Written ~ 10-20-2023
Psalm 19:12-14
12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, Oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
In Psalm 19, we find David praying and giving his praise to God in three distinct ways. In verses 1-6 he is proclaiming the Glory of God through the magnificence of the heavens. Then in verses 7-11 he reminds us that the instructions and commands of the Lord are perfect and true, and they give revival to the soul. Now in verses 12-14 David turns inward, he looks at his own life to make sure no sin is lurking within his heart.
This chapter is a wonderful example to model our own prayers, give Praise to God’s Holiness, give Honor and Glory to His instructions for our lives, then repent of any ongoing sin we have lurking within our own hearts.
Verse 19:12,
12 “How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.”
In this verse David is asking the Lord to examine his heart, to look deep within the areas he doesn’t want exposed, then he asks the Lord to cleanse every hidden fault. Sometimes we get so used to the sin that lurks within our hearts we don’t even realize it’s sin. That’s why David is asking, “How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?” Let’s explore the meaning of the word “lurk,” let’s think about how it pertains to the “sin lurking” in our hearts:
- To lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose
- To persist in staying
- To be concealed but capable of being discovered
All of us have our sinful nature lying in wait… as soon as we take our eyes off of the Lord, we risk that “lurking sin” to come out of concealment and wreak havoc on our lives. That’s why it is so imperative that we ask the Lord to search our hearts and rid ourselves of that unresolved sin, sin we may not know we are holding onto, sin we don’t want to let go of and the sin that continually creeps back in after we thought it was gone for good. “Cleanse me from these hidden faults.” I really love this part of verse 12, we may not even realize what sin we are holding onto, so in our repentance of sin, we must include that deep examination of hidden faults as well. We need to get rid of it all! Now, we might try to reason away the sin we’re holding onto, we try to convince ourselves it’s not something that’s lying in wait for an evil purpose… Well, guess what? Anything that opposes the commands written by God in the Scriptures is evil lying in wait.
Verse 19:13,
13 “Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.
Look at what David says here! “Keep your servant from deliberate sins!” Examine your heart, evaluate your actions, do they stand firm in the Word of God?
Definition of deliberate:
- Characterized by or resulting from careful and thorough consideration
- Characterized by awareness of the consequences
Deliberate sin… That means our actions, our thoughts, words coming out of our mouths, any of those things that oppose the Word of God, and we are aware of it, that’s deliberate sin! We have thought it through, and we still go through with that action even though we know the consequence of sinning against God and His Word. My prayer would be that we would not allow deliberate sin to take up residence in our hearts, that we ask the Lord to remove, completely, the desire to continue along that path. Our constant prayer should be, “Don’t let them control me.” Are there sins in your life that you just can’t seem to shake loose? Or have you given into them so completely that you’re not sure if you want to let them go? As a believer we have been freed from sin and death by the blood of our precious Savior Jesus Christ! Don’t let the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God be in vain. Let’s examine our hearts, recognize deliberate sin, repent and ask for forgiveness. “Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.” Yes! Free of guilt!
Psalm 139:23-24
23 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
As we lean in and really pursue the perfect will of the Lord, let’s look at what David says in verse 19:14,
14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, Oh Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Would you say your words and the meditation of your heart are pleasing to the Lord? What consumes your thoughts? What topics exhaust your conversations? Are they pleasing to the Lord?
Let’s consider the verses found in Joshua 1:7-9… Listen carefully to their message, they stand just as firm today as they did in the time of Joshua!
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.
8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
If we can be diligent in our study of the Scriptures and turn our hearts, our thoughts on the things written within its pages, our desire will quickly turn to what pleases the Lord. But if we do not first consult the Word of God, our decisions can affect us with grave consequences, we will reap the result of deliberate sin. Repentance will be necessary to bring our hearts back in line with the Word of God… look at Isaiah 1:18,
18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”
The Lord God Almighty is our Rock and our Redeemer! He has proven time and time again that He is Worthy of our Praise, Adoration, our Honor and Glory! Give your heart, your life over to the Lord completely! Trust me, His Hands are the most secure hands for you to place all of your unresolved sin, let Him take care of it for good.
~AMEN~
It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.
Won’t you Pray this prayer of Salvation and have your life transformed?
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! And just as Jesus said, “Peace be with you.”