Pure Heart

If you’ve ever been to a third world country, you might observe locals carrying large jugs of water; water that they’ve gathered from a stream, or a source of natural fresh water. But what you might not realize, is that even though the water is fresh, it might not be pure. There are almost certainly pollutants and other undesirable within the water, even though it is drinkable. In America, we filter and purify our water to rid it of such pollutants. But do we do the same with our hearts? Do we filter out what is impure and allow the Spirit to continually purify us? In James chapter 1, verse 27, it says: 

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

I have become quite familiar with the first part of that verse; “to look after the orphans and widows in their distress”. But James tells us that we are also to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. How polluted have you become? How much of the world’s sinful impurities have you allowed in your heart? Whatever the amount, I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to purify your heart; to purge the evil that has crept in from the world. Allow him to cleanse you and ask him to help you in your efforts to keep yourself from being polluted by the world. Like washing our clothes is continually needed to keep them clean, so is the washing, or cleansing, of our hearts.

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James tells us that we are to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world. This is a difficult task. It is difficult because we live in the world, and the world can be enticing. But we have the Holy Spirit, we have the word of God and we have other believers who can hold us accountable and help us in our effort to avoid the pollutants of the world. We may still fall and allow ourselves to be tainted, but when we use the safeguards that God has given us, we will see the pollutants of the world for what they are. And in doing so, we can avoid them. So I encourage you to do what James says, and to do everything you can to keep yourself from being polluted by the world.

The Whisper

Have you ever wondered whether God speaks to us? And if he does, how? I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard the audible voice of God. He has never spoken to me that way and I suspect that he doesn’t speak to most that way. So, what do well-intentioned Christians mean when they say that God spoke to them? This can be confusing to those who interpret Christian lingo literally. They may begin to wonder why God chooses to speak to others but decides not to speak to them. What I think many Christians mean when they say that God spoke to them, is that he stirred something in their heart, or that he revealed something to their mind. I would agree that God certainly speaks to many of us that way. If you think that God has never spoken to your heart, might I suggest it is because you aren’t truly listening? Look at how God communicated to Elijah in first Kings chapter 19, verses 11 and 12. It says: 

“The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

Elijah was a prophet. And in Bible times, God spoke to the prophets in many different ways; sometimes audibly, sometimes in dreams or visions, and sometimes in ways that spoke directly to their minds and hearts. Today, God speaks to us as well. We just need to know how he speaks to us and we need to know when it is him and not something else. As for me, sometimes God chooses to speak through others, sometimes he speaks through his word, and sometimes he speaks directly to my mind and my heart in a gentle whisper; a whisper so fleeting that if I wasn’t paying attention I might miss it. My question to you is, “are you listening”? I believe that God speaks to every believer. But I’m convinced that not all of us hear him.

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Is God speaking to you? Are you listening for his voice? He may not speak in a loud booming voice to get your attention. He may not speak audibly to you at all. He may choose to whisper to your Spirit in such a way that you know it is him. Jesus says that his sheep will know his voice. We are his sheep. Do you know when he is speaking to you? If you don’t, I encourage you to pray that God open your eyes to how he communicates to you. After all, it could be that all this time, you just weren’t listening to the whisper.

Reintroduce

I know that I shouldn’t be, but I’m still surprised, and even shocked, when I see headlines proving that our nation is going further and further away from God and his principles. Our moral and spiritual decline is moving so fast that it is almost as if we are on a rollercoaster heading down a track which is only picking up speed. It is as if we have completely forgotten the God on which many of our country’s principles where based. I find myself praying that our leaders, law makers and even some of our churches would do what Josiah did in second Chronicles when he was reintroduced to the scriptures that God originally placed before his people through Moses. Once Hilkiah, the priest, found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord, he showed it to king Josiah who said this in chapter 34, verse 21: 

“Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.” 

Today, we find ourselves in a similar situation as the Israelites of old. Our laws, culture, and our very society have all but abandoned God. We have become like the pagans; idolizing technology and cultural icons, glorifying sexual immorality and the gratification of our sinful desires, while teaching the next generation to do the same. Though some of us still hold fast to the Lord, our country, as a whole, needs to be reintroduced to God. We need to be reintroduced to the Holy scriptures. I pray that God does not leave us to our own devices; that he doesn’t abandon us like we’ve abandoned him. I encourage you to pray for our nation. Pray that America begins to inquire of the Lord again. Pray that we are reintroduced to God and his word.

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Like Josiah said in second Chronicles, “our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord”. Though this is true today, I believe there is hope. I believe that we can come back, just as Josiah and his people did. When they were reintroduced to the word of God they radically changed their ways. They read the scripture, renewed their covenant with God, and obeyed what was written. King Josiah removed the detestable idols, and all of Israel began serving the Lord their God.  We need to do the same. Our nation depends on it, our children depend on it, and our future depends on it. So I encourage you to pray that we, as a country, will turn back to God with all of our heart and with all of our soul.

Spirit Walk

There’s a treasure trove of Godly wisdom that Paul shares with the churches throughout the New Testament. He often expounds on the character of God, teaches us how to follow Jesus, and warns against potential pitfalls in our walk. He also encourages us with words that help us in our effort to live a Godly life in a fallen world. We need this kind of wisdom because whether we want to admit it or not, the flesh can be exceedingly weak. To battle the flesh, with it’s temptations and sinful desires, we should heed Paul’s words in Galatians chapter 5, verse 16, which says:  

“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” 

Notice that he didn’t say that we will not desire the sinful nature. He says that if we live by the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature - or fall into sin. He goes on to remind us that the flesh and the Spirit are always in conflict. If so, how can we insure that the Spirit will always win out? Well, in verse 18, he encourages us to be led by the Spirit. What does it mean to live by the Spirit or to be led by the Spirit? I believe that it is a conscious effort on our part to follow his prompting, to focus our thoughts on heavenly things, and to remember that since we belong to Jesus, the Bible tells us that we have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. If we walk in step with the Spirit we are able to bare the fruit of the Spirit, which is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It is not by our willpower that we can accomplish this, but only if we are in step with the Spirit. And to be in step with the Spirit involves remaining close enough to him that we can feel, sense or hear his prompting - and when we do, to obey him.

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Paul says that we need to “live by the Spirit, so that we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” To overcome the flesh requires the aid of the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Our nature is to sin, and our willpower, or flesh, is weak. We will fail more often than we will succeed on our own. So we need to walk in step with the Spirit. We need to daily connect with our God, focus our thoughts on him, continually pray to him, and trust his leading. He can break strongholds, protect us from the evil one, and be our strength when we are weak. Walking in step with the Spirit is a daily challenge. But the life of a Christian is to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. The good thing is that we don’t have to do it on our own. We have the Holy Spirit to help us.

Jesus Knew

Can you imagine having the power to know what was going to happen before it happened? If you had that power, and were wise enough to know how to best use it, you could perfectly plot out your life, avoiding pitfalls and making sure that you didn’t miss any opportunities. But, unfortunately, we are only human and we don’t possess that power. But Jesus did. He knew what was going to happen before it happened. He knew that he’d be crucified on a cross, and he even knew when it would happen. He also knew where he came from, and he knew that he’d be returning to God. It says in John chapter 13, verse 3:

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;”

It says that “the Father had put all things under his power”. So, even though Jesus knew that he had the power to change his destiny, he chose to obey the Father instead, dying in one of the worst ways imaginable. He did it for us. And he did it knowing the whole story before he even stepped foot on this earth. He knew the entire plan, and now that we have the benefit of the Holy Bible, we know it too. We know of God’s plan of salvation, how Jesus saved us, and we even know the future because parts of the Bible haven’t happened yet. So, now that you know, how do you choose to respond? If you aren’t sure, I encourage you to do what Jesus did… Obey the Father. Obey him in every way possible.

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Jesus knew that he had come from the Father and that he would be returning to the Father soon. He also knew the implications of that truth and what he’d have to endure before his return. We may not know all of the details of our future, but because of his word, and because of our faith in Jesus, it shouldn’t be a total mystery. Ask yourself; Will you choose to follow and trust Jesus? Will you choose to pattern your life according to what he teaches in the Bible? Will you ultimately give your life to Jesus and accept the gift of eternal life that he gave you? If you will, or if you have, you should certainly know your future; to serve God here on earth and to live with him for all eternity once you die. Just as the apostle Paul put it, “to live is Christ and to die is gain”. That should be the future of every believer.