Psalm 51:10-12 Authorized (King James) Version
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me with thy free spirit.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Several years ago, while I was preparing to preach a sermon on this psalm, I received an anonymous letter from someone in my congregation saying that he was a Christian but was involved in a very serious and continuing moral failure.
The letter was truly an attempt to be honest and tell me the trouble in their life.
I didn’t have any idea if that person would be in the service the next Sunday or not, but I fervently hoped for Holy Spirit intercession and they would be there.
I decided to refer to the letter in my sermon for two reasons: first, because it was anonymous, and I could do it without betraying a confidence; and second, because the problem was of such a serious nature I wanted to help the person.
The writer had acknowledged that they knew the action was wrong but finally excused themselves from following through on the basis that God had not yet touched their heart not spoken to them” given them the power to break away.
That was misinformation, that was a vulnerable soul in need of intercession.
The truth is that God has given us the power to break away from these things.
In their state of vulnerability, in our state of vulnerability there is a place, there is a person we can turn to, a person we are invited to engage with, connect to.
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 (AKJV)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Apostle Peter clearly declares: His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
(2 Peter 1:3-4 AKJV).
3 according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The very possession of the precious promises of life of Jesus Christ in us is the power that it takes for we who are vulnerable, to break away from habits of sin.
No one will ever be free from the awful grip of sin and evil upon their lives until they come to the place and time and moment they understand that they already have from Father God all that it takes to be free, if they will but step out upon it.
Throughout Psalm 51 Shepherd, Poet Warrior King David is also asking for help – “Lord, uphold, give me this willing spirit”
he says, and God immediately gives it.
Then upon God giving it and us prayerfully receiving it, it must now be acted on.
That is one of the most important points of the Psalm the vulnerable King David makes by causing words to be heard and scribes putting all words to parchment.
Through these words of David, by God causing them to be included in the canon of our bibles, we don’t have to wait for “feeling” to come know we are forgiven.
God by His Love, through the Resurrection of Jesus, has said “we are forgiven.”
Beloved friends, Do not wait for a feeling of resurrection power to possess you.
God has declared He has already given you the power.
As we each come to believe Him and in Him (and that is what faith is), we each can do what we need to do, what God wants all of us to do – speak with Jehovah.
That is what happened with David, and as I found out, that is what happened eventually with the anonymous letter writer.
After preaching that sermon, I found out the person had been in that service, because they later wrote a second anonymous letter which was in the offering.
This time they shared how God had used that message to deliver him, uplift him from the grip of the deep sin of a criminal relationship he had described before.
Listening to “Nathan” Beginning Our Breakthroughs: Stepping Away from ‘Self’, Starting Our Day with God.
Psalm 51:10-12 Authorized (King James) Version
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;
and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Most of us get out of bed each morning and jump right into the daily routine and responsibilities ahead.
Sometimes, we may give little thought to how we should start our day.
But as Children of God, it can be life-changing, spiritually renewing, to create the habit to start our day with God – we actually find this concept in Scripture.
Psalm 5:1-3 English Standard Version
Lead Me in Your Righteousness
To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.
5 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you[a] and watch.
David wrote starting your day with God simply means spending time with Him.
We can do this in various ways, but however you do it, the most important thing is to intentionally start the process of cultivating this sacred rhythm in our life.
There is no better way to start ours day than to start it by connecting with God.
7 Reasons to Start Your Day with God
Before the day takes off and you begin to tackle your to-do list and tasks, as a believer, it is spiritual edifying and beneficial to start your day with God.
This will make a powerful impact on how you go about your day.
There is an account in the Gospel where Jesus even got away in the early hours to spend time with God (see Mark 1:35).
The life of Jesus has set such a wonderful example for Children of God to follow.
Here are seven reasons to begin your day in fellowship with God.
1. God Desires Relationship with You
God loves humanity.
God loves you.
He wants a relationship with you in which you spend time with Him in prayer, Scripture, and worship.
God delights in His children, He notices when we wake and go about our day.
God has always been intimately involved in each person’s life.
We find in Scripture stories of God drawing people into relationship with Him.
Start your day of spiritual refreshment and renewal connecting and conversing with God, He longs to hear from you, be in a connectional relationship with you.
2. You Were Made for Fellowship with God
God is our Creator.
He knit and weaved each person together in their mother’s womb. (Psalm 139)
We were made to be in a right relationship with God.
Just as God desires a relationship with you, He made you to be in fellowship with Him.
We were not made to do life alone or apart from God.
We are innately being drawn to God and want to know Him.
Starting our day with God satisfies the deepest thirsts we have for connection and belonging.
3. You Can Ask God to Guide Your Day
When you start your day with God, you can ask the Lord to help you through struggles you will encounter, through challenges you know are ahead, for help in a specific situation, and for overall help to guide you through the day.
If we are genuine, God can be a source of strength for hard times, wisdom for decisions that need to be made, and protection as you come and go – start your day off with God because you can commit your day to Him and ask for His help.
4. You Will Feel at Peace
Jesus gives His followers peace over all things (Philippians 4:7).
If we start our day with worries and concerns, feelings over fear and anxiety will surely, inevitably plague the day ahead.
However, when we start our day with God, we will take hold of and enter into ultimate place of the ultimate peace God has set aside for each and everyone.
His ultimate place of His ultimate Peace is a precious gift from God that we can have from the very exact moment when we wake up by spending time with Him.
5. You Can Give Thanks
When we, like David in Psalm 51 intentionally approach God, we can come to Him with grateful hearts no matter what is going on in our lives because the goodness and faithfulness of our Jesus endures through life’s ups and downs.
There is always something for which we can give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
By starting your day with God, instead of hiccups and hang-ups, we give soul the chance to give thanks to the Lord and reflect on His grace and love for us.
6. It Can Help You Have a Right Perspective
We are prone to put ourselves first, or worry, or think that we’re in control.
However, when we start our day with God, it will give us a right perspective and mindset (see Colossians 3:1-2 ESV).
Put On the New Self
3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
This practice will serve as a recognition that Jesus is in control and has good plans for you.
We need to remember that God is God and we are not.
This will help us to surrender our day to the Lord and approach each person, task, or circumstance with more of His grace, wisdom and understanding.
Having His right perspective can make big differences in all the right ways.
7. It Will Transform Your Heart
The habits we practice shape who we become.
Implementing this type of routine to start your day with God will absolutely transform your heart for the Lord.
We will seek God, we will grow in love for the Lord, and we will recognize more and more of our absolute need for the sovereignty of our Savior Jesus Christ.
When we intentionally spend time with God each day, our hearts become more like His.
When we start our day with God, we are allowing the Spirit to work in us and through us.
Tips to Start Your Day with God
If we are feeling even .01% more excited and inspired to start our days with God, here are some more tips I fervently pray will help to make that happen.
Starting this spiritual practice may come to feel intimidating or challenging, but the best thing you can do is to ask for the Holy Spirit to enable you and to help you to utilize some of these tips to begin starting each day with God.
1. Pray about It
Any new practice takes time and is more likely to take root in your life if you don’t overwhelm yourself.
So pray about it and see how God is leading you to start your day with Him.
Maybe it’ll be small changes at first, and that’s OK -just starting is the first and most important “baby sized” step to beginning your day in such a blessed way.
2. Make a Plan
When you plan something, it is more likely that it will happen.
Plan ahead the night before how you will start your day with God.
Perhaps you will wake up a bit earlier to spend time with God, or plan to have worship music playing while you make breakfast.
Whatever it will be for each day, intentionally planning ahead is a great tip to make it more likely to start connecting yourself and your whole day with God.
3. Set Your Mind on Jesus
Sometimes, starting a new habit or practice can feel overwhelming.
You want to, but perhaps aren’t sure where to start or how to fit it into your already busy life.
For some, simply beginning with setting your first thought on God can be a good way to start your day with God.
Wake up and simply say hello to the Lord and thank Him for a new day.
Let your mind go to Jesus first as you open your eyes, and this will start impacting and renewing , refresh and training your heart to start with God.
4. Spend Time in Prayer
As you get ready in the morning, brush your teeth, or make breakfast, you can use this time to talk to Jesus.
This is a fairly easy and simplified way to start your day with God by being in prayer as you complete these daily tasks – God is already there with you, so start the day off by praying and talking to Him as you go about your routine.
5. Read Scripture
In the morning, before you check out what’s happening in the world of social media, you can head over to a Bible app or website to read a chapter instead.
Perhaps read one psalm every morning, or a chapter in one of the Gospels.
By reading and connecting with Scripture, you are starting your day with God, letting the power of His word give you peace and perspective. (Hebrews 4:12)
6. Listen to an Audio Bible
If you prefer listening to the Bible instead, turn on the audio Bible while you get dressed, exercise, or eat breakfast.
You can even listen to the audio Bible on your way to work or school, or while you take your morning walk.
Listening to Scripture is an easy way to help you start your day with God, and you will be filled with the sovereign power of His truth and His coming hope.
7. Meditate on a Verse
Oftentimes, a quick way to start your day with God is to sign up for an email list for a verse of the day email.
As you start your day, you can check your email and have a verse to think about or memorize for the day.
This is a great way to start your day with the Lord and set your mind on Him.
8. Worship
Putting on worship music can be an easy way to start your day with God.
Instead of turning on the TV, a podcast, or talk radio, begin with some worship songs on in the background as you begin your day.
This will give you sacred moments to praise the Lord and spend time with Him through worship.
Psalm 51 teaches we are never alone when it comes to drawing closer to God.
Isaiah 41:8-10 English Standard Version
8 But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
God always has His arms open to us, to renew us, to refresh us, to uphold us, as the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf and empowers us to be more like Christ.
As we connectionally, intentionally, prayerfully discern how to start our days off with God, consider these reasons and tips to make this happen in your life.
It will be a critical way that you can get closer to God and to deepen our faith.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 32 English Standard Version
Blessed Are the Forgiven
A Maskil[a] of David.
32 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up[b] as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 