Keep me from deliberate sins!

Ps. 19:13 Keep me from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

Keep me from deliberate sins. When was the last time you prayed this prayer and meant it? Many of us scarcely give sinning a lot of thought. We know we do it and often just shrug it off as no big deal. We may in passing know we should not do certain things, but do not change our ways because we know God loves us, is forgiving and gracious, and will not abandon us when we do sin. We have gotten the notion that as long as we believe in what Jesus did for us and accept Him as our Savior we no longer have to be concerned about our sin problems. Such thinking is a distortion of God's revealed truth.

God is holy and commands us to be holy. Without holiness we cannot be with God and he who is holy does not treat his sins lightly. He understands the affect sin has on the soul. He understands that God cannot have fellowship with a sin-infested soul. He understands the importance of confessing his sins before God and the need to strive to live a holy life and keep his heart pure before God.

A person who is serious about his soul asks the Lord to help him so that sin does not control him. The desire of his heart is that God will control him so that he will not deliberately sin against God.

There is no condemnation for those who take sin seriously and take a stand against it so it doesn't take up residence in the heart. There is freedom from guilt and shame when we say no to sin. There is confidence that we are innocent before God. There is no fear of God's judgment. There is peace and joy in the steps of those who guard their souls against sin. There is condemnation for those who don't.

I challenge you to pray this prayer of the Psalmist today and mean it. Your life with God depends on it.