![[Graphic of a head]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/cleanse_our_thoughts.jpg)
| “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” |
| —2 Corinthians 5:17 |
Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.—Book of Common Prayer 1662 (translation)
What does it mean when we ask God to “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts?” And, what impact does this request have on our daily walk of obedience with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ?
In the deep recesses of our hearts, we harbor a great deal of information. The Bible often uses the word “heart” to refer to the centrality of our being. You might say that our heart represents the core of our self. So, holding all this information—or dare I call it “data”—in our hearts, makes inspecting the nature of that data quite important to our well-being.
The data we hold, or harbor, in our hearts affects all the modalities of our self: emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical. Every aspect of our lives receives influence from that which we harbor in our hearts.
If we hold things of beauty, grace, charm, and holiness in our hearts, our being will reflect those positive qualities. If we harbor evil thoughts, evil desires, evil memories, evil intentions, then our being will reflect those negative qualities.
By asking God to “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit” we invite our Precious Father to sweep through the core of our being and brush out all that’s evil and sinful. Since what’s removed must be replaced with something else, as the Holy Spirit sweeps out the evil and sinful, He sweeps in the holy, righteous, and good.
We get a strong sense of this activity from Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Part of what happens, when we receive the gift of salvation through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed on Calvary’s cruel cross, is that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within our hearts. He, then, can respond to our request to “cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.” We don’t have to do anything, but ask Him. Just ask!
I encourage you to begin each day—even before you get out of bed—by praying the simple prayer you will find by clicking here. My dear friend, Dr. David R. Mains, wrote this prayer many years ago and shared it on his radio broadcast, The Chapel of the Air. Letters he received from listeners indicated that this prayer has helped thousands of people begin their mornings by confidently stepping out on the pathway God has laid out for them that day.
Please join with them, and with me. I’ve prayed this prayer for over 40 years. And, while I have often fallen short of God’s best for me, He has always proven Himself faithful. I have learned to trust God implicitly. And, you can learn this important truth, as well.
Why not start today, right now. Just bow your head, pray the simple prayer I’ve suggested in the paragraph above, and watch how God will “cleanse the thoughts of your heart by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”
You’ll be really glad you did.
