After the Prophet Nathan confronted David about his sinful behaviour, the Psalmist openly cried for the mercy of God. Psalm 51 records David’s prayer. In verse 10 David asked God to, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” David submits that only God can change his heart to make it pure.
The Prophet Ezekiel got that revelation as well. God promised in Ezekiel 36:26-27, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them”. Through the Word of God, we recognise that only God can change the heart of man.
The key to a changed heart, therefore, is a life surrendered to God. The word “surrender” means to give up completely; stop fighting, resisting, hiding; yield to the power of another; give the control or use to someone else. When we surrender our life to Christ, this is exactly what we do: We give Him control and use of our lives. We stop fighting, resisting or hiding from God. We give up completely!
As we truly surrender to Christ we allow the Holy Spirit to create in us a clean heart, our spirit is renewed in Christ and we are now able to live pleasing God.