Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
David had sinned, and greatly!
When prophet Nathan, inspired by the Lord, confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba and his subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah, David was heartbroken and repentant. He was quick to recognize his own sin and agree with God that he had sinned primarily against God. He prays that the Lord would cleanse, renew, restore, and sustain him.
Sin separates us from God and quenches the Holy Spirit. Sin robs us of our ability to understand spiritual truth. The Bible says it is the Holy Spirit that helps us understand the will of God. Sin robs us of our peace and joy. Sin also robs us of the confidence to pray.
All sin is always against God first and only then against people.
The Bible is clear that every one of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). When we sin, we need to be quick to repent and turn away from sin. Unconfessed sin is like cholesterol blocking the arteries, restricting the flow of blood.
A repentant heart agrees with the Lord about its own condition. A heart that is repentant sees one’s own sin the way the Lord sees it in the light of His Word. A repentant heart does not justify itself by looking around at those who have sinned more but is quick to agree with the Holy Spirit as He convicts and is intentional to turn away from sin. To be repentant needs humility.
Repentance leads to renewal. When we truly repent and turn to God and away from our sins, our spirits are renewed and refreshed. It is only when the heart is repentant that can it be pure and steadfast. A repentant heart is a restored heart and a renewed spirit.
It is the Lord who purifies the heart. To remain clean before the Lord is an ongoing process. We are to be quick to yield to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and confess our sins.
Is there an unconfessed sin in your heart that is hindering your fellowship with the Lord? Would you allow the Lord to plow and prepare your heart, and create a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within you?
Lord, give me a repentant heart that is quick to agree with you about my sin.
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