Seven Areas of Confession and Repentance

Scripture reveals seven categories of sin and iniquities that need to be confess and repented of if a Christian hopes to have an intimate relationship with God. Through the seven steps, believers petition God to show them what they need to repent of it each of these areas.

Firstly should confess and renounce any involvement with false prophets and teacher is, as well at any involvement with the cults and the occult.” He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces the finds mercy” (Proverbs 28: 13 NIV). God does not take false teachers and false guidance likely. In the Old Testament, false teachers were to be put to death (see Deuteronomy 13:5), and there was serious consequences for those who consulted them: ‘I will set a will set my face against the person who turns to medium is and spiritualists to prostitute himself by following them, and will cut him off from his people’ (Leviticus 20:6). Obviously we are not going to have an effective prayer time if God is cutting us off from him and his people.

Second we are warned not to be deceived. Deceived people are living in bondage to lives they believe, and believing those lies seriously affect their walk with God. If questions are paying attention to deceiving spirits, they are not paying attention to God. If they believe they need to defend themselves, they are not trusting Christ to be their defence. Certainly, no believer can instantly renewed his or her mind, Ted our mental strongholds, and overcome old defence mechanisms. But the process of renewal in our minds won't even begin unless we are aware of our faults beliefs and differences-a God is willing to reveal them to ask if we ask.
Third, we need to forgive from our hearts as Christ has forgiven us. We can't have an intimate relationship with God and hold bitterness in our hearts. Jesus said that our heavenly Father turn us over to the torturers if we do not forgive (Matthew 18:34-35). It is hard to hear from God if our minds are tormented by thoughts about other people who have hurt us. So when we are trying to pray to God and our minds up play by thoughts of injustices done to us by other people, we can know that God is allowing the mental torment so that we will be driven to forgive others and seek forgiveness. In fact, some of these kinds of thoughts we struggle with are coming from Satan. Paul urges us to forgive, because we are not ignorant of Satan's schemes (2Corinthians 2:11).

When I encourage people to pray and ask God to reveal to their minds who they need to forgive, God does it. Sometimes people pray and they say there is nobody they need to forgive. When that happens, I just asked them to share with me the names that come up in their minds-and out will come several names of people they need to forgive. Some may be hardening their hearts because they would rather seek revenge. Others are afraid to face their pain, so they live in denial and will try to shove it down into the unconscious ... but God is trying to surface the pain so that they can will let go by forgiving.

Fourth, we need to come to terms with our pride. You cannot have a close relationship with God if he is opposed to you, but if you humbly ask, God will show you how prideful you have been. That is how Janes connects pride with the world, flesh, and the devil:

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your own pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility towards God? Therefore whoever wishes to be afraid of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the scriptures speak to no purpose: ‘he jealously desires the spirit which she has made to do well in us’. But he gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble (4:3-7).

We can't pray by the spirit and be prideful.

Fifth, we can't pray by the spirit be rebellious either. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry (see 1 Samuel 15:23). God requires that all his children submit to a governing authorities (Romans 13:1-7), parents (Ephesians 6:1-3), spouses (1 Peter 3: 1-7, Ephesians 5:21-25), employers (1 Peter 2: 18-23), church leaders (Hebrews 13:17), and God himself (Daniel 9: 5,9).
What happens in our courts of law when are rebellious prisoner approach is the bench disrespectfully? He is thrown out on the court with contempt. The judge will not even here from the accused-and neither will I heavenly father hear from us in prayer if we approach him disrespectfully and disobey his Commandments to submit to his established authority. If we ask him, he will reveal our rebelliousness.

Sixth, we can't expect God to hear our prayers if we are living in sin. Rest assured he knows our sin and he will bring conviction, so that we are fooling anyone when we try to hide them. If we have never being a knowledge, these issues will play our minds when we tried to pray. That is what David tried to do, and he suffered for it. Finally returned to God-and later recorded is experience in Psalm 32:1-6:

How blessed is he whose transgression is our forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I keep silent about my sin, while body wasted away through my growing all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as a fever heat of summer ... I acknowledge my sin to you, and my iniquity I did not I; I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord; and forgave the guilt my sin ... therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found; and surely in the flood of great waters will they not reach him.

Finally we cannot pray effectively if we continue in the sins of our ancestors. Peter urges ask,if you a dress as father the one who in partially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on Earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your fertile ways of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood, as of our land unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1: 17-19).

Sometimes we can be torn between our natural heritage and our spiritual heritage. Jesus is the sword that divides the family if our earthly parents and siblings are at odds with our heavenly Father. Our saviour said,” he who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me’ (Matthew 10:37-38). Any attempt to hold a marriage or family together at the expense of our relationship with our heavenly Father is not in his plan. Compromising our faith to save a marriage does not work. The marriage won't be any good-and neither will our walk with God.

Under the old covenant, the Israelites confess their sins and the sins of their fathers. This was necessary because people have a tendency to live according on how they've been taught. As users noted,’ pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher’ (Luke 6: 40). Nobody has more influence on us in our first five years in our parents, unless we repent, we will leave out the beliefs and values we been taught that ... or get caught from the environment of our homes. We are never guilty of our parents’ sins, but because all our parents have sinned, we have picked up some of their attitudes and actions that are not consistent with our Christianity.