Psalm 24:3-4
And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8, NLT). Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.
[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. [11] Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. [12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man `unclean. ' For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man `unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him `unclean.
those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
The natural condition of the sinful heart is to take credit for all that is good and to blame God for all that is bad. Prayer will never flow from a proud heart that credits self and blames God.
Create in Me a Clean Heart: Guide Me
Rather than me following my own ways, please purify my heart and make me more like you. Please guide my path and help me take steps that will guide me toward your plan for my life and not my own whims. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Psalm 51:10-12: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit" (NRSV).
Proverbs 20:9 in Other Translations
9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? 9 Who can say, "I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin"? 9 Who can say, “I have cleansed my heart; I am pure and free from sin”? 9 For who among us can be trusted to be always diligent and honest?
The ancient psalmist said it this way, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word” (Psalm 119:9). By meditating upon His Word, you can know what God loves and what God hates. Keeping God's word means that you know it, think about it, and obey it.
The idea of having a “pure” heart can be defined as being selfless and caring more about others than yourself while also striving towards making positive changes in your life through actions that are kinder, gentler, and less selfish than those you would take otherwise.
King Solomon said it best: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). This is necessary for at least three reasons: Because your heart is extremely valuable.
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
This is a pure heart: a heart that desires nothing more than to be with God because that truly is all our life should be about! Within this beatitude, Jesus also promises that those who embody this pure heart will see God. Only those with a pure heart will know Jesus because that is what Jesus sees.
Shall See God” In section 97, the Lord promises that if the Saints build a temple and keep it pure, “all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God” (verse 16).
Unbelief and rejection breaks God's heart, because He knows the consequences. But when the door of the human heart is shut, He refuses to enter forcibly. He will only knock, wanting to gain admittance. He has given us the ability to choose.
Your sin, my sin, Adam & Eve's sin breaks God's heart! Every choice to not believe the truth, worship things, or act selfishly grieves our heavenly Father. It's not that our sinful choices surprised God or caught Him off guard, but rather that He was saddened by our choice to leave Him for other things.
What kind of heart is God looking for? Deuteronomy 10:16 says “God needs a circumcised heart”. We must therefore open our hearts to God by removing all reservations, coverings, secrets and unbelief. Only when we circumcise our hearts, can we be obedient and walk in the ways of the Lord.
A simple practice is to begin thinking from your heart and loving from your mind. Ask your heart for guidance when making choices and when negative thoughts arise, see if you can shift your attention to something beautiful. Make love the foundation of your thoughts, words, and actions.