"And God saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5 KJV)
The late Muhammed Ali made a striking
statement about the heart in 1978: "The personality of a person, the
ways of a person, the thoughts, the deeds and the actions, it's all
based around the heart. For what is a man? A man is his heart."
Whenever God looks at us, His utmost desire of
us is that our hearts be changed.
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new
spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out
of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26
KJV)
The reason that He devoutly longs for this
spiritual transformation is that He wants us to be like Him in our
thoughts, deeds, and actions, as everything about us is based on our
hearts.
"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
These are the things which defile a man." (Matthew 15:19-20a KJV)
To know if we have unclean hearts, we must pay
attention to our words, actions and lifestyles. If they are full of
immoral thoughts and evil imaginations, it's a sign that we need our
heart transformed and cleansed. That's how the heart is if we aren't
born again. It is also possible for people to live a clean, moral
lifestyle, but to have a stony heart, if they have never surrendered to
obey the lordship of Jesus Christ. And some of us become born again and
still continue in worldliness. That's also an indication that we need
our hearts purged.
Friend, here is the good news: it is
absolutely possible to have a clean heart, surrendered to Jesus, and
cleansed and forgiven of our sin, no matter how dirty one's heart might
be. Paul tells us:
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2a KJV)
In achieving this, firstly, we must be born
again and Spirit-filled, by repenting of our sin and receiving the
Spirit of Jesus.
Secondly, as believers, we must steadily fill
our hearts with God's Word daily, letting the Word dwell in us richly.
We must resist and cast out every imagination from the devil to sin:
lust, fornication, unforgiveness, anger, malice, hatred, and many
others.
Lastly, we must ask God in our prayers daily
to purge our hearts clean of every sin with the precious blood of Jesus.
Take time out and examine your heart today.
Pray with me:
Prayer:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, that I might not be far from You.
Purge me of every filthiness, and renew a right spirit within me. In
Jesus' mighty name, I pray. Amen.
Owen Osa
Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
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