Psalm 51:10-12 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit with me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit.

I feel revival bubbling up in the midst of the church, great revival. I feel the anticipation of things that I have, as of yet, not experienced. That excitement hums around me, that energy that comes from knowing that I haven't seen anything yet.

There are times in my walk with God that I have reached a stagnant place. If you have never been around a stagnant body of water let me describe it for you what I have observed about it.

The water becomes stagnant when there is no movement in the water, no water flowing in or out. The water that is there just sits there. Soon it begins to evaporate as there is no rain to bring in fresh water and as it evaporates it begins to emit a stench.

There are times in my walk with God that we become stagnant. Nothing moves us, nothing is coming in and nothing is going out, and in time we feel our faith evaporating, leaving the stench of sin behind.

And I cry out to him from the stench, "Create in me a CLEAN heart, O God; and renew a right spirit with me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. RESTORE unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit."

There is something wonderful that happens during that restoration. Once He restores the JOY of salvation, once we remember how precious and powerful it is, once our joy is again within us something miraculous takes place.

Psalm 51:13 THEN will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

Once our joy is restored we find ourselves again reaching out, telling people, teaching the Word.

Stagnant water does not realize it is stagnant, it does not realize that life has ceased to exist in it. It doesn't smell the stench. Fresh water has to be added.

There comes a time when we have to realize our condition, whether through prayer or through the preached Word, there comes a time when we have to break down whatever is damming up the flow of the Spirit in our own lives.

Psalm 51:16-17 For thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken spirit and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

It is through that broken spirit and contrite heart that God can work, restoring us to something He can use to reach the lost. "THEN will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinner shall be converted unto thee."

That is my prayer today: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit with me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the JOY of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit."