Matthew 5:8 - Pure in Heart - Devotional Scriputure

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

This was the key verse at a women’s event I attended last weekend. God makes a remarkable promise in this verse; the pure in heart shall see God. The question is; do I have a pure heart?

When we think of purity, we might think of a righteous person whose motives are pure and has no flaws. If that is what this text is talking about than we are all hopeless because none of us are righteous.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). But that is not what Jesus is saying. He is speaking about the heart of a person whose sins have been forgiven and whose heart has been made new.  God is the only one who makes our hearts pure and He did it by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins.

The pure in heart are those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation.  At the moment of my salvation God declared that I have been washed clean.  He sees me as a saint. God has put His seal on me and declares that I am His (2 Cor. 1:22). He has made me positionally pure not by any works that I have done but by His redeeming work on the cross and one day I shall see God.

Have you had your heart cleansed? Can you unequivocally say that you have come to that point in your life where you have been humbled by your sin, mourned over it, confessed it to God and had your sin washed away?  If so, your heart has been made pure and you shall see God. If you've never come to that point in your life than God wants to wash your sins away.  He wants to make you pure in heart.

Eph. 5:18-20 Thankful Heart - Devotional Scripture

Last weekend’s challenge was to capture your negative thoughts and Phil. 4:6-8 them.  This weekend’s challenge is to have a grateful heart.  Instead of dwelling on the negative, begin to thank God for all the blessings He has given you. Instead of complaining, start praising.

". . . but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."—Ephesians 5:18-20

Having a grateful heart changes our perspective.  Expressing our thanks helps us remember that God is large and in charge. It reminds us of the bigger picture, that we belong to God and that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Our minds should be so filled with thanksgiving that we are constantly singing and making music in our hearts to the Lord.

This weekend, be on the lookout for blessings, making each day a treasure hunt. As the Lord reveals a blessing to you, express your gratitude by thanking and praising Him.

Isaiah 30 - Returning and Resting - Devotional Scripture

Throughout history the people of Israel have been known as a people of independence and great resourcefulness. They take great pride in being able to get out of sticky situations on their own.  Yet, this attitude of relying on our own abilities to get out of jams can get us into trouble. That is the situation in Isaiah 30. Knowing that they were about to be invaded by the Assyrians, instead of seeking God and His solution, the Jews formed an alliance with the Egyptians. Trying to protect themselves and save themselves they relied on their own abilities and carried out their own plans.  They sought advice from everyone but God. God called them stubborn, rebellious children.

 

 

"Woe to the rebellious children,” says the Lord, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who walk to go down to Egypt, and have not asked My advice, to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!   Isaiah 30:1-2

 

 God warned the people that turning to Egypt for military strength could not save them but they would not listen.

 

 

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it”

Isaiah 30:15 (NLT)

 

To return to God and rest in Him is to trust in His promises. When we trust God, we don't have to rely on ourselves to fix the problem. We don't have to run all about trying to protect or guard ourselves.  We can just rest in Him.

Our strength is found in quietness. We don't need to argue for our side when God is on our side. We can be quiet before Him and before others confidently knowing God’s got our back. We aren't given to despair or fear, because we trust God's promises. You know He can and will come through, and you have a deep confidence in the God who loves you.

This is where we find true strength. There is no person walking this earth more powerful than a child of God boldly and properly trusting the promise of God. People cannot shake you or break you when you trust the One who made you. Your salvation lies in returning to God and resting on Him. Your strength lies in quiet trust in God rather than frenzied flight to Egypt.   Look to the Strong for strength and trust in Him for your salvation. 

 

Phil. 4:6-8 - The Antidote To Your Fretting - Devotional Scripture

 

What is on your mind today?  Is there a fretful thought, fear or anxiety weighting you down? If so, Phil. 4 that thing! 

First, talk to God about it. Communicate your thoughts and fears to the Lord and thank Him in advance for answering your prayer knowing that He is going to bring the right and perfect answer to you.

Then, stop the negative thinking. If it's a strong, powerful thought you may have to literally put your hand in the air and say "STOP!" Change what you’re dwelling on and think on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy.  If you can't think of anything the meets all of these conditions than think on Jesus because He is ALL of these things. Combat your negative thoughts with the truth of God's word, sing your favorite worship song or your favorite REFIT® song.

You CAN control your thought life.

What is on your mind today?  Is there a fretful thought, fear or anxiety weighting you down? If so, Phil. 4 that thing! 

First, talk to God about it. Communicate your thoughts and fears to the Lord and thank Him in advance for answering your prayer knowing that He is going to bring the right and perfect answer to you.

Then, stop the negative thinking. If it's a strong, powerful thought you may have to literally put your hand in the air and say "STOP!" Change what you’re dwelling on and think on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy.  If you can't think of anything the meets all of these conditions than think on Jesus because He is ALL of these things. Combat your negative thoughts with the truth of God's word or sing your favorite worship song.

You CAN control your thought life.  Don’t waste another minute being held captive by your thoughts.  Enjoy your weekend!
 

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 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 4:6-8

James 4:1-4 The Cause of Quarrels & Fights - Devotional Scripture

 

In James 4:1-4, James explains that all this fighting comes from our selfish desires for pleasure that battles within us. Many times we want these desires so bad that we will fight and quarrel in order get them.

Link, my daughter’s adopted dog is a perfect picture of this text. Link was dropped off at a clinic with a broken back. He was a malnourished, abandoned and abused dog that didn’t like anyone. Heather took him home and nurtured him back to health.  Link struggles with fear issues, but once he trusts you he is the must lovable, playful dog you will ever meet. 

Link also has some strong selfish desires.  He craves the pleasure of sleep and he does not like it when he is instructed to get out of bed. This desire for sleep is so powerful that he becomes angry at anyone who gets in the way of his craving to stay in bed and he will growl ferociously at them.

Like Link, the strong selfish desires within us are constantly struggling to be satisfied.  We want what we want and if don’t get it we get mad and are willing to trample and fight anyone who seems to obstruct our progress.

Instead of aggressively grabbing what we want, we should submit ourselves to God, ask Him to help us get rid of our selfish desires and trust Him to give us good things. God delights in granting your heart’s desires.  When we delight ourselves in the Lord, He says He’ll give us the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4)

 

2 Corinthians 1:10 - He is our Deliverer Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow - Devotional Scripture

In 2 Cor. 1:8-9, we learn that Paul's trouble was so severe and beyond his natural powers of endurance that he thought he would never live through it. In verse 10, Paul remembered God’s faithfulness.  God delivered him in the past, He does deliver us in the present and He will deliver us in the future.

I can't remember all the things that bothered me 10 years age, 5 years ago or even last year because God delivered me and saw me through the difficulty. One of the biggest obstacles in our spiritual growth is that we don't judge Him faithful.  We have a tendency to forget how He saw us through hard times in the past.

The truth is He has delivered you; therefore give Him your thanks.  He is delivering you; therefore give Him your trust.  He will deliver you; therefore praise Him now for the mercy and grace that you have not yet experienced but He will grant you in the future.

He is our deliverer yesterday, today and tomorrow.  This side of heaven you may not know about all the times he has saved you from death, tragedy and a broken heart but you can be thankful for His faithfulness and you can depend on Him.

2 Cor. 1:8-9 Trust God Not Yourself - Devotional Scripture

 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.  Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.                            2 Corinthians 1:8-9

God allowed Paul to be brought to a place of extremity.  The trouble was so severe that Paul felt completely weighed down.  It was so beyond his natural powers of endurance that he thought he would never live through it. God brought Paul to this place so he would rely solely on the Lord God. Like Paul, most of us try to solve our problems with our own strength. Therefore, as He did with Paul, God brings us to the end of ourselves in order that we will have no other choice but to call upon Him and find in Him greater strength than we could ever find in our own ability.

It’s a glorious day when we finally come to the end of ourselves and realize we don’t’ need to go to another counselor, enroll in another program or read another self-help book but instead say, “All I need is you, Lord. I’m going to cling to you.  I’m going to depend on You. I need you to govern my life, to guide me, to strengthen me and to lift me up.”

Proverbs 4:23 Guard Your Heart - Devotional Scripture

What you believe in your heart affects the way you live. We must guard our hearts with all diligence, because it is out of the heart that the issues of life spring forth.

This weekend I didn’t do a very good job of guarding my heart.  An old wound from an unwelcome and unexpected place caused me to go into a downward spiral.  Instead of taking my thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:4), I chose to let my thoughts run rampant and that opened the door for an all-out attack from the enemy. He began using his old tactics to trap me and hold me captive and soon my peace and joy were gone and I felt depressed and worthless. Thank God I have a husband, who could see what was happening and pointed out that I was not guarding my heart.

That woke me up from the trance the enemy had me in and with God’s power, I was able to stand firm in His truth.  He gave me the strength to capture my thoughts, believe in His truth and apply it to my circumstances. It was a rough road.  It’s a lot harder for me to stand back up and believe God than it is to stay on the ground and wallow in self-pity and unbelief.  After much warfare, the enemy's grip finally loosened and I was able to stand in agreement with God; with that came His peace and His joy.

By guarding your heart, you stay locked on to God's will and when you are in God's will you have His joy in abundance, His strength holding you up and His peace guarding your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.