Cleansed

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10) The psalmist knows there is no way he can clean up his sinful heart. In fact, like many of us today, David cannot even forget his sins! I am sure they haunt him daily. I personally can recall things I have done from childhood . . . before I even really understood repentance and grace. Oh, I knew of prayer and the fact that God forgives sin through Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross, but I had never been shown from Scripture about a personal relationship with Christ and what that meant concerning repentance and forgiveness. I had no idea concerning the redemption of my soul through my Savior’s sacrifice. I had no thought of the imputation of all the sin of mankind, including mine, upon the heart and soul of Jesus as He suffered so brutally that Friday. I just knew if I confessed my sin it was forgiven! I was even told I had to do some things to complete the job . . . but then I realized the truth years later. Like David, I sought a cleansing . . . and still do. While I know from the bible that Christ’s sacrifice has been substituted for my sin, it is still hard to believe. I believe it by faith, because the Word tells me so. 1 John 1:9 reminds me that God is faithful and just to forgive my sin and cleanse me from ALL unrighteousness, if I will simply go to Him with a sincere heart of repentance; agreeing with Him that I am indeed a sinner and not worthy of His grace. Like David, I must move forward by faith knowing that God has placed His Spirit within me to urge me on toward sanctification. Day by day, I trust Him to renew my heart and mind (Romans 12:1-2) so I may indeed offer my daily life as a living sacrifice unto my Savior. While I am assured of eternal life with Him through Christ, I and becoming more like Him day by day as I give over control to His Spirit. As Paul would say, the battle is real and it is daily warfare! (Romans 7:14-25) Do not be discouraged as you face the struggle. Be angry at the sin and physically and spiritually fight it. Through accountability partners, physical roadblocks, and prayer, sin can be conquered and will be conquered. Half the battle is identifying it and setting up a real plan to win! It may involve cutting off some harmful friendships, denying our flesh (eyes and ears included) of tempting activities such as movies, videos, music and more, and allowing a few close friends to actually get personal with us and hold us accountable to our actions. While it still takes a village to raise a child, it also takes the Body of Christ to keep one another accountable to our lifestyles and dedication to our Lord and Savior. As we have heard in the world, the first step is admitting our weaknesses and asking for “help”.