Renewed Spirits

In Psalm 51, David prays to God, “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

This is a pattern for repentance. When you pray to God, of course you want forgiveness. You want Him to blot out your iniquities. But don’t stop there. You should also ask God to create in you a clean heart and to renew a right spirit within you. Don’t seek forgiveness because you want to continue in your sin. As someone who has died to sin in Christ, what you need is spiritual renewal. Remember the time when you had a right spirit.

Remember when you were full of the desire to love God and to obey Him. Ask Him to renew that, to trace over that faded writing on your heart so that it stands once again clear and legible: “Holy to the Lord.”