THINK" SERIES: PART 9 - "WHATEVER IS PURE"

 THINK BIBLICALLY - #5

 " Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things". (Philippians 4:8)

For decades in America, Ivory Soap was considered the purest soap in the market, for sale to anyone. Of course, it was not actually 100% pure. There is no such thing. Ivory was sold as 99 44/100% pure. Today, organic and homemade soaps lack any chemical impurities and may claim the same - pure.

The Scriptural exhortation in our key verse - Phil. 4:8 - is even more intensely pure than the most natural soap which can make the physical clean. The Biblical Greek word for "pure" is hagios which has a distinctive meaning. It is not just to be free from sin, impure thoughts and conduct, or just plain innocent, but to be free from defilement. You and I may think we do not defile God or ourselves. So what does that even mean?

Actually, Jesus Himself told us! He says in Matthew Chapter 15. He says two important things about what defiles a man (person). In Verse 11, Jesus says "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Even if people say the first thing that comes to their heads, they will still have to briefly consider that thought. In verse 15, Jesus is talking about a thought that is NOT good, which will defile the person.

Then, a few verses later, He got even more specific and scary. Scary in the sense of this: we had better pay attention to our thoughts, even if we consider ourselves above the fray and free from all evil. Jesus says in Verses 18-20a "Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man."

But there is more to it than that. Not everyone walks around with the thoughts that Jesus describes above.  Maybe at one time, we violated every one of those sins. But there are thoughts that we cannot control that invade our minds at the most inopportune time, especially when we are praying!

Many of us prayer warriors remember this one - we would be deep in prayer and boom! Out of the blue, a completely unrelated worldly thought comes across our minds and threatens to almost disconnect our conversation with our Heavenly Father. We do have the power within us, due to being born-again and indwelled with the Spirit of Christ, to cast that thought out and get back on track!

There is no Christian who ever lived, who has never had that happen to them in prayer. So keep control of the narrative. Stay in the Scriptures. The evil one, the devil and accuser of the brethren's job is to take our joy, our journey with Jesus and the fact that we are joint heirs with Christ - away from us. 

Keep your mind on Christ. Keep praying to Him and staying away from disputes, indiscretions and even disgusting people. Focus on the good of anything - food, nature, your co-workers, your family, God!  The more you fellowship with the good, the easier it is to maintain a good, clean heart and one that will be open to what the Lord is doing today in your life. Amen

Father in the Mighty Name of Jesus, I thank You that through it all, you were with us even in the depths of our depravity. Even in our depraved thoughts, words, and deeds. But You saved us. You pulled us out of the muck and the mire and put a new song in our hearts. A hymn of praise to our God - You, oh Lord, our Heavenly Father and King Jesus the Savior. Thank You again, Lord, and keep working in us, to make us more like You, in Spirit and in Truth, in Jesus' Strong Name amen. 

Image Credit: Free Christian Illustrations

KEYS TO A GODLY LIFE PART 11/12 - BE ON THE ALERT!

THE DAWN OF GLORY SERIES:

PLEASE READ THE PASSAGE, THEN - WATCH THE BRIEF EXPOSITION FROM THE PLUMBLINE VIDEO:

2 Peter 2:1-22

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who willsecretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and intheir greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.

Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, 11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like unreasoning animals,born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.

17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

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