Have you often heard ministers talk about being pure in heart but never studied this subject for yourself? Or, maybe you have told yourself, that is not possible, especially in the world we live in today. Well, I must tell you that you have a God-given will, number one; and number two, we as earthlings have a choice to turn off, walk away, close our ears, and refuse death, and chose life. We have to quit talking like that. Why do I say that? I say that because all things are possible to him that believes Godâs Word? Yes, when we give into the world, the flesh, and the devil, it just promotes more evil.
Maybe you are not aware of how much influence you have in your life. Saying âNo!â to the wrong thing is a good start. Did you know that? Or have you forgotten what the word âNoâ means? Oh, you say that is because I donât want to appear like I am a do-gooder. Why not? So let me get this straight, rather than walk in the Spirit of Christ, the one who died for you; you would rather please someone in the world that has no conviction of right or wrong? And you would rather win their approval then Godâs approval? Wow! I think it is time that we really take a look at the theology that we are embracing and get back in fellowship with Jesus.
We canât hold up these false pretentious thoughts and please God and say we are saved. Maybe we have really lost the real meaning of what it means to be a Christian. The word Christian means to be Christ-Like. What are we afraid of? Are we ashamed of Jesus? Or are we apologizing because we chose to have a stable mind verses siding with garbage. We must have true conviction and stand by our convictions. God loves bold people. Did you know that? He loves and blesses those who stand up for the right issues, and especially righteousness.
It is alright to say, when it comes to me, this stops now, and I am not going to mince words about it either. In fact, I am going to be bold to say that it will not be a part of me or my psyche. I am going to be brave and walk in the Word of God without apologizing for my convictions. If we think that we are winning a friend by compromising our values, we need to think again. Do we truly want this kind of person in our life?
We as Christians, according to gospel, are to be influencing them. Besides, we must realize or know that people in the world today make it their quest to see if they can make people like us compromise our values? It is a game. These people have no conviction whatsoever and think Christianity is beneath them. They have not the slightest clue of Christ, purity, honor, or true love, because many have spent their lives in front of violent programs and video games. We must realize that the world today is so absorbed with self, and they think that abusing their bodies in the name of pleasing people to gain a position in the world is right. I know this is hard to fathom, but righteousness, holiness, and purity, is not even on their radar.
News Flash, Pastors, Churches must get back to setting the standard according to the Word of God. Purity must be taught today, as well as all the Christian virtues.
Let us find out what the word of God says about being pure in heart. I bet when we are finished, we will be surprised how obtainable it is; and how we will want to walk in it. Think about this: how about us being confident and living our lives with poise and godly control. We need to elegantly take control of ourselves in every situation. Let us be the one in the driverâs seat. Then watch these earthlings go crazy about us having something they donât have. Oh, I find the minute they canât get their grubby hands on something and canât be in control, they have got to get it somehow.
So why not make the decision today to be the one sought after, because we chose God and His way of thinking and living. That is seeking the kingdom of righteousness.
Well, enough of that, letâs begin on what it means to be pure in heart. I took my lesson from Matthew 5:8; and, if you go read this verse, youâll find it is one of the Beatitudes. First off, beatitude means âA Pronounced Blessingâ. I like that, donât you?
And in Matthew 5:8 the verse says, âBlessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.â Well, I know what you are going to say, âBut it says in other places, no man has seen God at any time.â I will explain this toward the end of my blog.
Now when you think about something that is pure, what is your first thought? I think of something uncontaminated, in its perfect form. Then I think of God, who is holy. I think of Jesus, who had No sin (or The Sinless One). Next, I think of Gold that has been purified. Do you know HOW Gold is purified? Well, it is heated by fire to a very high temperature until all the impurities come to the surface, which is then removed (the dross). This process keeps going until the Gold is in its purest form. This process makes me think about being baptized in the Holy Ghost and fire.
As we grow in our walk with God, in His Word, and obedience to the Holy Ghost, he becomes our purifying agent. This is why many Christians know the importance of being baptized in the Holy Ghost. When you experience His love and power, you begin to allow Him to purify your soul, which is made up of your mind, will, and emotions. If you are born-again, your spirit is like Jesusâ spirit. Your spirit has been made into a new creature. Go read 2 Corinthians 5:17. By accepting Jesus, our spirits have been made new; but the old soul has not been made new, even though you now have a consciousness that your spirit is different.
We see that our soul, which consists of mind, will, emotions, and body still wants to go its own way. Our mind has to be renewed like the Apostle Paul shares in Romans 12: 1-2. It must be renewed so it can become one with your new nature. This is a process, like the Gold that is purified by fire. This is why the Holy Spirit is so important. In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist said, âI indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost, and fire.â
Now that we are new creatures and the old man has passed away, we are to walk as Jesus walked. If you go and read Philippians 4:8, it tells us even what to think on. It says that we are to think on whatsoever things are honest, just, pure, lovely, of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. I shortened it a bit, but go read it yourself. Also, a verse that you might want to read is in Philippians 2:5: âLet this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus.â Jesus was in line with Godâs Word and character.
The Bible instructs us in all the Christian values and teachings and, as mentioned above, even tells you what to think on to keep yourself pure from the world. To be pure, we must keep our mind in check. We canât let it rule us, nor the appetites of the flesh. Paul said it is our reasonable service to be transformed by the Word of God. He said that is the only way we keep from being conformed to the World.
Oh, you might say, I am young, and you just donât know the Peer Pressure I get all day long. That is true. I know you receive a lot of peer pressure, but I believe today everyone, know matter what our age, because of the devil working through wicked people; we are also feeling the pressure. We all have to remember Jesus said he wouldnât allow us to go through more pressure then what we could bear, and promises to make a way of escape for us. Believe me, He knows and sees what we are going through in every generation; and even though things are deteriorating, seemingly more rapidly than it has in the past; we still have the Word of God that is constant, stable, and never changes, to depend on.
I want to share with you about a young man named Timothy in the Bible. Timothy was trained by the Apostle Paul to be a minister of the gospel. Timothy was raised by his mother and his grandmother, both devoted Christians. Then he began to travel with the Apostle Paul. He encouraged Timothy to not forsake his Christian values. Paul warned Timothy not to neglect the gift that was in him, which was given to him through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Timothy was a young minister with a great responsibility. Paul took Timothy along with Him, and Timothy observed and learned from Paul and therefore became able and fit and equipped to answer the call of God.
I think we are going to have many fine young men and women who are going to realize who they are in Christ and proceed to turn from the way of the world and realize all the trends they are following are lousy teachers and examples. They are tired of what the world has to offer, and they will turn to purity in body and mind.
I prophesy this in the name of Jesus that this will be a generation of young men and women that the devil thinks he has, but God has them waiting on the peripheral for His timing and use. They are going to grab their God-Given call and move with a purpose; and they will come to their spiritual senses. They will not be self-absorbed bench warmers but true forces against hell, with pure hearts. They have tasted all they want of the world, and its empty promises.
I believe we are living in the greatest time ever. We need pastors like this today, and mentors that will take young people under their wing like Paul and teach them to serve God. These Mentors will stress to them the importance of pure thoughts and pure motives. I really think the whole church needs this; and, sad to say, Pastors as well who have lost their way.
Church as we know it, I think, would be more effective if we started new creation classes. I believe teaching people who we are in Christ will raise a standard in power and in purity, faster than we could ever imagine. I know that it is going to be a real fight though. Pastors know it will be a fight, but it can be done. Yes, with all the problems, especially with this garbage the World is trying to mold us into, as well as the Internet flooding the airways with the all this stuff they are trying to sell us, that it will be a fight to refocus Godâs people on these virtues.
Why? The standard in the Church (The Body of Christ) has been so weak and filled with programs much like the world. It has been diluted with weak messages that bring no conviction. And then we find Christians that are attending church on Sunday; but outside of church, they finding themselves watching pornography and the latest worldly trends with little or no conviction.  Many have gotten on board with name bashing, and thinking it is okay to destroy lives and businesses. But that isnât the way God operates. Destroying peoplesâ lives is the devilâs M.O.  Oh, and lets add TV that is carrying such smutty commercials and programs.  You turn from the channel to just go to another channel to find that one is playing another offensive commercial or the same commercial. It is time as Christians that we stop playing Church, and be the Church – in truth, in Word, and in deed.
It makes me laugh when I hear the World trying to give a life lesson on how we are to love one another. But it is also sad that the Church has fallen so far that they follow the worldâs words as if they are some kind of expert on the way to live. They speak pure lies from hell out of one side of their mouth; and out of the other side, act as if they are living holy and just. As if the world knew how to live this way. And they condemn others by pointing their fingers and accuse them of wrong doing and are guilty of the same things. Wow!
Titus 1:15-16 Says:
15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
And we as Christians are choosing to get on broad with this garbage? That really takes the cake, doesnât it? When will we raise our standards and declare war on sin and recognize the devil in all of this? I hope you are aware that God is waiting on us to do just that. We cannot continue to live in a lukewarm life and receive Godâs Blessings without taking a stand against it. I know it will be a fight to live a pure life in the middle of our society today, but Jesus did it and so can we.
So let us individually raise our standards to the Christian virtues and get on with doing what God called us to do and tell the devil and his bunch to get back, and they will not have the last word on these matters.
2 Timothy 2:20-22 says:
20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Donât you want to be a vessel of honor?  I donât want to be a clay pot.
The Bible tells us to walk in love; and those who walk in His love will always do the right thing. Amen!
Oh, you say, Jesus stood in the midst of this kind of smut and overcame it? Indeed! He did!  Donât you know the devil did the same thing in every generation?  Oh, I realize there wasnât an Internet service in His day, but you do know that it was just as nasty and smutty. Women would signal their profession by writing the Hebrew and Greek letters on the bottom of their shoes, seducing young men to follow them.  Also, young men lived in temples dressed like women, to service those whom desired the other sex.
Oh, and yes, they knew how to get the word out. You might be surprised just how commercialized they were. Certain people were paid to let the public know when and where their nasty parties where scheduled. They knew the locations of the elite who wouldnât pass up the chance to buy a fun night. The rich public couldn’t resist the invitation extended to them, to come and spend their fortunes.  Those who promoted this garbage knew people would pay the cost to be a part of it, just like today.
You say, how do you know that? I know people just like you know people. There is nothing new under the sun. There was gambling, nude women, and men dancing and parading around like today. We know that satan is the god of this world and is always finding nasty disgusting ways to drag men to hell with him. He doesnât care how nasty and disgusting or humiliating he causes society to become, as long as their trend is to sin, and not purity and righteousness.
Let us look at a few more scriptures before we close. In 1 John 3:1-3, it says:
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 AND EVERY MAN THAT HATH THIS HOPE IN HIM PURIFIETH HIMSELF, EVEN AS HE IS PURE.
You say, how do we purify ourselves? First off, we must be familiar and walking in the true Word of God. Secondly, we always honor and love the Lord with all your being, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Thirdly, we obey the Holy Spiritâs instructions concerning our life and life decisions. And do I need to say, we are to spread the Gospel to the world unto all nations, as Jesus commanded. Fourthly, we cannot live like the devil all week, and then show up in Church on Sunday and think all is well. If we do not raise the standard to a life of purity, the world will continue to lower the standard to more sin, fear, and death. So let us determine it is better to serve God in purity and have peace of mind, than to let the devil destroy our lives with sin for a season.