Passion & Purity-Matt. 5:8; 15:1-20
For the following blog entry, I am drawing heavily upon information I found in A Spiritual Formation Workbook by James Bryan Smith and Linda Graybeal
Jesus remained true to his mission throughout his testing and emerged pure at its end. His responses tell us much about the nature of sin and importance of purity.
The Bible makes it clear the people of God can be free from the power of sin!!!! Hallelujah!
Every time the commands of God were rejected in the Bible, disaster followed. Disaster still trails the heels of sin.
Why follow God’s commands? Because God knows the consequences of sin.
God’s commands are not rules that stifle our happiness or make us feel guilty. Commands are given to us that we might live abundantly.
Sin does not bring freedom, obedience to God does.
Holiness is something God wishes for us simply because it is the best way to live. The commandments of God are not meant to make our lives a dull drudgery, but to make them whole and full.
God’s plan completes and integrates our lives; sin disrupts and fragments our lives. While sin seems appealing on the surface—the fulfillment of all of our desires—beneath the surface lurks poison that will ultimately destroy us.
Sin is slop, it stains and ruins our souls. Living a holy life is not limited to the “super saints” rather it is healthy and functional for everyone
Jesus turns our attention away from ritual purity and points to the purity of heart from which flows unshakable obedience to God.
Not keeping God’s commandments is not an option for a serious believer.
Obedience is the natural outgrown of a life that is bound to God. If we are in love with God, we will obey his laws. Why? Because we love and trust God as a child loves and trusts a parent.
To trust and obey is at the heart of holiness for a disciple of Jesus.
Do the following and you will be able to keep the commands you were once unable to keep and do the things you were once unable to do.
HERE ARE SOME PRACTIAL HOLY THINGS TO DO DAILY!!!!!!
Tounge-if I tell myself to simply stop saying negative things, I will likely fail. But if I begin with the “inside”-praying for a pure heart and the committing to watch my words, then I open the door to the Spirit to begin helping me.
When I am about to say something negative, the Spirit speaks a word of caution to me, and that blessed split second change in my behavior possible.
Result is not “wow look at me”, but rather “God is beginning to shape and mold my life”.
-Pray for the Holy Spirit to purify your heart and mind; then listen. Set aside some time, where everything else can wait and you spend with God. Ask God to purify your heart and mind through the Holy Spirit, and surrender your life to Him.
-Respond to temptation with the word of God-Memorize the words of Scripture and when you are tempted by the enemy to 1 gratify selfish desires, 2 doubt God’s power, or 3 seek wealth, power, or fame, respond to the temptation the corresponding verse of Scripture. Jesus used the power of God through Scripture to defeat the devil, and so can we.
-Try a 24 hour partial fast-Jesus fasted in the wilderness to gain spiritual strength. The practice of fasting also reveals hidden traits-anger, selfishness, inability to delay gratification, laziness, and so on which can become areas for growth.
Only fast so you can “feast” upon God, realizing that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
-practice these two disciplines for “taming the tongue”-it is what comes out of our mouth that makes us unclean. Our words, like fire, can refine or destroy
-go a day without saying negative. In the morning ask the Holy Spirit to “set a guard over [your] mouth” (Ps. 141:3) to keep you from saying anything negative. Be ruthless about this!
Do not let even the slightest hint of criticism or judgment come out of your mouth. Be honest, not critical. Search for ways to positive about everything around you and be ready to give compliments as often as you can.