Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
[Psa 51:10 NKJV]
Several years ago, when I first started this blog, I wrote about having a clean heart. I was busy cleaning the fridge, and I was finding gunk that, well, made my mind think “ick!” The task also had me thinking about how icky our hearts are to God when we let sin linger in corners.
Icky may seem like a silly word, a childish one perhaps, to use to describe something that is disgusting. However, sometimes thinking in terms of simple language helps us wrap our heads around what God thinks of certain things in our lives.
Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
[Mat 18:2-3 NKJV]
As adults we sometimes try to justify things we enjoy as not being that bad, even if we know it would not meet God’s approval. Someone told me once that when we do something we should imagine Christ sitting right there with us, in person. Would we still view that action or activity in the same way?
The Holy Spirit has a way of convicting us when we are participating in something that is not a blessing to God.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
[Jhn 14:26 NKJV]
Last night was my weekly prayer call with a dear friend. She told me she had been listening to one of her favorite, secular radio stations that day. She had it programmed into her car system so she could go right to it. Well, a conversation came on the radio with the DJs that really made her pay attention. It was so crude that she said her spirit felt horrible. She immediately turned it down and deleted the station from her saved list.
That was the Holy Spirit in her. He let her know that what she was listening to was not pleasing to God. Sometimes it is a jolt when the Spirit speaks to us. Other times it might be quiet. This means we have to be consciously aware at all times so we don’t get pulled into an action that can create those dark, icky corners of our hearts.
Only God knows where the ick is in our hearts. He’ll show us, if we ask, so we can work on cleaning out the gunk in the corners.
Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”?
[Pro 20:9 NKJV]
Create In Me A Clean Heart – Keith Green
Who can bring a clean [thing] out of an unclean? No one!
[Job 14:4 NKJV]
Dear Jesus:
We are icky in our hearts and do not deserve to come before you. Yet, you sacrificed yourself so that we could come to the cross and be cleansed. Your blood ran to make us white as snow. Lord, you are the one who can point out the ickiness we have in dark corners of our hearts – be it jealousy, anger, inability to forgive, listening to music or watching movies or reading books or other actions that don’t honor you. Our lives are filled with gunk every day. Please help us identify it so we can confess it to you and clean it up with your help. Thank you for not giving up on us but making sure we all have the opportunity to come clean and be made whole.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Prayer Day 42: Kneeling