PSALM 51:10-12
“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” (KJV).
One day as I was driving to work, in silence- I heard the Lord say, “The ROD.” I continued to listen wondering what was the meaning of this, because all I could think of at that moment was Moses, who had used the ROD as a symbol of God’s power and authority. The Lord revealed to me an acronym from the word “ROD”, REPENTANCE OPENS DOORS. I heard the Lord saying, many times the reason why we are stagnant in our worship, praise, and prayer life is because repentance is missing.
The Lord brought me back to the year 2020, one of the most difficult times of my life. I was emotionally shutting down due to an act of my grandmother which truly hurt me. However, the Lord spoke to me one day and said, go to her and together repent of your sins. I wanted to respond by saying, what did I do Lord? Instantaneously I was reminded, by holding on to the hurt, unforgiveness was keeping me bound from fully giving my all to the Lord. After acknowledging my mistake, I went to my grandmother, apologized and asked for forgiveness. I told her I forgave her for the act she did to hurt me. After obeying the Lord’s command, I felt freedom in my spirit, and the loving compassion from the Lord swept over my soul. After that day a feeling of love and joy was felt around her, the very thing that hurt me before, faded away as if it had never happened.
The Bible tells us, “But if you refuse to forgive others, your father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15, NLT). Our God is merciful, “For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust” (Psalm 103:11-14, NLT).
In Hebrew/Israelite culture, the ROD was a symbol of authority and a tool used by the Shepherd to guide and correct his flock. As God’s children, repenting of our sins is necessary, for there is no good inside of us without Christ Jesus. Peter with boldness, on the day of Pentecost, declared "Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” During the most difficult or dangerous situations in our lives, the ROD is a symbol of God’s protection and His love. He wants to reassure us that when we come to Him with a contrite heart and broken spirit, acknowledging that we need Him (our Shepherd) to forgive and guide us through life.
The Bible tells us David was a man after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14) whom God knew long before he had any idea what his future held. David wrote Psalm 51, after his sin of adultery with another man’s wife (Bathsheba) and the murder of her husband (Uriah). In this Psalm, David confessed with a broken heart his sin and asked God’s forgiveness and restoration. David’s act of “REPENTANCE OPENED DOORS” for David to receive forgiveness and to be restored.
He realized his righteousness did not come from his actions, but from his love for and submission to God. Many of the Psalms David wrote, highlighted the importance of repentance and forgiveness, such as Psalm 32. It teaches the importance of acknowledging our sins and mistakes before asking God for forgiveness. God knows our heart more than we can ever imagine! David’s response to his sinful act revealed his heart’s willingness to turn completely away from his sin and desire to pursue what pleases the Lord. During his heartfelt plea for mercy and desperate need for a pure heart, he remained in a posture to serve and worship the Lord.
Today, I want to encourage you and I to use “THE ROD” and watch the Lord open doors in your life. The Lord has given us authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven” (Luke 10:19-20, NLT). The Lord doesn’t want anyone of us to perish but all to come to REPENTANCE (2 Peter 3:9). Let us come unto Him like a child, daily repenting, asking the Lord to search our hearts.
OUR HEART’S PRAYER:
LORD I PRAY, THAT YOU GIVE US A NEW HEART- WE DESIRE A HEART AFTER YOUR OWN HEART. FOR THIS HEART IS DESPERATELY WICKED- WITH NO GOOD THING IN IT. DO SURGERY ON OUR HEARTS OH LORD- CUT AWAY THE THINGS THAT DOESN’T ALIGN WITH YOUR WORD. FOR A CONTRITE HEART AND A BROKEN SPIRIT, YOU DON’T DESPISE. LORD, AS WE SEEK YOU MORE OH LORD, LET US UNDERSTAND YOUR WORD THAT DECLARES, BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN HEART- FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD. LORD, WE NEED THEE EVERY MOMENT AND WE PRAY THAT YOU WILL HAVE YOUR WAY WITHIN OUR HEARTS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE IMPORTANCE OF REPENTANCE AND THAT IT OPENS DOORS TO BEING IN YOUR PRESENCE WHERE THERE IS FULLNESS OF JOY. KEEP US IN THE PALM OF YOUR HANDS, WE PRAY, IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.
Please take the time to read the scriptures throughout.
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