Heart
Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
(Psalm 51:10)
Sometimes, in order to get a clean heart, you have to purge everything that’s in it, remove it, and replace it with something else.
Hey everyone! It’s your girl Julie, back with another segment of “Salty & Lit,” and in today’s post, we’re going to be talking about the heart.
According to Ligonier, the heart is the “totality of our inner self” (Troxel, 2024). More specifically, it deals with the mind, one’s desires, and one’s will. Whereas in human understanding, we know the heart is an organ that keeps blood flowing through our body, the Bible speaks of the heart in a different way: it’s the storehouse of our inner being.
Something that I’ve learned is that your heart, Biblically, can be harmed by the things of this world. You can get hurt by someone, you can say something you didn’t mean, you can live in regret, but that all influences your heart. If you don’t take care of your heart, then it’ll bleed out into areas of your life.
For example, I’m someone who likes to keep things inside. For that, I find myself hurt and frustrated when I’m going through something, yet God told me I need to pour it out on Him. A common phrase my friends often told me growing up was, “He can handle it.” However, I’m learning that He can. In order to renew our mind like Romans 12:2 states, we have to let go of the negative mindsets and emotions that we’re dealing with. As we do that, yes, we can have our minds renewed because we have created space for the Lord to come in and move in our lives.
How can you guard your heart?
Be mindful of the things you listen to. Your mind is sensitive. Even if you try to resist something, your mind will adjust to it over time, since it’s been exposed to it all this time.
Also, guarding your heart means staying away from spaces that may not lead you closer to God. When Joseph was dealing with Potiphar’s wife’s temptation, he FLED (Genesis 39, focus on verse 12). He did not stay. If he stayed longer, he could’ve fallen. So he left and kept his integrity (Genesis 39:12).
God is looking for those with pure hearts, but it’s not in our strength that we can be pure. Yes, we have to do work, but we have to rely on God to purify our hearts and purge us from the things not like Him.
David prays in Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me.” David asks the Lord for help, and my encouragement is that we ask the Lord for help in our own lives.
Don’t forget these three things: you are loved, salty, and lit! Talk to you soon! 🧡
Works Cited
Troxel, A. Craig. “What Does the Bible Mean by ‘The Heart’?” Ligonier Ministries, 28 June 2024, learn.ligonier.org/articles/what-does-bible-mean-by-
