Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 3; 1 Corinthians 14; Ezekiel 12; Psalm 51
Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
What do you do when you blow it and sin against a holy God? If we are honest with ourselves as believers we sometimes do sin. We are not fully sanctified yet but we still struggle. We have in the Bible a case study in ‘blowing it’. David was lounging around the palace one evening and he saw a woman bathing. He called for her and committed adultery with her. When he found out that she was with child, he had her husband killed. David lied, committed adultery and murder and he was not right with God. He continued in this unrepentant state for almost a year until he was confronted with his sin by Nathan the prophet. Psalm 51 is his prayer of confession to God for his actions.
He acknowledged that what he had done was sin and asked God to create in him a clean heart. David knew that the source of his actions was his heart. The Lord Jesus said:
Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
David knew his heart was dirty and he needed God’s cleansing. He also knew that his spirit was not right within him. He was not loving God and living for him. David had fallen into a trap and was indulging his fleshly desires. He was not walking in the Spirit. To get back to where God wanted David to be he had to first confess his sin to God. Then he had to receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing. Finally he needed to walk in the Spirit rather than in the flesh. This is exactly what the follower of Jesus must do when we sin.
Confess and receive God’s forgiveness and cleansing:
1 John 1:8-9 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Walk in the Spirit:
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
God wants to forgive us when we are honest with him. Jesus has already paid for our sins with his death on the cross. However, when we are sinning we are out of sorts with our loving heavenly Father. Go to him and receive the forgiveness he freely gives then walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
In Christ,
Rody
