Acts 3:19-20 – Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus.

Lord God, sin is such a crushing thing and sometimes I don’t even know it. In times of impenitence and guilt it is like a weight bearing down on my chest, but I don’t even know it until the weight is removed. In times when my sin is hidden from me so that I am unware of my sin and guilt it is like a sickness eating away at my insides, but I am totally unaware of how it is destroying me. Lord God, lead me to repentance for all my sins. Keep from an arrogance that refuses to repent of my sin. Lord Jesus, send your Holy Spirit to me and unveil for me the sins that are hidden from my sight, the sins of my heart and the sins of my mind. Help me see them and their destructive power. Lead me to repentance for them all and then breathe on me. Remove the crushing weight of sin and guilt from my chest so that I can breathe again. Remove the sickness of sin from inside me and make me whole. Breathe life into me by your Spirit and give me life again. Send times of refreshment to my soul that I might live with the joy and confidence of Peter after his sin was forgiven, after he had witnessed the risen and ascended Christ, after he had been commissioned to go and shepherd souls. Send those same times of refreshing to me that I might live and serve as he did. Amen.