A Clean Heart
Psalm 51 is a profound look at confession and repentance in the life of David after his sin with Bathsheba. We should use it as a guide in the confession of our sins on a daily basis. We could spend all day examining what the Lord inspired David to write for us, but I want to focus in on the desire of his heart. David did not just want his sin to be forgiven, but he wanted a clean heart and a steadfast spirit created by God.(Psalm 51:10) We should desire the same thing, if we are a believer.
All sins are grievous to God. All sins are against God. Some involve other people, too. With a broken and contrite spirit David began by confessing to God the seriousness of his sins. When we truly confess, God cleanses.(I John 1:9) However, he did not stop there. He knew that he would just sin again and again unless something else took place. David knew that only God can forgive sins, but only God can create a clean heart and a steadfast spirit, too. The process of confession and repentance is not complete until that happens.
God changes hearts when we turn ourselves over to Him. Jesus died not to save us in our sins, but to save us from our sins. God wants us to live each day with a clean, pure, soft heart that is yielded to Him completely. That is why we confess our sins every day like Jesus tells us in the Lord's Prayer. Then, the goal is to stay clean. For that we need a steadfast spirit. We need to listen to the Lord with the commitment to do the right things all day, and to stay away from the wrong things. David went on to say that if God would cleanse him and give him a steadfast spirit, he would teach sinners the ways of God. He had to live it out before he could teach it.
Please, never try to fool God by asking Him to forgive your sins, if you just want to go back and do them again. He knows your heart. He knows if you want a clean heart. He knows if your goal is a steadfast spirit. We all sin, but we should not want to sin. We should hate sin and desire to live far from it. I believe that is what David is saying to God here. Read it all, and see what God says to you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 53-55.
All sins are grievous to God. All sins are against God. Some involve other people, too. With a broken and contrite spirit David began by confessing to God the seriousness of his sins. When we truly confess, God cleanses.(I John 1:9) However, he did not stop there. He knew that he would just sin again and again unless something else took place. David knew that only God can forgive sins, but only God can create a clean heart and a steadfast spirit, too. The process of confession and repentance is not complete until that happens.
God changes hearts when we turn ourselves over to Him. Jesus died not to save us in our sins, but to save us from our sins. God wants us to live each day with a clean, pure, soft heart that is yielded to Him completely. That is why we confess our sins every day like Jesus tells us in the Lord's Prayer. Then, the goal is to stay clean. For that we need a steadfast spirit. We need to listen to the Lord with the commitment to do the right things all day, and to stay away from the wrong things. David went on to say that if God would cleanse him and give him a steadfast spirit, he would teach sinners the ways of God. He had to live it out before he could teach it.
Please, never try to fool God by asking Him to forgive your sins, if you just want to go back and do them again. He knows your heart. He knows if you want a clean heart. He knows if your goal is a steadfast spirit. We all sin, but we should not want to sin. We should hate sin and desire to live far from it. I believe that is what David is saying to God here. Read it all, and see what God says to you.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 53-55.