Good Morning! - 2010.06.23 - Psalm 66:18 - The Lord Will Not Hear Me

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: (Psalm 66:18)

Literally, "If I have seen iniquity in my heart." But in applying this to our lives we must acknowledge that no one can look into his own heart and not see that it is defiled by our own personal nature to sin.

It has more to do with our will and our identification with what is in our hearts. In the 1800's Hannah Whitall Smith wrote a book on The Secret of Christian Living. The book in summary was: "We must take sides with God against ourselves." Regardless of what is going on in our lives, just take sides with God.

Are there dark clouds hovering over your soul between you and God? Many Christians live like this and unknowingly keep a dark cloud of separation between them and the Lord all the time. They are saved, on their way to heaven but constantly live outside of fellowship with God.

"If I have cherished it in my soul; if I have gloated over past sins; if I am purposing to commit sin again; if I am not willing to abandon all sin, and to be holy the Lord will not hear me (Barnes).

The idea in the verse is that I must adopt a purpose in my heart to forsake all forms of sin. This is one the great foundational principles in regard to prayer and one of the most bothersome things to careless people who want to straddle the fence about obeying God.

Isaiah had this message from the Lord: Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2)

…God is light, and in him is no darkness at all (1John 1:5). Then if we are going to be in fellowship with our Father we are going to have to be willing to pursue being like him. He plainly says: Be ye holy for I am holy (1Peter 1:16).

If you care to read further, you can follow the following links and get a deeper picture of what God says about iniquity in our hearts. This principle is affirmed or implied in Psalm 18:41; Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 1:28; Proverbs 15:29; Proverbs 28:9; Isaiah 15:1-9; Jeremiah 11:11; Jeremiah 14:12; Zechariah 7:13; John 9:31. It is also especially stated in Isaiah 58:3-7.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9)