A Clean Heart and a Steadfast Spirit
David was a believer who had been very close to God with a consistent walk with the Lord, so that he was inspired by God to write many of the Psalms and to lead His people in great victories. Then, David gave in to temptations, and his life was racked by sin. The result was a tarnished heart and an inconsistent spirit. Once David confessed his sins of adultery and murder, God forgave Him, but David knew what else he needed. Therefore, he asked God for a clean heart and a steadfast spirit.(Psalm 51:10) These two things are essential for every believer to stay close to God.
The heart is our inner self with our feelings and our ability to make decisions. Once our heart is soiled by sin, it becomes hard and dark. We do not hear from God like we did before. That is why we need more than forgiveness, as wonderful as that is. We need a clean heart that can be fully aware of God's voice and responsive to His will. We all need to practice confession of our sins and then, we should ask God to create that clean heart in us, too.
Our spirit is the part of us that relates to God. When the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, He resides in our spirit, so that our spirit is alive and responsive to God. However, when we sin, the flesh or Satan or the world leads us away from God's will, and we have a war inside of us. We fail to do the right things many times, because our spirit becomes inconsistent in choosing to allow God to control us. That is why we need a steadfast spirit renewed in us. We need to be consistent in doing God's will moment by moment, day by day. Then, we can fully walk and talk with God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 52-54.
The heart is our inner self with our feelings and our ability to make decisions. Once our heart is soiled by sin, it becomes hard and dark. We do not hear from God like we did before. That is why we need more than forgiveness, as wonderful as that is. We need a clean heart that can be fully aware of God's voice and responsive to His will. We all need to practice confession of our sins and then, we should ask God to create that clean heart in us, too.
Our spirit is the part of us that relates to God. When the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, He resides in our spirit, so that our spirit is alive and responsive to God. However, when we sin, the flesh or Satan or the world leads us away from God's will, and we have a war inside of us. We fail to do the right things many times, because our spirit becomes inconsistent in choosing to allow God to control us. That is why we need a steadfast spirit renewed in us. We need to be consistent in doing God's will moment by moment, day by day. Then, we can fully walk and talk with God.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 52-54.