Prayer To Forgive Your Enemies

Forgiveness is not easy. In fact, in my opinion it is the greatest miracle to be able to forgive someone who has hurt you because it shows God’s great power working in you. It is not an overnight process but it is something God can help you with for we cannot do anything in our strength.

Here is a prayer that helped me begin to forgive those who hurt me:

Dear Heavenly Father in Jesus’ name. I thank you for the indescribable and unconditional love you have for me. Thank you, Lord, for not giving up on me.

Lord Jesus, I thank you for giving up your life in order to redeem me back to God. Thank you for dying for me while I was yet a sinner. Lord, you loved me when I was unlovable and you forgive all my iniquities and unrighteousness.

I thank you Father for the blood of Jesus that atoned for my numerous and innumerable sins. I bless you Lord for your word in Hebrews 8:12 which says “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember them no more.”

Merciful Father, I thank you for forgiving all my trespasses. Thank you for blotting out my transgressions and thank you for not keeping a record of my iniquities. I glorify you Lord because you did not judge me according to the multitude of my sins.

Lord, I know that I do not deserve your grace but you gave it through love. Therefore I pray and cry out that you forgive me for all that I still do which are against your will.

I pray that you give me the grace to live a blemish-free life in Jesus’ name. Lord, you demand that we forgive all that have offended us so that God will forgive our sins. I confess that I cannot attain forgiveness on my own except that you help me.

Forgiveness is beyond my reach Lord. Give me a heart like yours. A heart that does not register people’s wrongs. Dear Father, it is easier for me to retain people\’s offences and to seek revenge than to forgive them.

Help me to see the great mercy you showed me at Calvary and help me to show such to all those who hurt me. Lord I don’t want to be like the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, who received such a great pardon but will not reciprocate such to a fellow servant as himself.

Lord, I acknowledge that I owe you more than anyone owes me. I sin against you more than anyone had or will ever sin against me. Give me a forgiving heart that easily lets go of offences.

Give me the ability to forgive in advance so that when people offend me it will be easy to overlook their offences and forgive immediately. Let me learn to understand each person according to their character so that I won’t react to every action unnecessarily.

My God, we live in a world filled with so many people. I meet them daily on the street, at my place of work, in the neighbourhood and even in the church. I ask for the Spirit to relate with them in love and not keep a record of their offences in Jesus’ name.

Father, I repent of the sin of holding people\’s offences against them and I humbly ask for your mercy. Please do not allow your wrath to come upon me as it is said concerning the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18: 34 – 35 which says “And his Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

Father, today I resolve to let go of every offence people have committed against me. I release all that have sinned against me or hurt me in any way that I have locked up in the prison yard of my heart.

Lord, I receive the heart to bear whatever offence anyone will commit against me henceforth because your word says in Matthew 18:7 that offences are inevitable. Help me Lord to prepare against offences that are not yet committed against me.

Like Stephen, help me Lord to forgive to the point of death. For he prayed for his persecutors in Acts 7:60 which says “And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Lord, you must have helped Stephen to such a point that he can pray for the forgiveness of those who murdered him. If You did it in Stephen’s life, You can do it in my life.

Give me a forgiving heart O Lord. Lord, you told Peter the number of times required to forgive those who offend us. Matthew 18:21 – 22 “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

Jesus instructs that I should forgive my brethren as many times as possible. Heavenly Father, fill my heart with love towards my fellow so that I can forgive easily when I am offended as many times as possible.

Let kindness be my nature and let peace consume my thoughts in Jesus’ name. Luke 6: 37“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” In the name of Jesus, I decree and declare that I will no longer condemn, speak evil or gossip about people around me.

I will always learn to forgive so that God can forgive my sins. Your word in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.”

Therefore I confess this scripture and I decree that it begins to manifest in my life. I know that some sins are difficult for me to forgive but through your strength Lord, I pray that I forgive every sin.

Lord, henceforth I don’t want to offer any service in Your house that will not be acceptable to you. I thank you, Lord, for answering my prayers in Jesus’ name, Amen

Always remember …

Forgiving your enemies isn’t about excusing their actions. It’s about freeing yourself from the grip of bitterness and making space for peace. As you speak the prayer above, let it be a daily act of surrender and healing. Jesus knows the pain you’ve endured, and He honours your willingness to choose mercy. Keep returning to Him when forgiveness feels hard, and trust that He will strengthen your heart. Bookmark this post, revisit the prayer often, and share it with someone who’s also learning to let go and lean on God’s grace.