Post by Zac Loh on Jul 18, 2010 10:58:39 GMT -5
In The Integrity Of Our Heart
Genesis 20:1-6
And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. (Genesis 20:6)
God prevented King Abimelech from sinning because of the integrity in King Abimelech’s heart. This is the goodness of God. How many times has God intervened to save you from sinning? Too many times to remember, I guess. Why? It was the integrity of your heart at that moment of time.
Together with me, let us reflect and ponder over these three points, let us be reminded - what makes God keep us from sinning:
1. HONEST ABOUT OUR FEELINGS
To cope with distress, setback, difficulty or temptation; I frequently deny my feelings of them. My modus operandi was to never acknowledge to myself the negative, wayward or destructive feelings. But you know what, it didn’t solve the problem, it only prolonged it.
Feelings are an integral part of the human make-up. To deny our feelings is to dismember ourselves, making ourselves dysfunctional.
When temptation is a feeling within, when our feelings are sinful, the way forward is to be honest about it, acknowledging our feelings to ourselves and to God. Denying our feelings is a hindrance to our walk in the Spirit. Once we acknowledge our true feelings which are either brooding or roaring in our heart, it becomes the first step called confession.
Confession is more than words. Confession is an open honest admittance of what is within.
2. GOD RELATES TO US IN OUR HEART
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)
Strengthened With Might Through His Spirit
Be filled with His Spirit. Pray and ask God to fill us with His Spirit. Give more space in our heart to the Lord.
Ask God to enable us to surrender the difficult areas where preoccupations, issues and concerns are lodged-in. Only by His grace can we do it. Ask and pray, say, “Yes, Lord.” Cry, “Yes, Lord” in humility.
Give Him our obsession. Give Him our fears. “Lord, I give you the inner recesses of my heart.”
We need to ask God to fill us, over and over again.
Then, rest our heart, rest in the Lord. His is faithful. It is His grace.
Being Rooted And Grounded In Love
After our spiritual high, do not get self-absorbed. The Holy Spirit flows into our heart to flow out to others. The Spirit touches other lives through us.
When we care for others, we please God. When we serve for the sake of others, God will extend special grace to us, to keep us, to uphold us, to lift us up when we are down.
A sure way to lose the anointing; is to get self-absorbed. Because being self-absorbed leads to isolation, a self-absorbed person is prone to deception.
A mark of true spirituality is the divine love of God.
Able To Comprehend The Width And Length And Depth And Height – To Know The Love Of Christ Which Passes Knowledge
This is a tricky verse. In the natural, we can measure things. But Paul was praying that the saints would know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.
What passes knowledge, is spiritual comprehension by experiencing God’s love.
The spiritual experience of God’s love can’t be measured naturally.
So, Paul was asking God that the saints try to measure naturally, which they would find it impossible. And then they would know that the love of Christ passes knowledge, they would know this love of Christ which passes knowledge. They would have had spiritual experience of God’s love which goes beyond head knowledge.
God wants us to experience His Love in our heart. God wants us to know Him in our heart.
3. PURE HEART, GOOD CONSCIENCE AND SINCERE FAITH
Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, (1 Timothy 1:5)
The effects of God’s love are pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith – these are the results of God’s love in us.
When God’s love is flowing through us, there is no selfishness but to bless the other person, whether it appears so or not. Our conscience will confirm this by the Holy Spirit (Romans 9:1).
And whatever we ask for, from God, will be pure; thus, glorifying God. This is what it means by sincere faith, no ulterior motive.
Love is the motivation for holiness. We want to be holy because we love God who is holy. Because we love God; God knows that we don’t desire to sin. So, by His grace, He keeps us from sinning in moments when there is integrity in our heart.
Genesis 20:1-6
And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. (Genesis 20:6)
God prevented King Abimelech from sinning because of the integrity in King Abimelech’s heart. This is the goodness of God. How many times has God intervened to save you from sinning? Too many times to remember, I guess. Why? It was the integrity of your heart at that moment of time.
Together with me, let us reflect and ponder over these three points, let us be reminded - what makes God keep us from sinning:
1. HONEST ABOUT OUR FEELINGS
To cope with distress, setback, difficulty or temptation; I frequently deny my feelings of them. My modus operandi was to never acknowledge to myself the negative, wayward or destructive feelings. But you know what, it didn’t solve the problem, it only prolonged it.
Feelings are an integral part of the human make-up. To deny our feelings is to dismember ourselves, making ourselves dysfunctional.
When temptation is a feeling within, when our feelings are sinful, the way forward is to be honest about it, acknowledging our feelings to ourselves and to God. Denying our feelings is a hindrance to our walk in the Spirit. Once we acknowledge our true feelings which are either brooding or roaring in our heart, it becomes the first step called confession.
Confession is more than words. Confession is an open honest admittance of what is within.
2. GOD RELATES TO US IN OUR HEART
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)
Strengthened With Might Through His Spirit
Be filled with His Spirit. Pray and ask God to fill us with His Spirit. Give more space in our heart to the Lord.
Ask God to enable us to surrender the difficult areas where preoccupations, issues and concerns are lodged-in. Only by His grace can we do it. Ask and pray, say, “Yes, Lord.” Cry, “Yes, Lord” in humility.
Give Him our obsession. Give Him our fears. “Lord, I give you the inner recesses of my heart.”
We need to ask God to fill us, over and over again.
Then, rest our heart, rest in the Lord. His is faithful. It is His grace.
Being Rooted And Grounded In Love
After our spiritual high, do not get self-absorbed. The Holy Spirit flows into our heart to flow out to others. The Spirit touches other lives through us.
When we care for others, we please God. When we serve for the sake of others, God will extend special grace to us, to keep us, to uphold us, to lift us up when we are down.
A sure way to lose the anointing; is to get self-absorbed. Because being self-absorbed leads to isolation, a self-absorbed person is prone to deception.
A mark of true spirituality is the divine love of God.
Able To Comprehend The Width And Length And Depth And Height – To Know The Love Of Christ Which Passes Knowledge
This is a tricky verse. In the natural, we can measure things. But Paul was praying that the saints would know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.
What passes knowledge, is spiritual comprehension by experiencing God’s love.
The spiritual experience of God’s love can’t be measured naturally.
So, Paul was asking God that the saints try to measure naturally, which they would find it impossible. And then they would know that the love of Christ passes knowledge, they would know this love of Christ which passes knowledge. They would have had spiritual experience of God’s love which goes beyond head knowledge.
God wants us to experience His Love in our heart. God wants us to know Him in our heart.
3. PURE HEART, GOOD CONSCIENCE AND SINCERE FAITH
Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, (1 Timothy 1:5)
The effects of God’s love are pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith – these are the results of God’s love in us.
When God’s love is flowing through us, there is no selfishness but to bless the other person, whether it appears so or not. Our conscience will confirm this by the Holy Spirit (Romans 9:1).
And whatever we ask for, from God, will be pure; thus, glorifying God. This is what it means by sincere faith, no ulterior motive.
Love is the motivation for holiness. We want to be holy because we love God who is holy. Because we love God; God knows that we don’t desire to sin. So, by His grace, He keeps us from sinning in moments when there is integrity in our heart.