A Clean Heart

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9-11).

Reaching our full potential begins with a clean heart. A clean heart is one that loves the Lord and desires to obey Him. However, each of us was born with a sinful nature, bent away from God. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Pleasing and pleasuring self is man’s normal state.

Salvation changed our hearts and lives: Jesus’ death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin and broke its power over us. By receiving Christ as Savior, we each became a new creation, with a heart sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and a mind that strongly desires to know the Father better. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We also received the Spirit’s power to deny our selfish desires and obey God. With clean hearts, we can begin to realize the capabilities our loving Lord has given us.

Maintaining your heart: The best way to maintain a clean heart is by meditating on Scripture. It acts like a mirror in which we see ourselves as God does. Through it, we discover the areas where we have been faithful and also the places where we’ve veered from His path. Expressing genuine repentance brings God’s forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). Cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s transforming work will help us keep our hearts clean. 

Seeking the heart of God: The heart represents the seat of our mind, will, and emotions. When we strive to keep it pure, we will more easily discern the Lord’s plan, submit our will to His, and follow Him obediently. Becoming the person God planned for each of us to be requires an intimate relationship with Him and a desire to obey His Word. Apart from Jesus, we can’t achieve anything of lasting value (John 15:5).