A Clean Heart

23 05 2016

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Psalm 51:10

Life experience can leave a residue of emotions on your heart.  Hurt, disappointment, anger and fear can linger and create a filter for viewing your life moving forward.  It is a dangerous state of being to let negative emotions to build up in your heart.  I seek a clean heart; a clear place of heart and mind.  The acts of receiving and giving forgiveness can help us to achieve a clean heart.  I am thankful that we can ask God for forgiveness for our shortcomings.  He is faithful and just to forgive us, when we ask.  We can be diligent in forgiving others.  We can let the past go….   It is a liberating approach to living that will keep us focused on what is important.  I seek a clean heart; a place where peace and joy dwells in abundance.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”  John 14:1


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Spring Cleaning

4 04 2016

crocus snow

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

A new season allows us to turn the page and begin again. We survived the cold days of winter and we have begun to experience hints and signs of spring.  With a new season, it is time to clean out the residue of the last season.  All the heart clutter has to go.   Any hard feelings and unforgiveness have to be released.  Any fear and anxiety has to be let go.  We are a seeking a clean heart with our trust firmly in the Lord.  Sweeping out emotions not aligned with God creates new space.  Clearing out the clutter of our hearts and minds, gives Him the space to do the new thing He desires for us.  Hope, joy, peace and love are in His plans for us.  Spring cleaning clears the way for Him to step in and move closer to His purpose for us.

For I am about to do something new.

See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness.

I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Isaiah 43:19

Tulip_-_floriade_canberra


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Cleaning House

5 02 2016

Eagles Nest View

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Clutter around the house can accumulate quickly if you are not careful to sort and discard the little piles of mail and paper that seem to come from nowhere. At times, I procrastinate and leave things unattended only to find a much larger pile of items that needs my desperate attention. The process of deciding what to keep and what to throw away usually helps me to clear space both in my office and in my mind.  

I liken my heart to my house. At times I let my feelings pile up, anger, hurt, sadness or frustration.  I don’t take the time to sort them all out and discard their unnecessary baggage.  As a result, what was a small thing has grown into something much larger and less easy to manage.  The emotional clutter causes hard feelings and allows difficulties in relationships to grow.  These feelings can sometimes transform into permanent structures if we permit them to take up residence in our hearts.  Clutter blocks the flow of love and peace that God intends for our lives.  If you are like me, it may be time to clean house.  It is time to release the hurt.  It is time to forgive.  It is time to do the work to seek higher ground in our relationships. 


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Steadfast

27 08 2015

DSC_1054Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.  Psalm 51:10 (Amplified)

I admire people who can run long distances.  They seem to have the right balance of focus, technique and endurance to finish their course.  A marathon runner offers important lessons for each of us trying to make it. Their success is often based on consistency in their pace, their determination and their ability to endure the journey.  My prayer today is that God would create a heart in each of us that is based on His righteousness, with the determination to persevere and the firm direction to keep moving toward His purpose for our lives.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.  Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. Hebrews 12:1-3 NLT


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A Clean Heart

17 12 2013

In the breeze

 

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10 (Amplified)

Within our hearts we carry our hopes and our dreams for our lives. We keep tucked away the things that we desire for ourselves, our families and our loved ones. They represent both public and private aspirations for the future. In this space, we want our hopes to emanate from a place of peace, contentment and faith. We want our motives to be pure and aligned with God’s hope for us and the world. We want our hopes and dreams to flow from a clean heart. Purged of things that separate us from God’s best. Unforgiveness, harshness, resentment, bitterness, weariness are just some of the things that can muddy what flows from our heart. Our scripture today is reminder that we can indeed ask our Heavenly Father for help. As we open our hearts to Him, He can help us with those hardened spaces that need His handiwork to remove. He can soften our hearts to forgive. He can heal the spaces of hurt and brokenness that have left us wounded. It requires our willingness to step out on faith toward Him. He can create a clean heart within us and give us renewal and perseverance to grow in peace and grace for a new day.


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