O Forgiving Master, I lack the power and will to eliminate sin from my life. The fallout of my sins is scattered across my life like debris from a storm. Sometimes I look and do not see … even though You strive to show me. Sometimes I look and do not want to see … because it would disclose my weakness and selfishness. Sometime I see but feel powerless to escape the shackles that keep me bound. What I need is a new perspective … one that only the Holy Spirit can give. It would involve a self-examination … listening to the Holy Spirit … letting myself be motivated to change and then learning how to do it. I know that with Your help I search my heart with new eyes that see a way forward. If I place my sins, failures and disappointments and at Your feet (like piling up debris after a storm), I trust that You will help me clean up my act.
Your Word tells me that I can come to You and ask for You to create in me a pure heart and a renewed and steadfast spirit. I am not naïve enough to believe that I was born without a sinful nature that must be changed to please You. My natural inclination is to do what pleases me rather than You. Through Your involvement in my life, I know that You can be a force for changing my heart and ways. A renewal occurs as I fill my mind with Your Word … my life begins to emulate Yours … and I grow in knowledge by spending time alone with You receiving personal instruction. Whenever I waver in the face of opposition to my growth, I know You will strengthen me with the power that helps me overcome. I understand that righteous living can only be accomplished through a reversal of my old ways. For that reason, I am laying my life before You and seeking Your assistance in changing my heart.
When I neglect to examine my conscience, my life feels stagnant and like I’m going through the motions of being a Christian. My sins drive a wedge between You and me … making You seem distant. My whole being yearns for restoration and renewed fellowship with You. When I remain close to You, I am happy and my life is full of Your goodness. When I ignore my sins … unless I sincerely repent and I doggedly determine to turn away from them … their power lingers and holds me back. When my heart is not pure, I cannot experience the joy You want for my life. With Your help, I know that all things are possible and we can put an end to the stranglehold that my sins have on me. Therefore, I am submitting myself to You and asking that You help me look honestly at my life and repent of my evil ways. Help me work on becoming cleansed and putting my life on a new path. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.