Fervent, Stragegy #7: Purity

Be mindful, "He tries to temp you towards certain sins, convincing you that you can tolerate them without risking consequences knowing they'll only wedge distance between you and God (Isaiah 59:1-2) (Page 16)." Sin not only builds a wall between us and God but it nurtures a breading ground for more sin. It numbs us from Gods truth but illuminating self. Satan knows that full well.

"If I were your enemy, I'd tempt you toward certain sins, making you believe they are basically (even biologically) unavoidable. I'd study your tendencies and proclivities till I learned  the precise conditions that make you the most likely to indulge them, And then I'd strike right there. Again and again. Wearing you down. Because if I can't separate you from God forever, I can at least set you at odds with Him for the time being (Page 119)."Our enemy is not all knowing but he is working very hard, studying us, learning our weaknesses. He cannot rob us of our salvation but he can convince us to forfeit our effectiveness.

Here are some key points I gleaned from this chapter:

• Satan is always searching for that perfectly timed low-blow. (Luke 4:13)
• "Obedience to God garners intimacy and nearness, divine blessing and favor. Always." (Page 122)
• "Disobedience creates a sense of distance and loss, grief and regret. Always." (Page 122)
• "Ripple effects of sin always affects your connection with the Father." (Page 122)
• "Impurity weakens your praying-which in turn weakens your power." (Page 122)
• Trying to maintain self-gratification and  a godly life we become divided and unstable. (James 1:7-8)
• Our sin cuts us off from God and He will not listen to our prayers. (Psalms 66:18, Isaiah 59:1-2)
• Righteous living matters for a fervent, effective prayer life! (James 5:16)
• Stay on guard!

"God calls you to purity because He wants your heart protected and at rest, inhospitable to the devil and his intentions." (Page 126) He wants us to be free from our chains, free to bless and encourage others. But the struggle is real isn't it! Paul says it best in Romans 7:15,18 "I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t." The definition of our human, sinful, selfish nature.

We must not fall into the trap that tells us not to bother since we are going to sin regardless of how hard we try. Remember what Romans 6:1-2 says, "Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?  Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?" I encourage you to dig deeper, because Romans 6  (and much of the entire book of Romans) is packed FULL of encouragement regarding our ability to overcome sin through Jesus's death on the cross. Sins power over us is broken! That is a truth, a promise from God, that we can take to the bank.

As I was reflecting on all of this and praying praise to God I found myself in awe of how compassionate He is towards me. He is so, so much greater then me but He stoops low to help me. I am overwhelmed that His omnipresence and omniscience and even through He knows how completely flawed I am he never gives up on me.

I flipped open my Bible in search of a verse that came to mind but the first page I turned to demanded my attention. I immediately forgot where I was intending to go. This is the beautiful nugget of truth I was lead to:

Psalm 139:1-16, 23, 24

¹ O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.

² You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

³ You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.

⁴ You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord.

⁵ You go before me and follow me.
    You place your hand of blessing on my head.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too great for me to understand!

⁷ I can never escape from your Spirit!
    I can never get away from your presence!

⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I go down to the grave,^[a] you are there.

⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning,
    if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    and your strength will support me.

¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
    and the light around me to become night—

¹²     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
    Darkness and light are the same to you.

¹³ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

¹⁵ You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

The Spirit really moved in me as I prayed this passage to God in praise! Even typing this now I am stunned by His grace. He knows and intimately understands literally every piece of my existence far beyond what I think I know about myself. In light of that He still loves me unconditionally and patiently guides me as I stumbled over and over again. How great is our God!