BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD (MATTHEW 5:8)
My dear brethren, thank you for your continuous following of our discourse on the clear heart. The contents in part one has a few of us conversing about discovered insights. One very imperative insight gained is this: Except the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain. The new revised standard version quotes Psalm 127:1 in this manner: Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it, labor in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.
Let’s hang out here for a little bit. Now this scripture has many insights yet, we choose to elaborate on one of the many in the following manner. “If God doesn’t do it by his Spirit, it will not get done.” A clear and clean heart is not a condition that man can obtain through his strengths, his knowledge and physical abilities. The error made in the entire Christian walk is the error of leaning to our own understanding and pursuing the things of God apart from him. The plan of salvation is the plan of God. The plan for our lives in Christ is the plan of God therefore, we must and should acknowledge him in all of our ways and he will direct our paths. The clear heart knows that apart from God and his directions, life in Christ is not a successful walk but instead, is a messy walk. Much of the conversations that I’ve had with believers lately shows a messy walk in Christ which is indicative of not allowing God by his Spirit, to build the house. Their test and trials are viewed outwardly and dealt with outwardly through finger pointing and accusations instead of taking an inside look. Our test and trials are for our benefit. Our tests and trials have to do more with us than with other people. Our test and trials are to make, shape, mold and mature us in Christ. Though Becky, Bobby, Sally or Sue, Slim, Jim and the rest of them, may be used in our trial or test, the test isn’t about them as much as it is about you. And for each person used, the test and trial are for his or herself benefit as well.
Please bear in mind that reaching the clear heart status does not mean that you have arrived. This condition does not mean that you will not need any more teachings, any more guidance, or instructions. In this condition, maturity in Christ reaches high levels. In this condition the believer begins to seriously settle in Christ and more readily yield him or herself to be conformed to the very image of Christ not from a “have to” but from a “want to” standpoint.
In the clear heart condition, we come face to face with what we were shown about ourselves in the mixed heart condition. We come face to face with the mixtures that we’ve now finally made a conscious decision about not wanting to hold on to anymore. We’ve become settled in our hearts about those areas that had caused interference with God in our mixed heart condition, and we’ve sincerely repented and called out to God for help. Now the Holy Spirit begins to uproot the mixture, area by area; creating within us a clear and clean heart; a heart that will not accept sinning as a way of life; a heart that sincerely wants to be the very epitome of Jesus Christ; a heart that is bent on pleasing God in every turn and is not satisfied with being the typical professing believer.
Song writer, Singer, Fred Hammond and Radicals for Christ sang a song entitled “Give me a Clean Heart.” Please intensely read the lyrics to this song.
#1. Give me a clean heart To see You like I should, hey To walk the path that’s right, To do the things You would. Give me a clean heart And I will serve nobody but You
# 2. Give me a clean heart to lose the double mind, To believe You when You tell me Everything will be just fine#3. Just lay Your hands on me Lord, And I will be brand new. And I am calling out to You For a strength exchange. I will gladly take Your joy for my weakness.Give me a clean heart And I will serve nobody but You, yeah#4. Give me a clean heart; A better one I pray; To stay on the path You’ve chosen and stick with it all the way. Give me a clean heart And I will serve nobody but You
#5. Give me a clean heart I’m coming now to You To keep my heart from fainting, this is all I know to do.Just lay Your hands on me, Lord And I will be brand new, And I am worshiping Your great and holy nameI’m determined to have life With no chains. Give me a clean heart And I will serve nobody but You.
Notice from the lyrics the following eye-opening insight: “Any other heart condition aside from the clear heart condition is, serving something and somebody else except the Lord. Take careful note of the contrast between the mixed heart and the clear heart. Let’s tear the lyrics apart for a few seconds. The lyrics were numbered for this very reason.
# 1. The clear heart sees and views God in the way we should; not in the way that we want to. By this I mean: the mixed heart doesn’t see God in the light that it should. The mixed heart through its mixture does not see a Holy and Righteous God who deserves the full adoration, praise and obedience of man whereas, the clear heart sees the Lord in his glory, in his righteousness. The clear heart sees and observes God in his majesty, in his power, and honors the Lord in more than words but, with his or her life. The clear heart sees the Lord exalted, high and lifted up above everything created and bows his or her heart and mind before his majesty and has no other God before or above him. The mixed heart has many gods with self being its primary god. Whenever our ways outweigh God’s way, and our ways take precedence over God’s word and his ways then we are serving self and not God. We have bowed down to self and not to God. The mixed heart creates a God who accepts his or her sin and pats them on the hand and not deal with what is not pleasing to him whereas; the clear heart see’s God as he really is and turns away from sins and ways that are not acceptable to God; through the power of the Holy Spirit. The clear heart does not attempt to justify sin in his or her life but acknowledges it, confesses it and yields him or herself to the Holy Spirit for cleansing of unrighteousness. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John1:9) A clear heart leads us to walking the path that we should in the Lord. The clear heart leads us into faithful service to the Lord. A clear heart leads us into full commitment to the Lord. And I will serve nobody God but you.
#2. The clear heart moves away from double mindedness to full faith and trust in the Lord. The clear heart accepts what God says and trust what God says with no ifs, and or buts about it and waits on the fulfillment of his spoken and written word. As we can see dear followers the clear heart condition is where the greatest of maturity in Christ takes place and were yielding to the Holy Spirit’s instructions and unctions is not a second thought. The clear heart condition is where the settling and establishing in Christ takes place. I Peter 5: 10 from the King James Version of the Bible says this: But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. God is able to establish you—to get you to the place spiritually where your walk with Him cannot be shaken, where the testing of your faith will only make it stronger—to place you securely and permanently in a position of faith, a situation of blessing, and a condition of peace. The clear heart condition is where we begin to learn God and experience God in levels unimaginable and his word becomes not just resident in us but becomes president in us. We begin to allow God’s words and his ways to be our full governing agent and it is here, that our love for him intensifies so much so that we seek earnestly to please him. He becomes our life and nothing else matters. In other words; in the clear heart status we fully die to self and become fully alive in and to Christ. This settling of course is not by our might, or power but is accomplished by the Spirit of God.
Let’s take an inside look into the passage of scripture that lyric #2 is referencing. James 1:5-8 from the King James Bible says this: 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
James uses the word double minded describing someone who is divided in his interests or loyalties, wavering, uncertain, two-faced, halfhearted. Below we have borrowed a few definitions from various online sites to define double mindedness.
To be double-minded means accepting two sets of contrasting beliefs. The term double-minded is only found in the book of James and the word double-minded here means someone with two minds or two souls. This person has two desires that will conflict with one another.
A double-minded person is restless and confused in his thoughts, his actions, and his behavior. Such a person is always in conflict with himself. A mind that is constantly wavering, undecided and unstable.
Let’s address the conflict really quick.
We may have mentioned in earlier post about the believer having two natures whereas the sinner has one nature. The believer has still his sin nature and he has the sinless nature of Christ within. Accepting the Lord Jesus in our hearts provides the benefit of the Holy Spirit coming and setting up residency in us. He is the governing agent within us that keeps up from following the sin nature that once dominated us yet know that his keeping power has its perfect work within the believer when the believer yields to the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Many are the conflicts within the lives of believers who fight against the Holy Spirit and the word of God to do things fleshly and sinful. This is a great battle for those of them who are in the mixed heart status. Having both natures the war that takes place is the heart of the believer is the battle of the Spirit fighting for presidency against the sin nature that wants dominance. So…. who wins? You Decide.
In lyric 2 the song writer says to the Lord: “Give me a clean heart To lose the double mind, To believe You when You tell me Everything will be just fine” This lyric, like the passage from the book of James, is talking about being doubtful and seeking wisdom, answers, insights and guidance from other sources besides God. Now I know many of us will say; ” hey I don’t do that” When you seek out horoscopes, you are seeking a wisdom and knowledge apart from God. When you seek out the words and minds of sources other than God, we seek out a wisdom to weigh against the wisdom of God so we can have options. We must not look for wisdom from sources that are opposite to God and then compare His wisdom against others to decide which we will follow. In consulting physics and soothsayers. mediums, witch doctors and the such like, we are seeking a wisdom other than God. We can consult godly advisors, and look to God’s creation, but we can’t weigh His wisdom against that of the world before we decide who to trust. In my opinion this is a slap in God’s face. Really???? There is no wonder that we won’t receive anything from the Lord.!! How can the created know more than the Creator? Let’s hear what God had to say about this. We will list a number of scripture passages that will confirm what we’ve mentioned about seeking sources and wisdom other than God. We will list old and New Testament passages. In your directed time from the Holy Spirit please visit these passages and allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you.
OLD Testament
Leviticus 19:31 “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 20:6 “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. Isiah 8:19 And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? Deuteronomy 18: 9-12 “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.
Please know that there are other passages in the Old Testament that addresses the topic at hand.
NEW TESTAMENT
Acts 16:16-19 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. (Please notice an insight in this passage that is most imperative to our knowing). The power of divination is a demonic spirit. Divination is a demon-controlled power. If there is righteousness in this practice, there would have been no need to take control of the spirit. Notice also that it is the power and authority in the name of Jesus that is able to stop this spirit’s control within a practicing participant.)
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Revelation 22:15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Bear in mind dear readers: The bible is not a book that goes through hourly, weekly, monthly or yearly updates. What was written in the beginning to the completion of the bible has always been. Its contents do not change. So, then it is not God who has changed his mind about sin; it is man who has changed his own mindset about sin. It is man who listens to the doctrines, the instructions and advise of devils that has deceived man to believe that sin is alright. Do know that just because we change our minds about sin, it does not null, and void judgements and penalties set by God who is our righteous Judge.
So, as we can see from the word of God and as we have heard from the mouth of God: seeking wisdom and insights from sources other than God in reference to our lives is not just sin but is also a direct insult to God.
NOBODY GREATER
Vashawn Mitchell a wonderful singer, sang a song entitled “Nobody Greater” Now if this song was written and sang by someone set out on a mission to find the true and living God having had no previous knowledge or connection with God, I then can understand the search. But if the song was written and sang by a person already in Christ and is experiencing the Lord daily and he sets out on a search to see if there is someone greater and or seeks to find someone to whom he or she can compare God with then he or she is in a pitiful state. Let’s check out these lyrics.
I climbed up to the highest mountain Looked all around, couldn’t find nobodyWent down into the deepest valley Looked all around down there, couldn’t find nobody
I went across the deep blue sea Couldn’t find one to compareTo your grace, your love and mercy Nobody greater, nobody greater than you
Searched all over, couldn’t find nobody I looked high and low, still couldn’t find nobodyNobody greater, nobody greater no Nobody greater than you
Searched all over, couldn’t find nobody I looked high and low, still couldn’t find nobodyNobody greater, nobody greater Nobody greater than you
Nobody can heal, like you can Oh most holy one you are the Great I AmAwesome in all your ways and mighty is your hand You are He who carried out redemption’s planYou are He who carried out redemption’s plan Searched all over, couldn’t find nobody I looked high and low, still couldn’t find nobody Nobody greater, nobody greater Jesus Nobody greater than you
The clear heart is one that is fully connected to God. He or she knows that God Is. The title “True and Living God already lets us know there is no one greater so then…why the search? “I AM THAT I AM” says there is no one greater. In the Exodus history of God, Moses and Pharaoh: Pharaoh with all his many gods had to confess that there is no one greater than the I AM THAT I AM. In the book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar having many gods, had to confess more than once that there is non Greater than Yahweh, the true and living God. Please take special note of the word “living“. This word is ascribed to God. “Creator” already says there is non greater. Why the search? Why would we even want another option. Be you sinner or saint please know that the redemption plan was laid out and carried out in the person of Jesus Christ. There is nobody greater. Not even antichrists or cult leaders have taken the measures taken by Jesus to redeem man. I don’t care what the religion or belief, no leaders have taken the step to die in order to redeem. If a leader would even dare to undertake such a thing, all of his efforts would be futile. Redemption is only through Jesus Christ. A search to find someone greater than God when you are already in him in my opinion, is a waste of time and speaks of double mindedness. The clear heart takes God as he is. A clear heart sees God for who he is and that settles it. He doesn’t look for or to the wisdom of the world, the wisdom of man, the wisdom and directions of the psychics, the mediums, the stars. The clear heart does not bypass God and look to others and things for insight. The clear heart does not seek the wisdom of God then run off to see if there is another knowledge worthy to be compared with God’s. Really??? Lyric #2. The clean heart loses its once double mindedness and accepts the wisdom of God as is and runs with it.
Lyric #3 Just lay Your hands on me Lord, And I will be brand new. And I am calling out to You For a strength exchange. I will gladly take Your joy for my weakness. Give me a clean heart And I will serve nobody but You, yeah.
The passages of scripture that we will reflect on in reference to lyric three is: Matthew 5:3:3Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.1 Corinthians 5:17 KJV:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Though there are many insights to these passages of scriptures, we choose to reflect on the passage 3 of Matthew 5 in the following manner:
In the clear heart condition, the believer recognizes by the Spirit of God his spiritual weaknesses and short comings. Just recently I had a person say to me, “you’re not perfect.” My response to the statement was: ” I walk close enough with God daily and can see my imperfections and what I do is recognize and confess my imperfections.”
The clear heart recognizes his spiritual poverty, the areas where he is not yet strong, the areas where failure meets and greets, the areas that only God can strengthen and perfect by his Spirit. In Lyric 3 the songster calls out for a strength exchange. He looks diligently to the Lord who is the only one to strengthen and heal our weaknesses. In this process, as the clear heart sees the results of what surrender to the Holy Spirit does to his areas of weakness, he finds great joy in the transformations and receives the joy of the Lord through complete surrender. Remember that the key to strengthened and healed weaknesses is the acknowledgement of spiritual poverty. Also remember this: The plan of salvation is the plan of God and is obtained through Jesus Christ. The inward work of the plan after receiving Jesus is the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Without these three agents there is no success in a walk with God. The part that we play is simple surrender and obedience. The clear hearts acknowledges that his or her newness is only obtainable through the working power of the Lord. The song writer acknowledges the fact that only newness can come from the Lord. Not only does he verbally ask for a makeover; he surrenders himself into the hands of the Lord for the makeover. The clear heart is a heart of action and not confession or word only.
#4 The songwriter asks for a better heart; a heart that will stay on the path God has chosen and stick with the chosen path all the way. In the mixed heart condition, there is what many veteran saints would call the “roller coaster saint.” This title was indicative to a believer who was high in the Lord today and down in the Lord the next day. In many ways this describes double mindedness. The clear heart knows there must be consistency and knows that to venture from the path God has ordered would lead to constant failure. The clear heart is asking for a strengthen will to go with God all the way to the coming of the Lord Jesus.
#5 Lyric 5 walks hand in hand with lyric 4. The songwriter cries out to the Lord to give him a heart that does not faint. Two passages of scripture comes to mind as I think on the plea for an unfailing heart.
Galatians 6: 9 from the king James Version of the Bible states this: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (New International Version.)
The other passage of scripture is: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa. 40:31).
The two words that I want to put emphasis on are the words weary and faint. Let’s hang out here for some minutes.
In this life boredom has a great power. Man becomes weary of things and people very quickly. For this cause man is always running, searching, seeking something new, something different to bring excitement and satisfaction. Once he has thought to have found it; all too quickly he becomes weary with it or them and the hunt is on again. Song writer BB King summed it up in four words: The Thrill is Gone!” Even in the walk with Christ the thrill goes. Test this truth for yourself. How many of us have the joy and excitement in the Lord that we had when we first believed? How many of us are diligent with our word reading and prayers as we were when we first believed? How is the urgency of our witnessing in comparison to when we first believed? How consistent is Jesus in our thought life, in our conversations, in our daily walk? How many of the things that we’d let go of when we first believed, have found their way back into our present lives?
Loosing heart and fainting has been addressed in several passages of the bible and I want us to keep in mind that the bible was written with the believer in mind. I am most sure that we all can agree that boredom has greeted us much in life even while being in Christ and walking with him. While walking with Christ? Really? Come on!!!
Weariness does greet the believer. Fainting and the temptation to faint does greet the believer. Many to most of the times believers will not admit to their weary state simply because he or she doesn’t think that weariness and or being fainthearted is something that should be made known. For this cause many believers go through this state alone with some recovering more quickly than others. In Psalm 27th chapter King David wrote about how the Lord was his healer, his direction, his strength and the very stronghold of his life. Acknowledging God as such he asked himself “of whom should he be afraid of in this earth. He’d experienced the hand of God and seen the move of God on his behalf when his enemies tried to devour him, and his family rose up against him. David’s confidence was in the Lord. David often had to encourage himself and remind himself in his times of becoming weary. In the 13th verse of this Psalm David stated: “I would have fainted if I had not believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
David admitted to his weariness. David confessed that he would have fainted if he’d concentrated on his weariness and not focused on what God had already done and would do while he yet remained in the earth. One of the most powerful insights of the 27th Psalm is the fact that in his state of weariness and being tempted to faint, David drew near to the Lord. He consistently prayed and sought the Lord. He believed God to strengthen a heart that could faint.
Why and to whom was the scriptures addressing when it advised us to be not weary in well doing? The key to understanding this passage is simply the meaning of the word weary. Weary carries the meaning of exhausted.: exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness.: 3.: having one’s patience, tolerance, or pleasure exhausted.
Faint: The word has definitions of being exhausted and weary, but there is one more definition in the Greek for the use of this word, which is: to be utterly spiritless, or to fail in heart.
PLEASE FOLLOW US TO THE CLEAR HEART PART III