Points of Repentance (Sheet #17)

21 Days with Jesus at the Foot of the Cross

God, I Repent of a spirit of . . .

1. I repent of a spirit of control. Of needing to dominate others, especially those closest to me. Of desiring to have people do things my way. Of manipulating people to get what I want. Of thinking my way is best and

therefore must be implemented. Of even forcing my will on other people.

2. I repent of a spirit of slothfulness. Of seeking ease and comfort in my Christian life instead of taking up my cross and following Jesus. Of not pursuing Christ with diligence. Of being lazy in my study of God’s Word and my prayer life. Of not working faithfully and zealously performing my duties at home and work.

3. I repent of a spirit of fear. Of letting the news from the television, newspapers and Internet impart fear in my heart instead of trusting wholeheartedly in God’s sovereignty. Of failing to pray about difficult things in my life and the life of loved ones, and because of this, being overcome with worry and anxiety.

4. I repent of a spirit of judgmentalism. Of taking on the role of judge for other people, rather than leaving that to God. Of seeking to criticize others rather than to look for God’s good in their lives. Of a nagging spirit that rides people, always letting them know what I don’t like about them.

5. I repent of a spirit of neglect. Of neglecting others in need. Of shutting myself off from those nearest to me—my spouse, children and parents. Of neglecting my home life for my job, ministry, a hobby, time on the computer, etc. Of neglecting my heart and not examining myself often and carefully.

6. I repent of a spirit of murmuring. Of complaining about things that happen to me and things that I do not have. Of complaining about other people. Of having a daily pattern of griping and grumbling. Of having a bad

attitude often. Of, in the ultimate sense, murmuring against God Himself about where things are in my life.

7. I repent of a spirit of rebellion. Of disrespecting and disobedience of those that God has put in authority over me. Of living in rebellion to law enforcement by speeding habitually and perhaps committing other crimes. Of rebelling against some of God’s clear commandments in Scripture. Of grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit by turning away from His convincing and convicting.

8. I repent of a spirit of unbelief. Of doubting God. Of boxing God in. Of limiting Him in my heart, mind and imagination. Of disbelieving His Word. Of second-guessing God. Of not believing fully in His power and might, and that He can and does miracles.

9. I repent of a spirit of pride. Of arrogant pride. Of boastful pride. Of spiritual pride. Of the pride of

superiority. Of unteachable pride. Of the pride of ability. Of the pride of gifting. Of the pride of intelligence. Of self-absorbed pride. Of the pride of seeking praise. Of the pride of wanting to be noticed. Of the pride of self- sufficiency. Of secret pride.

10. I repent of a spirit of contentiousness. Of stirring up argument. Of seeking to quarrel. Of wanting to win the debate with people. Of seeking out controversy. Of being a divider rather than a unifier. Of believing that I am always right.

11. I repent of a spirit of unfaithfulness. Of being unfaithful, in action or in thought, to my spouse. Of betraying a loved one or friend. Of not being faithful in following Christ. Of not being faithful in ministry. Especially, of

being unfaithful to God by letting idols and other loves steal away my worship of Him and relegate Him to a lower priority in my life.

12. I repent of a spirit of addiction. Of being addicted to my cell phone. Of being addicted to TV. Of being

addicted to alchol, or drugs. Of being addicted to overeating. Of being addicted to praise from others.

Hurts, Pains, and Trials

1. Traumatic Hurt. A devastating loss, accident, health crisis, abuse, breakdown, etc. Lord God, heal me from any deep hurts from trauma in my life. Heal my memories and let me rest in Your goodness and my true hope for an eternity with You, knowing that You will wipe every tear from my eye, death shall be no more, nor crying or mourning.

2. Hurting for Others. Deep hurt for what someone close to you is going through. For the physical or emotional pain, or the spiritual struggles of a loved one or close friend. A deep

longing to see someone you love come to Christ. Oh God, I do hurt for someone, but I don’t want to carry this hurt on my own. It’s a burden too big for me. I cast my cares upon You, Lord.

3. A Despondent Hurt. The hurt that comes through melancholy and depression. The hurt of loneliness. The hurt of grief and sorrow. Lord, I bring to you these hurts. Remind me now that You are near. You are with me. You will never leave. I am not alone. You love me like no other.

4. The pain of Heartbreak. From the breakup of a marriage or close relationship. The pain of parents for prodigal children. The pain of sons and daughters for unsaved parents. God, even as I am living with this pain, let me not endure this pain with no hope. I want to remember again that You are God Almighty, and that all my hope is in You.

5. The pain of suffering. From chronic physical pain in your body. Suffering consequences for past sins. Suffering from spousal abuse. From family division. The pain of ridicule and persecution for your faith. Father, I thank You today, that Your Son was made perfect through suffering, and that His suffering brought salvation to me. Teach me all you want me to learn through my suffering. I ask that I might truly grow as I endure suffering on this Earth.

6. The trial of waiting. Waiting on God, though there is much need and much urgency in your life. Waiting for physical needs, waiting for healing in some way in your life, waiting for someone to come to Jesus, waiting for Heaven. Dear God, I thank You that waiting is a good thing, hard though it is. Thank You that as I wait, You will renew my strength, cause me to rise up with wings like an eagle, to run and not be weary, and to walk and not faint.

7. The trial of the unseen and the unknown. Being in a spiritually dry place in your life. Being without work and wondering where God is taking you. Being uncertain of God’s future plans for you here on Earth. Not being able to see any light in a dark tunnel. Experiencing a

major change in your life circumstances and not knowing what this means for you as you go

forward. Today, Father, I bring all which I cannot see to You, knowing that You see all and know all. I want to experience afresh your personal love and care for me as Your child and to rest fully in your

Fatherhood.

8. The trial of letting go. Of letting go of idols in my life that have taken you away from God. Of letting go of any hindrance that keeps from wholeheartedly following Christ. Lord, today, I desire to let go of any idolatry, pride, unthankfulness, grumbling, fear, selfishness, criticalness, lack of love, impurity, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, hypocrisy, love of money, impatience, ungodly motives,

gossip, dishonesty, contentiousness, unaccountability, coldness of heart, lying, unbelief, etc. in my life.