“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

The more I draw near to God, the more aware I become of how messed up I am.

Theologically this is true because God is a perfect God. God is absolutely holy. The closer I draw near to perfection and holiness the more my imperfections and flaws stand out.

Practically, this is true because as Christians mature and grow closer to God, the arena where the battle takes place is no longer in actions but in the heart. Even though we may be better at physically not committing sins, those sins are alive and well in our hearts. The closer we draw to God the sins of the heart become ever more glaring when viewed against God’s holiness and perfection.

One of my daily prayers is that God cleanse my heart. I long for a day when my heart’s longings and yearnings would be totally in tune with the heart of God. But, I am far from that today.

The devil will use this to make us feel guilty about praying. The devil wants to shame us because we pray for the same thing everyday.

Don’t let the devil guilt you from praying.

Keep praying. Keep praying that God will create in you a clean heart, and that he would renew a steadfast spirit within you.

You see, the reason why we pray isn’t to change God. The reason why we pray to God is because prayer changes us. The more we pray, the more we draw near to God. That is what the devil wants to prevent.

Don’t let the devil keep you from praying.

Keep at it. Keep on praying.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

The verse of the day comes from the account of the ascension of Jesus. Before Jesus was taken up to heaven, Jesus tells the gathered disciples that the Holy Spirit will enable the disciples to be witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Within a generation the disciples would bear witness to the risen Christ in all the known world.

“You will be my witnesses…”

What does it mean to be a witness?

There are several requirements for being a witness.

First, you have to have experienced, seen, tasted whatever it is you are bearing witness to. If you were not present, if you didn’t see, experience and you testified anyway, your testimony would be a lie. The first requirement for being a witness is that you had to be present for whatever it is you are bearing witness to. You have to have had a personal experience in seeing and experiencing for yourself.

This is why God invites us to “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8).

Isn’t that great? Before God allows us to talk about how amazing and wonderful he is, he requires that we first experience God’s amazing grace and power. Love that!

Second, you have to testify. You have to speak. You can’t be a witness without bearing testimony. You have to share Christ. You have to talk about Christ. You have to talk about how amazing God is.

If you were a witness to a crime. You have to speak. You have to bear witness. You owe it to the victims, to justice, to truth. It would be a crime to keep silent.

Finally, the reality of having experienced God is so transformative that it is impossible to stay the same. Experiencing God changes us. What we experience of God is so awesome, so amazing that even in the face of opposition and persecution, you bear witness to God’s reality. No amount of opposition or persecution can ever change the reality that God is awesome, his love so amazing.

The Greek word for “witness” is martus. The Greek “u” is equivalent to the English “y”. Martus is where we get the English word, martyr.

The truth of what we experience with God changes us. It changes our entire world. So much so, no matter the opposition and persecution, you bear witness that God is God, and that God is great. And many have borne witness to God’s reality to their martyrdom. The early Christian witnesses and martyrs declared to the Roman Empire, “You can kill me. But that still doesn’t change the fact that Jesus is Lord.”

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

“Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him” (1 Samuel 16:14).

This is one of the most frightening verses in the Bible.

The context for this verse is God’s rejection of Saul as the king of Israel due to Saul’s rejection of God’s command and Saul’s disobedience.

The frightening part of this verse is that there is a threshold to God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness. You see, I just assume that God will always be forgiving, merciful, and patient with me. But what this verse tells us is that there came a point in Saul’s life where God’s patience and grace toward Saul came to an end. When God’s patience and grace toward Saul came to an end, God’s presence left Saul. When God’s presence left Saul, Saul was tormented by an evil spirit.

God’s presence is God’s favor. God’s presence is shalom. God’s presence is everything!

I don’t know the exact point of the threshold for God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness. What I do know is that there comes a point when God will absolutely honor our decision regarding God. God will honor our reception of God and his promises, and God will honor our rejection of his plans.

The threshold for God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness is not a one time rejection of God’s will and a one time act of disobedience. On the other hand, should we on an on-going basis reject God’s offer of salvation and grace in this lifetime God will absolutely honor that desire on the day of judgment.

There is a limit to God’s grace. Once that limit is reached, there is judgment and a fearful expectation of God’s wrath.

The safest bet, the wisest thing to do is to receive God’s grace and plan of salvation right now when you have the opportunity.

Secondly, if you are wrestling with and are bothered by the fact that you struggle with obedience to God’s will, you need not worry about reaching God’s threshold of mercy. The fact that you are bothered and are wrestling with obeying God is a sign that God is at work in you.

If you are content with the fact that you continue to reject God’s will, if you are perfectly fine with the reality that you are disobedient, be careful. Repent and get right with God.

Finally, if you haven’t ever received God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, do so right now.