"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Psalms 51:10
As I left the coffee shop one morning, a woman was looking at the board games for sale and mentioned "this game is awesome, I love getting drunk and playing it, you can be so creative." I'm really not one to "kick doors in" on evangelism, but I felt the Lord impressing on my heart, so I said "I understand what you mean... as for being creative, I love when David said to God, "Create in me a clean heart oh God, renew a right spirit within me". She replied, "That's awesome--I like that!"
Paul wrote to the church in Rome , "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered." Romans 8:26
David wrote Psalm 51 after he had sinned with Bathsheba and was confronted with his trespasses by the prophet Nathan. David didn't try to justify his sin by saying "she shouldn't have been in full view of me while I stood at the balcony" or by saying "Hey, it's only natural" ... David confessed it (confession means to agree with God that it was wrong) and turned from it, and asked that God create a pure and new heart because his heart that was once thought of by God as "a heart after my own" reeked of wretchedness.
Sometimes we're out trying to fix the wrong things in life when there is a deeper more pressing need that requires fixing. The Holy Spirit knows our needs better than we do A carnal mind only seeks to fulfill the needs of the flesh continually... The spiritual mind on the other hand, seeks to fulfill needs of the spirit continually.
When the women entered the coffee shop that evening, she was taking care of an immediate need of the flesh, but the Holy Spirit knew that what she needed was to have her sins forgiven-ultimately to point her into the right direction of healing. Sobering up on coffee couldn't ever cleanse her of sin, what she really needed was the new wine, the blood of Jesus, washing away the shame and guilt of her sin-ridden life.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
I John 1:19.