Ever typed the wrong number and made an embarrassing phone call? Lost track of time and missed a commitment? Gotten angry and said things you wish you never said?

Not a single one of us haven't — and there's a lot of other mistakes we could each add to the list!

Starting with clean living doesn't mean that everything is perfect, it means realizing the standard of perfection is so much better, kinder, more patient, and more perfect than we can ever be on our own. It isn't having it all together - it's humbly asking for grace because perfection is too high to attain. When it comes to perfection, there is only one person worth asking for grace, and He is listening every day and every moment.

There is only one way to having a "clean heart" and what I call "clean living," and it is through the free gift that God offers to all who choose to put their trust in Him.

God saw us in our imperfection and instead of turning His back on us, He offered His perfect Son who had never sinned or made a mistake. He chose to face the penalty we deserved for our sins. His sacrifice is powerful enough to save every liar, murderer, thief, and every person filled with hatred — which at one point or another, is every single one of us.

Even in your worst moments that you wish you could forget, He counted the cost and chose to sacrifice His only son in your place so you could be blameless and forgiven in the eyes of the one true God.

The sacrifice of His son paid back the debt of every evil that has ever dictated our world and that ever will. Anyone — even me and even you — can receive forgiveness from our Creator and have a relationship with Him.

He is willing and able to erase every sin you have ever committed, counting the perfection of Jesus to your account and your sin to His. Then He sees you as His own son, His own child.

He is listening at every moment — and because of your debt that He paid back on the cross, the moment that you call Him Lord, confess that you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and accept that His sacrifice is enough, your relationship with Him begins.

That is the heart of clean living - believing that even though you (and everyone else) was born with a heart that loves evil, a man named Jesus stood before the punishment you deserved from God and cancelled your debt.

It's belonging to Jesus because He laid His life down so you could live in total honesty with your Creator and be completely clean.

Clean living is the best living. The moment it starts doesn't mean everything will be easy, but in the end, those who chose to call Him Lord and profess that, yes, His sacrifice is enough, will be with Him forever. He loves us, guides us, and restores us from their sinful nature over and over again, our whole lives.

It's not a call designed for perfect people. It's a call for people who want the promise of being forgiven every day, and every day made clean.