Scripture Reading—Psalm 51:10, 11
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
This prayer of David’s reveals the kind of man he was. It shows his innermost character. It was from a pure heart that he prayed to have a clean heart. A person whose heart is evil will never pray a prayer like this.
Everyone is born with a clean, innocent heart. But sin soon corrupts it. Satan mars the purity of the newly created heart through environment, then through temptation. Soon the heart becomes defiled and, because “out of the heart flow the rivers of life,” the life is full of misery and ruin. It soon ruins the lives with which it comes into contact.
No other human can give you a new, clean heart. Only I who created you can do that. So when sin has come into your heart and defiled it, then turn it over to Me and ask Me to create a new (unalloyed) heart in you. I will do it when you pray sincerely. I will give you a new and wiser heart, and because of your failures you will have mercy and compassion and understanding for others.
There are many who have allowed sin to defile their hearts, and they keep on living like that without asking Me to change them. Their hearts (which are the seat of their emotions and therefore their souls) begin to affect their spirits in an adverse and evil way. Everything your soul does affects your spirit.
That is why David asked Me to renew a right spirit within him. When you have a right spirit, you have a holy spirit. And My Spirit which is holy will come and commune with your pure spirit. There will be a flowing together of the pure and My beautiful Holy Spirit with your spirit.
So, My child, be humble enough to always confess when your spirit has been defiled by the sins of your heart, so that there will never be a breaking off of the relationship and intertwining of My Spirit with yours.
David knew that if his spirit was defiled, the Holy Spirit would no longer take joy in communing with him. That is why he prayed, “Take not thy Holy Spirit from me.”
Once My Holy Spirit has left a person, Hell has begun in his life. So guard well the greatest treasure of your life—the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life—by the cleanness of your heart and the purity of your character.
And if you should fail (and who doesn’t?), then come to Me and pray this prayer sincerely and I will restore you and you shall again commune with Me.
Day by Day by Gwen Shaw
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