Today’s Reading, Psalms 32, 51, 86, 122
Focal Scripture: Psalms 51:10 “God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Our hearts reveal who we really are, both in life and in our faith. As a believer, I can tell you that I am always trying to evaluate my heart and find anything that is unclean. Sometimes I can see those issues clearly, and other times I have to have people I am close to point out any inconsistencies they see in my life. I know as a believer that my sins have been forgiven when I first got saved. I know my heart was radically changed, and I was given a new one. The problem that we have as believers is that we allow sin and the dirtiness of this world to get on our new hearts. It slows down the sanctification process and keeps us from being completely devoted to the Lord.
In today’s reading, David pours out his heart and his feelings. He was just exposed by Nathan the prophet for his sin. Instead of making excuses, he owns everything he has done. He asks God to create a clean heart for him and to renew his spirit. David knew that his sin and his choices were severe and caused a rift between him and the Lord. However, David owned his sin. No excuses were made, and no finger-pointing was done. David was aware of his action, and the only way to fix it was by going to God with a broken spirit.
So how do you deal with sin? If I am being transparent, I don’t deal with it nearly passionately enough in my life. Sin will keep the unbeliever from having a changed heart. Sin will keep the believer from living their life to the fullest. I know when I sin and it’s not dealt with properly, I become moody, angry, disgruntled, and quite frankly, a jerk. Why? Because my heart has been changed, and it doesn’t want to deal with the nonsense that I bring into my life.
So I challenge you today to be like David. Own your sin. Don’t make excuses for your it or act like it’s not a big deal. When you are convicted of it, take it to the Lord immediately and lay it at His feet. Then ask the Lord to cleanse your heart and renew your spirit. By doing this, you are setting the stage for biblical discipleship and sanctification. None of us is perfect. We all sin, and we all struggle. By acknowledging our sin and our need for Christ to work in our lives, we go from being passive believers to passionate followers.
Pray for a clean heart and a steadfast spirit.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading 2 Samuel 13-15
