I was reading in Psalms 71 this morning, and the words, clean hands, pure heart kept taking over my thoughts. Mind you, those words are not in Psalms 71. So, you know, I had to go deeper. I closed my eyes and asked God what He was saying.

His answer was so simple!

Clean hands have not done the things that God despises, the sins that so easily entangle, the things that are anti-God.
Pure heart is one that does not want to do the things that God despises, the sins that so easily entangle, the things that are anti-God.

Well, all righty then. That’s nice. Seems unobtainable, though.

Except, there’s more, and it came from an unexpected source: ChatGPT. I know, I know, AI is the enemy of our souls, it’s the destruction of our nation, yada, yada, yada. Don’t check out here. You want to hear this!

I asked QuipQuill (the name ChatGPT gave me for itself) to provide a two-part image using this prompt, “On one part portray having clean, godly hands. On the other, depict having a pure, godly heart.”

And this was the reply,

Let’s create an image that encapsulates the profound concepts of purity and integrity in one’s actions and intentions, as inspired by Psalm 24:4. On one side, we’ll portray the essence of having clean, godly hands. Imagine hands held open towards the sky, surrounded by a soft, radiant light that symbolizes cleanliness and godliness. The skin tone will be natural and relatable, embodying humility and service.

On the other side, to depict a pure, godly heart, we’ll visualize a heart enveloped in a gentle, divine glow, conveying purity and sanctity. This heart will be slightly overlaid with translucent imagery of open Bible pages or a dove, symbolizing peace and the Holy Spirit, subtly connecting the heart’s purity with divine inspiration and guidance.

Both halves will be connected by a soft, blending light, suggesting that clean hands and a pure heart are interconnected qualities that together embody a life lived in alignment with God’s will. This image will serve as a visual reminder of the importance of aligning our actions and intentions with godly principles.

First, I want you to note that I did not tell QuipQuill where those words were found. Certain words and phrases in the reply really stuck out to me:

• Purity and Integrity.
• Actions and Intentions.
• Cleanliness and Godliness.
• Humility and Service.
• Purity and Sanctity.
• Peace and Holy Spirit.
• Divine Inspiration and Guidance.

I have to tell you, in the past I have looked at the “clean hands, pure heart” phrase as a must-do. A task list, if you will. All the above list being the characteristics I would need to drum up.

THAT IS NOT TRUTH.

In Paul’s second letter to the Church at Corinth, he told them that in Christ, they were brand new. Not restored, not redirected, not realigned – new. Like Genesis-new. The same truth is for us. When we accept Christ’s salvation, we are suddenly an all new, never-before-seen us. The old nature that ruled how we behaved is dead and buried, never to be seen again.

Unless we dredge it up.

What?

Yes. When Holy Spirit enters us at salvation, the old sin nature is killed, but in our flesh we don’t realize that – and sadly, we’re not really taught that. So, when situations come up, we think back to the old us and respond in the old ways instead of looking into the new us and responding as the New Holy-Spirit-Filled Us.

If When we get a grip on this truth, life is going to change radically for us. No longer will clean hands and pure hearts seem an unreachable goal or a list of impossible tasks, it will be the place we operate from.

It’s not too late my fellow follower of Jesus! This moment is the perfect time for you to repent of believing the lie that you’re not truly an all new creation. It’s the best time to agree with Holy Spirit that you’ve been leaning on your own understanding and change to lean fully on Him. On the other side of this confession and repentance is an ease that you will never have by operating in the flesh.

Christian, you are walking on the earth, but you are also seated with Jesus in the heavens. Look there to the left and see His thorn-marked face. Look down and see those scarred hands. Then look just past Him and see the Father who loves you enough to not only send you this Savior, but to come along now and correct you. I know, it’s an odd concept to be fully here and fully there, but it’s TRUTH.

It’s time to walk in that truth.

YOU are SO worth it!