Soul Revival: A 40 Days' Journey to the Feet of Christ

Friday, January 21, 2011

Day 6 Heart Purity (Spiritual Cleansing)


Day 6

Heart Purity (Spiritual Cleansing)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
(Matthew 5:8)

Heart Purity is the 6th Step

Heart purity is the sixth step in a believer’s life marking the attainment of higher, godlier, attitudes.  Where comes the vision of God.

Heart purification is an inward spiritual cleansing by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit.  This is God working in you, both to will and do His good pleasure. It is a stage in your life as a believer where you are so close to God that God can share with you what is wrong in the church, wrong in your life, and wrong with others.  You are so sensitive to the Holy Spirit that you can hear the Spirit directing your steps, such as turn left or turn right, because the Spirit dwells in you.  You are so connected to God that your spiritual eyes are open and God becomes visible to you; you see God in everything and everyone.  You will see Christ coming to you asking for food, water, shelter, clothing, bidding you, ‘’Please visit me for I am sick; please come see me for I am lonely in prison,’’ and you will do all these things because your eyes are open and you can see Christ in any form.

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;  I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’  Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and

say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”  (Matthew 25:34-40)

Only a pure heart can recognize Christ asking for food, water, shelter, clothing, begging, ‘’Please visit me for I am sick,’’ and ‘’Please come see me for I am lonely in prison,’’ in the form of a man.  Do not chase people away when they come to you asking for these things; see this rather as an opportunity to feed Christ, to quench His thirst on a hot day, to accommodate Him in your house, to clothe Him, to pray for Him when He is lying sick in a hospital bed, singing songs and comforting Him, and to visit Him in jail and share the Word of God with Him, giving Him hope.  Remember the Lord Jesus’ words:
 “…Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”  (Matthew 25:40)
Now how does one get a pure heart?  David, in his pursuit of a pure heart, prayed to God:
“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.”

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”   

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  (Psalm 51:2, 7, 10)
This is not a prayer for God to forgive our sins, it is a prayer for God to change our sinful nature, that is the corrupt and sinful man inside us; to give us a new heart and a new spirit.  It is us coming to the throne of God, washing ourselves in the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord, putting off the old man, casting away the evil thoughts in our hearts, and allowing God to prune us and to sanctify us in the name of Jesus by the Spirit:
“O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved.  How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?”  (Jeremiah 4: 14)
And again:
“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
(2 Corinthians 7:1)

And again:

“If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”  (Ephesians 4:21-24)

Purification of heart, or sanctification, or pruning, is a process that each son and daughter of God  must undergo, that he or she may become a useful vessel in the Master’s hand, ready for good work.

“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’  But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.”  (2 Timothy 2:19-21)

Beloved, in truth I tell you that every believer desires to work for the LORD, but only a few endure the chastisement that makes one a vessel of honor:

“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“ My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
      Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
        For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
      And scourges every son whom He receives.”

“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.
 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”  (Hebrews 12:5-11)

Yes, we are all eager to work for the LORD but here is the truth: God MUST first work in us before He can work through us.  It takes time for God to transform us, because we are slow to learn, even though we sometimes feel that we are ready to serve God in a mighty way.  But God may still be pruning us, removing things from us, until we are empty of self.  Then it is Christ who lives in us and through us. This does not mean that God will not use us while He is working in us, God will use us in any stage of our walk with Him.   It took Paul the Apostle almost fourteen years of pruning for God to work mightily through him. With all of Paul’s biblical background and knowledge and doctrines of men, God took him aside into a desert to remove all ‘’self‘’ from him and all that Paul thought to be knowledge and truth.  God cast it out from Paul and taught him by revelation the glorious gospel of salvation by grace through faith. Praise the LORD! Amen! This is what Paul had to say after God was done with him:
 
 “Though I also might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”  (Philippians 3:4-11)

And again:

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  (Galatians 2:20)

This is how the purification of the heart works:

·        You are a stained and dirty white garment;
·        The blood of Christ is the cleansing water;
·        The Word of God is the washing powder;
·        The Holy Spirit is the washing machine or brush;
·        Your prayers are the pegs.

Now let us study them:

The dirty garment:  The dirty garment is you, and the stains are your sins that must be washed away.  You must make the decision that you no longer want to live, so that Christ may live in you and through you and that you may become a vessel of honor.  Then, you come to the throne of grace and submit yourself to God:

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”  (James 4:7-10)

The cleansing water:  The cleansing water is the blood of Christ Jesus our Lord.  This is where you must soak yourself in.  This is what God uses to cleanse us.  So you must ask God to wash you with the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord:

“The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  (1 John 1:7)

“These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”  (Revelation 7:14)
                                                                                                                                
The washing powder:  The washing powder is the Word of God.  The Word of God is Truth.  Amen!  It sanctifies us, replaces all the lies of the devil and opens our eyes.  It takes us from darkness into the Light, which is Christ. The more you read and study the Word of God, the more God will transform you and will conform you to the image of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord!  Therefore, get acquainted with the Bible, make it your best friend, eat each word day and night. Then you will be cleansed and sanctified. Hear the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sanctification:

“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” (John 17:15-19)

“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3)

“How can a young man cleanse his way?
         By taking heed according to Your word.
  With my whole heart I have sought You;
         Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
  Your word I have hidden in my heart,
         That I might not sin against You
.” (Psalm 119:9-11)
The washing machine or the brush:  The Holy Spirit is the washing machine or the brush.  If you wash a white garment in the washing machine without using washing powder, the garment would not be cleansed.  Even so, the Holy Spirit needs the Word of God in you to sanctify you.  The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God, the truth, to sanctify us:
“And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”  (1 Corinthians 6:11)  

The pegs:  Prayers are the pegs that hang your cleansed heart on the grace of God, the same way that pegs prevent the newly washed white garments from falling onto the ground and getting dirty again.  Your prayers will keep you from falling again into sin.  It is true--the more you pray, the less you sin.

“Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ for you.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)

Finally, my dear beloved, I speak after the manner that we know because of the infirmities of our hearts.  I pray that the LORD finds us worthy on that great and dreadful Day of the LORD.  Who can stand it?

“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?’  And I said to him, ‘Sir, you know.’ So he said to me, ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’”  (Revelation 7:13-14)

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” Amen!   (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

May grace of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you at His coming.  Amen!

Meditation:  I am a work in progress.  God is busy working in me both to will and to do His good pleasure.

Prayer points:  LORD, please reveal to me where I am not cooperating with Your Holy Spirit.  Please search my heart, oh my God, and show me my iniquities, so that I may repent and cast them away from me in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord!  Amen!

Commitment:  I commit myself into Your hands, oh LORD, that by Your grace I will live a holy life, living according to Your Word.  I will seek You with all my heart.  Please do not let me stray from Your commandments.  I will hide Your Word in my heart that I may not sin against You.  Amen!


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