How to Pray for Forgiveness after Stealing

Stealing is a sin. If you have stolen, you need to pray for forgiveness. While there is a general way of praying for forgiveness, it is important to pray the specific prayer for forgiveness for stealing.

When you pray the specific prayer for forgiveness after stealing, you will have an easy time overcoming the guilt of your sin and subsequent temptations.

In this article, I will walk you through the steps you need to take when praying for forgiveness after stealing.

Understanding the Sin of Stealing

“Do not steal”, says the seventh commandment of the ten. Stealing is a physical act but it has spiritual implications. When you steal, in the physical, you cause pain to the person you have stolen from.

The pain you cause the person you steal from proves that you have violated the command Jesus left us to love one another just as He loved us.

Because of that, you are eligible for punishment unless you repent.

On the other hand, when you steal, you dishonor the name of God. God is our provider and we should rely on Him for our provision. When you steal, in the spiritual realm, you are saying God is not able to provide which grieves Him.

The children of Israel doubted the ability of God to provide in the wilderness and they suffered for it. God hates it when His children don’t have faith in Him to provide for them.

The sin of stealing also opens up a loophole for the devil to attack you. Actually, this is why the devil tempts people to steal.

Jesus told us in John 10:10 that the enemy does not come except to steal, kill and destroy. Stealing is one of the core activities of the devil. If you do it, you are aiding the agenda of the devil while making yourself vulnerable to his evil schemes.

Usually, the devil uses people to steal. The day they try to resist being used, the devil plans for them to be caught and shamed or even put to death.

At first, the devil will tempt people to commit minor thefts with little consequences. The aim is to get people in the habit of stealing.

Once someone is stuck in the habit of stealing, the devil then tempts the person to go for bigger targets. The cycle continues until the bitter end unless the person escapes the snare through the power of Jesus.

How to ask God for Forgiveness after Stealing

1. Confess your sin of stealing

Confession is the first step when you are repenting for stealing. If you don’t confess that you have stolen and that stealing is evil, your repentance is pointless.

Repentance is only valid when there is sin. This is why you have to accept that stealing is a sin and that it is bad for you and everyone else before you repent for it.

The negative consequences of sin that I have mentioned should convince you to hate stealing. It is impossible to repent for a sin that your heart loves.

For some people, they have to suffer some consequences of stealing before they realize that they need to turn away from it. But I pray that you accept to turn away from stealing whether you have experienced its consequences or not. The earlier the better!

2. Repent for Stealing

After confessing that you did evil by stealing, ask God to forgive you. Forgiveness is simple and straight forward. Tell God exactly what you want from Him.

It is important to remember your prayer of forgiveness so that if the devil comes to accuse you later on you can use it as evidence that you repented.

Some people repent but then when the devil comes to accuse them, they start doubting themselves. The devil is cunning. Even after you repent, he will still try to convince you that you were not forgiven.

3. Ask God to uproot the evil seed of stealing

The traps of the devil come with strings attached. You may repent for stealing but fail to end the cycle of stealing.

As I explained above, the devil not only tempts you to steal but he builds a stealing habit in you. You can repent for individual times you steal but end up in the same sin if the cycle is not broken.

Remember the children of Israel who used to sin against God and repent but they would still fall back into their former sins.

For this reason, after repenting for stealing, pray that God may undo the evil seed that the enemy has planted in you.

The evil seed is the source of temptations to steal. For some people, the temptation to steal springs from their poor state. In that case, you have to ask God to take you out of poverty for those temptations to stop.

For others, the temptation to steal comes from friends. In that case, you have to ask God to give you friends who will not tempt you to steal.

Undoing the cycle of stealing will take time but it must be done. That should be your long term goal. Repenting is your short term goal.

4. Thank God for forgiving you for stealing

End your prayer for forgiveness for stealing by thanking God. All people who steal will end up in hell. The fact that God has provided a way for you to escape eternal punishment is worth appreciating.

Forgiveness is a gift from God. It is good for you to show gratitude when you receive it.

Showing gratitude for being forgiven also means that you will find favor when you need another gift from God.

Being thankful after you are forgiven is very important. Jesus constructed a parable to emphasize this point in Matthew 18:21-35.

As part of being grateful for forgiveness, you have to forgive others.

Sample Prayer for Forgiveness for Stealing

Heavenly Father, you are My Lord and My God. In you I trust. I have no other God but you. I have sinned against you. I have taken property that did not belong to me. According to your law, I am a thief and I have dishonored your name. Forgive me Lord!

In my wickedness I understand that I have hurt my neighbor. I pray that you forgive me for not loving my neighbor as myself. Above all Lord I pray that you lead me away from temptation that leads me to sin. Teach me to withstand temptation where I cannot avoid it. Have mercy on me and help me. I do not want to perish.

Thank you for your unfailing love that you have for me. Thank you for forgiving me and blotting away my iniquity. Blessed be your Holy Name forever and ever! Great are you my Lord!

Amen!