Pet Sins

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

When we ask God to, “create in us a new heart and renew a steadfast spirit,” what we are really asking for is, “I want to be changed from the inside out, not just on the outside.” It is really hard for people to let go of sin, particularly what we might call “pet sins.” Though we may have difficulty asking God to forgive our sins, we will find that when it comes to certain sins we have no issue at all forgiving ourselves.

Maybe that pet sin really isn’t so bad. On the scale of wrongdoing, it certainly isn’t like committing murder or stealing from an orphanage. And after all, is it really hurting anybody? By the degree we render for our own mind, or by the fact we can keep it a secret, each of us gathers and holds on to “pet sins” that we continue to commit. It could be because we don't want to let it go. Or we may even feel trapped in that sin, and though we may trust God with many areas of life, we just don’t think God is going to be strong enough to break that particular sin’s hold.

If you are addicted to pornography, drugs, alcohol, a bad temper, or filthy language I can tell you right now trying to overcome those sins on your own is totally pointless. What we all need is for God to renew us by His grace. Why do we sin? It is because we are all sinners. We do what we do because we are what we are.

In Psalm 51, David doesn’t want to deal with the symptoms of his problems; he wants to deal with the cause of them. David realizes, “I don’t just need pardon; I need purity.” In other words, we don’t just need to be cleared of our sin; we need to be cleansed from our sin. We need a new heart. You can’t buy those at the store. They don’t stock them at the hospital. It is not a prescription that your pharmacist can fill.

We don’t need a minor repair job; we need a complete spiritual overhaul. You see, our problem is greater than just individual sins. Our problem is sin. You can’t just deal with what you do, but you have to deal with what you are.

God, there is a sinful nature in me that I don’t want and I am powerless to remove. I thank You that Jesus has paid the penalty for my sin. Now create a new heart in me, one that seeks You fully and despises sin completely. In Jesus’ name, amen.