“How much more will the blood of Christ… cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

— Hebrews 9:14

What should we do when we face a spiritually “bad” day—when everything seems off, our choices fall short, and guilt weighs heavily on our hearts? We must return to the cross. There we see Jesus carrying our sins in His own body (1 Peter 2:24). By faith, we embrace the cleansing power of His blood, which washes our conscience clean (Hebrews 9:14).

On days like these, our prayer may sound something like this:

“Father, I have sinned against You. I neglected the spiritual disciplines I know are essential for my growth. I have been irritable, impatient, and unkind toward those around me. I allowed resentment and unloving thoughts to settle in my mind. I confess these sins and turn from them, trusting in Your forgiveness.

“You declare that You justify the ungodly (Romans 4:5). And today, Father, in light of my failures, I admit that in myself I am exactly that—ungodly. My struggle isn’t only the sins I committed, including those I may not even recognize, but the deeper reality that my heart itself is sinful. These actions that trouble me so much are simply the overflow of that sinful heart.

“Yet even with all of this, You still proclaim, ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1). With my sins so obvious to me today, this truth feels almost unbelievable. How can there be no condemnation when I have failed You so deliberately?

“O Father, I know it is because Jesus bore my sins in His body on the cross. He endured the punishment I deserved so that I could receive the blessings He earned. So I come before You now, dear Father, in the name of Jesus.”