It would appear that every intelligent Christian would continually pray this inspired prayer, for cleansing from secret faults, that he might thus be restrained from presumptuous sins; and thus praying heartily, he would also watch against these beginnings of sin and keep his heart in a cleansed and pure condition, by going continually to the fountain of grace for help in every time of need. He who seeks to live a life of holiness and nearness to the Lord by merely guarding against outward or presumptuous sins, and who neglects the beginnings of sin in the secrets of his own mind, is attempting a right thing in a very foolish and unreasonable way.
All of us have secret faults, which have come to us mainly by heredity, though associates, surroundings and training have measurably increased them. These defile us; hence the desirability of our prayer for cleansing from them. The Father reveals them to us, and thus enlists our co-operation in purging them away. Especially dangerous are presumptuous sins. Well may we pray that the Lord keep us back from them and prevent their gaining control over us. We will be enabled to gain victory over these, if the meditations of our hearts and the words of our lips are acceptable unto God, our Strength and Redeemer.
Job 13:23; Psa. 24:3-5; 26:1, 2; 51:10; 139:23, 24; Ezek. 36:25, 26; 1 John 1:7, 9; 3:3; Heb. 6:4-9; 10:26-31; 1 John 5:16; 2 Pet. 2:1-20; Jude 1:4-25.
