Don’t Cheat the Lord.
“God blesses those people whose hearts are pure. They will see him! Matthew 5:8
God is redefining many of us. We are taking our shoes off and feeling the ground beneath them and being steered along the straight and narrow.
The blessing for those with pure hearts is to be able to see God in everything in our lives.
To see Him as He is for each one of us individually. He alone can see into our hearts and can see where we are cheating Him either knowingly or in ignorance.
In these times what might we need to get rid of?
Are there aspects of New Age sorcery, occult that we are linked into?
Are we worshipping and looking to some people more than Him?
Are we breaking any promises that we have made to Him?
Are we doing what He has asked of us?
The Holy Spirit bears witness to these or any other impurities in us and he brings it to the surface to be dealt with.
Not to judge us for punishment but on our behalf.
He brings it up to be got rid of to eliminate the chinks in the armour that we need to be protected by from the accuser’s lies.
The fire of God is a place that can be painful. He doesn’t always touch us as with a feather but in the rebirthing that takes place, the yielding we emerge being able to embrace God again.
Purity comes from God
He can pull impurity out and set us free.
“If the Son gives you freedom, you are free!” John 8:36
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
We can take comfort also in the knowledge that non of us are perfect and He is quick to forgive what we confess.
We can walk side by side, in intimacy with the King of Kings and call Him ABBA Father but we need also to know Who He is and be in awe and respect Him.
If we are going to carry His name as Christians we are going to carry revelation of Him and how can that be authentic if it is not being carried in purity.
The world may know sin but they equally recognise what is authentic and sham.
We are called to be set apart, different to set Him who we represent apart.
‘You have been set apart as Holy to the Lord.’
The illustration is the refiners fire. Burning away what is not of Him and refining the pure precious gold or silver
Two scriptures that come to mind:
“The Lord All-Powerful said: I’m now on my way to judge you. And I will quickly condemn all who practice witchcraft or cheat in marriage or tell lies in court or rob workers of their pay or mistreat widows and orphans or steal the property of foreigners or refuse to respect me. Descendants of Jacob, I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I never change. That’s why you haven’t been wiped out, even though you have ignored and disobeyed my laws ever since the time of your ancestors. But if you return to me, I will return to you. And yet you ask, “How can we return?””Malachi 3:5-7 CEV
“Then the Lord All-Powerful said: You people are precious to me, and when I come to bring justice, I will protect you, just as parents protect an obedient child. Then everyone will once again see the difference between those who obey me by doing right and those who reject me by doing wrong.”Malachi 3:17-18 CEV
The song is Oh come to the Altar. Elevation
https://youtu.be/rYQ5yXCc_CA.
Lessisgreater 
Hi Jan, I thought that the blog today was awesomely powerful, such a strong message. I wanted to reply with my own thoughts, NOTHING!! so I read it again, same impact, a stirring blog, NOTHING! Third reading of the day (a few hours between each reading) and what stuck in my mind was, ‘taking your shoes off’ I thought about the Old Testament with Moses being told to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. On Saturday we were looking at Ruth when Boaz exchanged his sandal with the unnamed relative to seal the deal for the land, and Ruth of course. I thought about when I get home and take off my work shoes, ahhhhh that feeling of comfort. But then what if I were to go to work without shoes, where would my security be then, unsure, unsafe, vulnerable, hesitant, lots of negativity. And yet in the New Testament we read in Ephesians about being shod, and was it Peter who the angel said but on your sandals whilst he was in jail. Foot ware is so important it gives us confidence to go out into the big wide world whether to play sport, work, leisure, or just a status symbol.
So, to take off your shoes, is to be submissive to God, to take away our confidence and rely on Him, walk with our creator, not in our strength but in His.
I looked at the picture and wasn’t sure, so I zoomed in, it looked like a nest with tiny birds flying around it, I looked at the picture before I read the blog. How wrong I was!! Just goes to show, you have to study the write up before you jump to conclusions. 😂😂
Thanks Jan
Xx
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Hi Dave It’s always so good to read your thoughts. So many discerning progressions of ideas developed. Strangely enough I was sketching a sandalled foot of Jesus as I was reflecting on Jesus intercession for us in prayer. Intercession means standing in the shoes of. So it as if our issues are His. Doesn’t get more relational and intimate than that. Makes some wordy predictable prayers a bit superficial in that light! Thanks as always Dave. Xx
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Hi Dave It’s always so good to read your thoughts. So many discerning progressions of ideas developed. Strangely enough I was sketching a sandalled foot of Jesus as I was reflecting on Jesus intercession for us in prayer. Intercession means standing in the shoes of. So it as if our issues are His. Doesn’t get more relational and intimate than that. Makes some wordy predictable prayers a bit superficial in that light! Thanks as always Dave. Xx
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