Renewing our Spirits

 

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Psalm 51:10-12

 For years we’ve been talking about revival. Then the pandemic happened, and everyone’s life was changed, some forever. Our way of life has changed in many ways. I believe revival has been put aside because renewal is what is needed first. What does it mean to renew a right spirit in us? Read on as we seek to answer this question.

I have been feeling a need for a change in my life. Covid restrictions drove me inside and away from public places and people. I found I was retreating into myself and finding comfort in just being at home. It eliminated the indecision and stress of going to all these different places and events. It’s just easier to stay home and recline on the couch, and maybe just watch some TV. So, it became easy to become almost anti-social. This likely started to dull the otherwise steady desire of my heart and spirit, removing the zeal, to reach those lost and in need.

Another thing the pandemic did, in the quietness of being at home, was it brought me face to face with me. After awhile, the dust settled from all the activity I was involved in, and I found myself in a state of sorrow for the social life and near-future dreams I had to give up, not to mention plans of travel. The sorrow was natural, and yet for a Christian who is to love God first and foremost and with all my heart and soul, the sorrow for the things of the world, and even involving other people, was highlighted. In fact, it was a red light for me.

Indeed, I needed God to renew a right spirit within me. For one thing, if we take the things of the world this seriously, then perhaps we have walked out of the light of the Lord and strayed away from His intended plan for our lives. I realized I had set my affection on the things of this world. They meant more to me than I realized. These verses explain what I’m talking about:

Col 3:1  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

 What is wrong with liking the things of this world? Well, for one thing, Jesus said we can’t serve two masters; we will hate one and love the other:

Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

We can’t serve God and anything else. To emphasize this even further, take a look at these strong verses:

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

I believe travel is one of the greatest worldly temptations some of us face. I’m talking about getting away. Globally, it has affected our environment, our health, our economy and so on. I read two different sources of information to confirm this. One was about the carbon tax and how, now that it is imposed on us Canadians, goods are now manufactured thousands of miles away adding to the environmental problem already there, creating even more pollution world-wide! We are sinking deeper into recession with an outrageously high cost of food and fuel.  It is staggering the cost of living!  The other was how our health is and will be affected as the world interacts with each other at a dizzying speed, spreading diseases and bringing strange species into each other’s countries. I believe the Tower of Babel happened for more reasons than we realize. 

Getting back to the opening verses. King David realized he had sinned, and he realized he was out of alignment with the God he loved. Out of that love, David essentially said, “I want my relationship restored with You. I want to experience the joy of my salvation.” This cannot happen without repentance — a sorrow for sin, rather than a sorrow for the things of this world that we may have lost. We wanted revival, but first God had to clean up our hearts and highlight what is really there. In this new year coming, 2023, in spite of all the bad news we may be hearing and dire predictions about our economy, one thing will matter for eternity—and that is the state of our heart where God is concerned. Let’s make a New Year’s resolution to ask God to create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us, making those two things a priority.