Do you have to ask God to forgive your sins when you confess them?
No. Since sins are already forgiven, confession does not require begging for forgiveness. God expects confession—calling sin what He calls it—because the believer has an advocate, Jesus Christ, who points to His blood. Asking for forgiveness as a habitual cliché is unnecessary.
Les explains from 1 John 1:9 that if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. The moment we sin, God expects us simply to confess it, not to beg for forgiveness. Les says he has told people for years to quit adding the cliché of asking God to forgive all sins, because they are already forgiven. What God wants is confession—calling sin what God calls it. When we confess, the Lord Jesus, the advocate, points to His blood and says, 'Father, he's under the blood, she's under the blood,' and no one accuses. This rests on Christ's high-priestly work, presenting His blood as the fulfillment of the tabernacle picture.