forward in life. Yet, forgiving yourself is a decision you must regularly make to help heal within and become at peace within yourself.
You’ve probably tried so many ways to get to the point of complete forgiveness, but nothing, unfortunately, has helped to move you forward. In those moments, you may be approaching forgiveness alone in your strength rather than allowing God to help you carry the burdens of your past.
If you’re in a place where you are struggling to forgive yourself, find time today to sit with God and use these 7 powerful prayers to begin the process of genuinely forgiving yourself, seventy times seven as Jesus instructed.
“Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” Matthew 18:21-22 NLT
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Prayers to Forgive Yourself
For some of us, we may not know where to start or what to start praying through. And due to the overwhelm of it all, we often forgo the process altogether.
Prayer is an important part of our lives and can truly help us get our lives in order.
Forgiving may seem scary to address, but it is necessary and a gift to those connected to you.
So as you embark on praying to forgive yourself, remember that God knows, he has gone before you, he walks with you, and will not abandon you as you open up and restore your relationship with yourself on a deeper level.
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NLT
Prayer to Forgive Yourself for Holding On To The Pain
But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Mark 11:25 NLT
As you pray, remind yourself that God did not create us to be stuck or held down by the shame of our past. He wants us to first forgive those we hold a grudge against, and for some of us, that person is yourself.
Holding on to the past has become a way of life for many of us. We have found comfort in our trauma and identified with pain. We must learn to let go and let God take control.
Use the following prayer to forgive yourself for holding onto the pain and begin the process of letting it go.
Father, I thank you for the gift of forgiveness. Thank you for reminding me to forgive myself and those that have done me wrong in the past.
Lord, help me to let go of the past trauma and release the pain. God, you are my rest and my healer. Lead me to find comfort in you alone. In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen.
Prayer to Forgive Yourself for Poor Choices You Made
In life, we make a lot of choices. Some we would consider successful, and others we identify as outright mistakes.
And most of us have allowed those moments to hinder our future decisions and fail at becoming growth moments in our life.
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9
Therefore, pray to forgive yourself for the times you’ve made the wrong choices.
Allow for love to prosper through your forgiveness and not allow dwelling on mistakes to divide/disconnect within yourself.
Lord, I pray for my past mistakes and poor choices. In those moments, I was outside of your will and allowed those off-track moments to dwell inside, disconnecting me from you.
God, I forgive myself for the frustration and disappointment I have caused and the overwhelming that plagues my decision-making today.
God continues to help me to forgive my faults so that love can prosper within me as I move forward. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayer to Forgive Yourself for Missing The Mark
You probably can count on all your fingers how many times you’ve missed the mark, especially when it comes to meeting expectations in your faith, career path, and even parenting.
Finding yourself no longer motivated to learn from life’s experiences and live up to expectations.
“Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overcome by discouragement.” 2 Corinthians 2:7 NLT’
Whether you’re missing the mark seldom or falling short all the time, know that God forgives and redeems.
If you are struggling to forgive yourself for missing the mark, I encourage you to forgive and comfort yourself because discouragement only seeks to overcome you.
Heavenly Father, God of forgiveness and comfort. I pray that you help remind me to forgive myself for missing the mark and embrace being redeemed through my acceptance of Christ Jesus.
God keep me a part of your plan even when doubt and inferiority try to creep in. I can rejoice in your forgiveness and be glad I have already forgiven myself. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayer to Forgive Yourself for Procrastinating
Procrastination is one of those things that we allow to interrupt our lives, often doing the dirty work of fear and anxiety.
It can leave us vulnerable and distracted from meeting important deadlines and missing great opportunities.
I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” Mark 11:24 NLT
Go to God in prayer to forgive yourself for procrastinating the things that truly matter.
For this prayer, I would encourage you to think about those times you didn’t show up for yourself and others, releasing it all on the altar. Allow every expectation that went unmet, to rest at the feet of Jesus.
Lord, I thank you for helping me realize that procrastination is not my friend. Help me to believe that I have forgiven myself and deny the flesh of any desire to dwell in paralysis.
God teach me to stand firm in receiving your forgiveness and to no longer allow fear or doubt to drive my behavior. I believe that I am forgiven; it is mine! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayer to Forgive Yourself for Hurting Others
Relationships are inevitable, and because we are flawed humans, someone is bound to be hurt, offended, or judged intentionally or unintentionally.
Forgiveness, however, allows us to accept responsibility for the hurt we’ve caused others and release ourselves from the shame and guilt of wounding valued individuals in our lives.
Cry out to God in prayer to forgive yourself for hurting others. Ask God to help you to be more empathetic and genuinely apologetic regarding the negative emotions you have created within someone else.
Lord, I come to you so that I can reach the innermost parts of myself. I need your help in forgiving myself for hurting those that I genuinely care about.
Father, help me to soften my heart, get outside of pride, and lower myself enough to submit my actions taken in the past to you.
Make me new in the area of relationships and heal the ones that I have allowed to slip away because of my unforgiveness of self.
I know you are healing their heart of offense as you are healing mine of guilt. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayer to Forgive Yourself for Not Honoring Yourself Completely
We all overbook ourselves from time to time, neglecting our own needs for the needs of others. Often leaving ourselves vulnerable to abuse and overstretching for those who most likely wouldn’t do the same for us.
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” Ephesians 4:2 NLT
Yet, Jesus stepped away and took care of his needs in prayer before he poured out to the masses.
Therefore, in prayer, I want to encourage you to forgive yourself for not being in tune with your needs in the way you are with others.
Father, thank you for showing me how important honor is. Please help me to ease the pain of not honoring myself and no longer forsaking myself to satisfy the needs of others.
Holy Spirit, guide me as I begin to set boundaries around how to care for others as I take care of myself.
Please help me to trust my gut when things come up and no longer look for the approval or acceptance of others. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Prayer to Forgive Yourself for Not Knowing Better
One of the troubling things about forgiveness is that we view mistakes and struggles after the fact. We don’t always give ourselves much understanding and grace because we don’t realize that we didn’t know what we were doing at that moment.
Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord.” Psalms 25:7 NLT
As you move forward with forgiving yourself for being naive and ignorant of the reality of the choices you make, remember God is not holding you to the foolishness of your youth. Therefore, you no longer have yourself to that either.
God, thank you for forgiving me for my ignorance. Please help me to forgive myself for the things I have done out of pure foolishness.
Lord, let me look to seek your wisdom and knowledge before moving forward. However, I will no longer allow the childish decisions of my past to ruin the understanding I walk in every day with you today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Forgive Yourself: Your Future Depends On It!
In the words of Leo Buscaglia, “Love yourself- accept yourself-forgive yourself- and be good to yourself, because, without you, the rest of us are without a source of many wonderful things.
We were all created to be and do great things on this earth.
Called to live and grow within the epitome of forgiveness shown through Christ Jesus.
Forgiving yourself can feel like the most daunting task on your to-do list this year. But it is the most crucial step in truly living in the fullness of what God has for you and what you have to offer the world.
It is also important for having a healthy relationship with yourself!
Even though you know forgiving yourself won’t be overnight, it is a daily choice that shows that you love yourself enough to know yourself and show yourself grace and patience.
So the questions are:
Will you forgive yourself? Yes.
How will you get there? With God. Because with God, all things are possible.
I pray these prayers will ignite a journey between yourself and God toward forgiveness, healing, and purpose.
Are you looking for some tools and tips to boost your prayer life? If so, be sure to visit our Prayer Resources Library where you’ll find everything you need to become a powerful prayer warrior!
Chyna is a blogger and speaker whose passion is to help women, specifically single moms, be their authentic selves in relationships and finally meet the woman God has always created them to be. You can find her at Made New Mama.
