Enjoy a Clean Heart Before God
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you. He who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
(Deuteronomy 4:29-31 NKJV) “But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. {30} “When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice {31} ‘(for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
(1 Chronicles 28:9 NKJV) “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
(2 Chronicles 12:14 NKJV) And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the LORD.
(Psalms 13:5 NKJV) But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
(Psalms 28:6-7 NKJV) Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications! {7} The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.
(Psalms 32 NKJV) Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. {2} Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. {3} When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. {4} For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah {5} I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah {6} For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters They shall not come near him. {7} You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah {8} I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. {9} Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. {10} Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. {11} Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
(Psalms 33:20-21 NKJV) Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. {21} For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name.
(Psalms 36:7-10 NKJV) How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. {8} They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. {9} For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. {10} Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
(Psalms 51:10-17 NKJV) Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. {11} Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. {12} Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. {13} Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. {14} Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. {15} O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. {16} For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. {17} The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; These, O God, You will not despise.
(Psalms 62:7-8 NKJV) In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. {8} Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
(Psalms 64:10 NKJV) The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.
(Psalms 73:1 NKJV) Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart.
(Psalms 97:10-12 NKJV) You who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. {11} Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart. {12} Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
(Psalms 112:4-9 NKJV) Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. {5} A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion. {6} Surely he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. {7} He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. {8} His heart is established; He will not be afraid, Until he sees his desire upon his enemies. {9} He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor.
(Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; {6} In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
(Proverbs 4:18 NKJV) But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
(Proverbs 4:20-27 NKJV) My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. {21} Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; {22} For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. {23} Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. {24} Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. {25} Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. {26} Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. {27} Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.
(Isaiah 53:5-6 NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. {6} All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
(Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV) “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? {10} I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
(Daniel 12:3 NKJV) Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.
(Joel 2:12-13 NKJV) “Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” {13} So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
(Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV) “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
(Matthew 5:3-10 NKJV) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. {4} Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. {5} Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. {6} Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. {7} Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. {8} Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. {9} Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. {10} Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 9:12-13 NKJV) When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. {13} “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
(Mark 12:29-31 NKJV) Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. {30} ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. {31} “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
(Luke 1:50-52 NKJV) And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. {51} He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. {52} He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly.
(Luke 6:45 NKJV) “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
(John 15:3-5 NKJV) “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. {4} “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. {5} “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
(Romans 1:17 NKJV) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
(Romans 1:20-25 NKJV) For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, {21} because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. {22} Professing to be wise, they became fools, {23} and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man; and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. {24} Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, {25} who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
(Romans 3:21-26 NKJV) But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, {22} even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; {23} for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, {24} being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, {25} whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, {26} to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
(Romans 6:16-18 NKJV) Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? {17} But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. {18} And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
(Romans 10:8-11 NKJV) But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): {9} that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. {10} For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. {11} For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
(Romans 11:29-33 NKJV) For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. {30} For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, {31} even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. {32} For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. {33} Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
(1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NKJV) For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. {27} But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; {28} and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, {29} that no flesh should glory in His presence. {30} But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and redemption; {31} that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
(2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. {4} For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, {5} casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, {6} and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
(Philippians 2:12-13 NKJV) Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; {13} for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
(2 Timothy 2:19-22 NKJV) Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” {20} But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. {21} Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. {22} Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
(Hebrews 10:19-23 NKJV) Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, {20} by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, {21} and having a High Priest over the house of God, {22} let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. {23} Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
(Hebrews 10:35-39 NKJV) Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. {36} For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: {37} “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. {38} Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” {39} But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
(Hebrews 12:1-15 NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, {2} looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. {3} For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. {4} You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. {5} And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; {6} For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” {7} If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? {8} But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. {9} Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? {10} For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. {11} Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. {12} Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, {13} and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. {14} Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: {15} looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;
(1 Peter 4:1-8 NKJV) Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, {2} that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. {3} For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles; when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. {4} In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. {5} They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. {6} For this reason the Gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. {7} But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. {8} And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
(2 Peter 3:17-18 NKJV) You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; {18} but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
(1 John 3:18-24 NKJV) My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. {19} And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. {20} For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. {21} Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. {22} And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. {23} And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. {24} Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.