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

David wrote this psalm after he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had sent Uriah to his death.  David certainly needed to start over with a clean slate.  David could not reverse his actions from which he was repenting.  However, he wanted to re-establish his relationship with God.

I had a friend who was once asked if he smoked.  Being a jokester, his reply was, “Absolutely not.  My lungs are clean.  It’s only my mind that’s dirty.”

We may not be able to have our lungs cleaned, though it would be nice if that were possible.  (What’s impossible with man is possible with God). However, it is possible to have our heart and mind cleaned.  The Bible says in the Book of Acts that “…He (God) cleansed their hearts by faith.”  In Romans, Paul writes that we are to “…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

We may not be able to change the damage we have done to others or ourselves, but we can certainly change our thoughts and actions in the future (with God’s help).  Paul tells us that he was the worst of sinners. However, after a supernatural encounter with Jesus, he became one of the most prominent figures of the Apostolic Age; spreading the gospel far and wide; and writing a large portion of the New Testament.

Let us pray then that the Lord gives us a clean heart and slate (and where necessary – clean lungs) and renew our minds and spirit.