Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Emma
Is the weight of your past heavy? Are you tired of looking at your life and wishing you could simply be a better person?
We all want to be better people. We want to be more loving, more compassionate, more forgiving, and more kind. We want to make a difference in the world.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” ( Ephesians 4.32, NIV).
But how do we do it? How do we become the people we know we can be? I’d like to offer three suggestions and then several possible prayers you can use.
1. Be More Loving
One of the most important things we can do to be better people is to be more loving. Love is the foundation of all good relationships, and it is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. The Bible teaches us that God is love ( 1 John 4.8). He is the source of all love, and he wants us to share His love with others.
When we love others, we are showing them the love of God. We are making the world a better place, one person at a time.
2. Be More Compassionate
Compassion is another important quality that we should strive to develop. Compassion is the ability to feel the pain of others and to want to help them. Scripture reveals to us that Jesus is compassionate ( Matthew 9.36). He felt the pain of others, and He did everything He could to help them. Jesus continues in that ministry today.
We can follow Jesus’ example by being compassionate to others. We can reach out to those who are hurting and offer them our help and support.
3. Be More Forgiving
Forgiveness is another important quality that we should strive to develop. Forgiveness is the ability to let go of anger and resentment. Since we know from the Bible that God is a forgiving God ( 1 John 1.9), we can accept the truth that He forgives us when we repent of our sins, and He wants us to forgive others as well.
When we forgive others, we are setting ourselves free from the burden of anger and resentment. We are also showing them the love of God.
Let these seven encouraging prayers for being a better person be a starting point in your growth journey. In order to fit your specific circumstances, you can modify the wording of any of the prayers below. You might also want to explore morning prayers for family and friends, or prayers for reconciling a relationship.
As you pray about being a better person, be encouraged that you are doing your part to make the world a better place, one person at a time, one prayer at a time.
Short Prayer For Being A Better Person
Dear God, I want to be a better person in every area of my life, but I don’t know where to start. I think if I try to do it all at once I will get overwhelmed and quit. Please send your Holy Spirit to guide me on my first steps. Hear my heart to be transformed into a better person. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
Prayer For Being A Better Person At Home
Dear Lord, I come to you today asking for your help in being a better person at home. I want to be more loving, more patient, and more forgiving to my family.
I want to be more present and engaged with my family. I definitely know I need to be more patient and understanding with my children. Help me to be more forgiving and understanding of my spouse and my parents.
I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus, my Savior, Amen.
Prayer For Being A Better Person At Work
Dear Lord God, I come to you today asking for your help in being a better person at work. I want to be more productive, more helpful, and more kind to my co-workers. I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, so I ask that you would give me the strength and the wisdom to be the best employee that I can be.
Help me to be a team player and to be willing to help out whenever needed. Help me to be patient and understanding with my co-workers, even when they make mistakes. I pray that you help me to be positive and encouraging, and to always be looking for ways to make my workplace a better place.
I know that I cannot do this on my own, but with your help, I know that I can be a better person at work. Thank you for your love and your grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer For Being A Better Person At School
Dear Father God, I feel like I need to be a better person at school. I want to be more focused, more diligent, and more respectful of my teachers and my classmates.
Help me to be prepared for class and to always do my best work. I ask that you enable me to be organized and manage my time wisely. Help me to be compassionate and helpful to my classmates, and to always be willing to lend a helping hand.
I pray that as I become this better person, this better version of me, I can have a positive influence on those around me, for your glory. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Christ, Amen.
Prayer For Being A Better Person At Church
Dear God in Heaven, can you help me? I want to be more involved, more supportive, and more loving to my fellow church members. I ask that you fill me with empathy, grace, and wisdom to be the best church member that I can be. May I be an instrument of your grace and mercy.
I’d really like to be more active in my church community. I feel as if I could be more supportive of my church leaders and my fellow church members. I most assuredly desire to be more loving and accepting of everyone who comes to church. People need you and I want to be a vessel to welcome them.
I realize I am unable to create change within myself, outside of your transforming power, so I ask that you send your Spirit to work inside of me to make me a better follower of Jesus Christ. Hear my prayer through Jesus Christ, Amen.
Prayer About Being A Better Person With Strangers
Dear Lord God, I have noticed that I act differently around strangers. I don’t mean strange people, but people I don’t know, like people in the grocery store or at a restaurant.
I am usually fairly friendly and open, but when I encounter strangers, I can feel myself closing up emotionally. Help me to be more open with strangers. I ask that you help me be the best version of me I can be when I meet a person I don’t know.
I don’t want to live a dualistic life, Lord. I don’t want to act one way with people I know and then act completely opposite with strangers. I want to be positive and uplifting with anyone I meet. I ask that you help me and hear my heart to be transformed, through Jesus, Amen.
Prayer For Being A Better Person Toward People I Don’t Like
God, I have been confronted with the reality that I don’t like certain people, and not for any good reasons, either. I look at them differently and act in ways that are not how I typically act. It’s like I’ve seen myself in a mirror and I don’t like what I see.
I wish I could say “I’m not that person,” but apparently I am. I need you to help change me, from the inside. I need to know how to be a better person toward people I don’t like. I don’t want to be someone’s judge. I pray that you help me be a person who exhibits grace and understanding toward everyone.
I know this change is in me because I cannot change anyone but myself. I don’t like myself when I act that way, so please help me, Lord. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Short Prayer To Be A Better Person In This Eyes Of God
God, I pray that you help me to be a better person. I am often tempted to act in ways that do not befit a God-loving person. I want to be kind, and hard-working so that I can glorify you and you can use me.
Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21)
God, forgive me for the mistakes I have made in the past. I pray that you cleanse me and help me to be ready to do your work. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer To Seek Being Better Through God’s Word
God, I ask that you help me to be better by your standards and not simply what I think is better because that is based on emotion and pride. And not what the world tells me is better because that is an ever-moving target. But I want to grow to be better by your standards.
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17 ESV)
God, help me to be in your word more. I want to be so grounded in your truth that the shifting world will not shift me. I want to grow more and more every day as I read your word.
God, help me to think about and meditate on your word. Help me to think about how it affects my life and makes me better by simply obeying what you have called me to as your child.
Father, thank you for caring for me. I pray this all in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer To Be Better By Living For Christ
God, I want to be a better person, not just for my own glory or satisfaction but for you. I know I can only do this when I am living for you. I pray that you help me live for Christ.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who lived me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 ESV)
Father, help me to crucify the sin in my life that holds me back from being a better person. I want to die to all those old things that defined me. I know I can only live this way because of you and the faith you have given me.
Thank you for living me and giving your life for me, so that I may have this opportunity to live a better life for your glory. I pray this In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer To Be Better In My Sexual Desires
God, I desire to be a better person in regard to my sexual desires. You alone know my inward thoughts, Lord. You know that I have sexual desires that are not in line with what your word teaches.
I pray that you remove these desires from my heart and give me a single desire for you alone. Help me to grow to be more like you, Jesus. Help me to stay away from sexual immorality as I grow.
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV)
Thank you for being a God, who knows all my thoughts and all my mistakes and still loved me enough to send your only son to die for me. I pray that the Gospel will be fresh on my mind all day long as I strive to be a better person in the area of my sexuality.
Lord, help me to base what is good sexually on your word and not my own feelings, so that I may honor you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Prayer Of Praise For Christ’s Sanctifying Work
God, I praise you for who you are. You are a God who is over all and yet still loves me. You are all powerful and control all things and yet you care for the relationship we have. I thank you for sending your son to die for my sins, I recognize that this is the only way that I can have a relationship with you.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
God, I praise you that I can be a new creation because of what Christ has done on the cross. I thank you that even though I could never earn my way to heaven that you sent a way for me to have eternity with you.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I strive to grow to be more like you and that you will give me a deeper desire to know you more. I long to know who you are, what you did and are still doing. I want my life to reflect you so much that there is no doubt who I belong to.
I love you, Lord. Thank you for continuing to work in my to help me be a better person. Thank you for sanctifying me every day to be more like Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Consider This
Being a better person is a lifelong journey. It is not something that we can achieve overnight. However, through regular prayer, and by following the teachings of the Bible, we can make progress and become more loving, compassionate, and forgiving people.
When we love others, we are showing them the love of God. When we are compassionate, we are reaching out to those who are hurting and offering them our help and support. And when we forgive others, we are setting ourselves free from the burden of anger and resentment.
“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3.13, NIV).
When you bring your concerns and desires to God, you are allowing yourself to be open to the Holy Spirit to guide and shape you from the inside. You also may want to consider these helpful habits:
- Read the Bible regularly and pray for guidance.
- Get involved in your church or community.
- Volunteer your time to help others.
- Be kind and compassionate to everyone you meet.
- Forgive those who have wronged you.
- Love your enemies.
We invite you to explore this website for helpful prayers for nearly every area of your life, and answers to challenging Christian questions. We also encourage you to share your comments and prayer requests in the comments section below.