Red, White, and New

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

  Purity: The dictionary would define it as "the condition or quality of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes, etc. freedom from guilt or evil; innocence." Now I know there are some of you who may shrink down in your seat at the word and think, "nope, that definitely doesn't describe me." Well hey big fat lie telling anyone that, it's time for you to get stomped on! 

  There was a time when I viewed purity through eyes of pride. I thought I was "above" anything that could taint it. In fact, I would judge anyone who had devalued it. My how the Lord loves to humble us! I won't go into details of the ways in which I let sin gain a foothold in my life, or gave satan an upper hand in bringing shame to my mind, because it simply comes down to the fact that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It wasn't until I knew who I actually was in Christ, and how much the enemy hated me finding that out, that I knew there was something deeper going on here. 

  

  There are a lot of things in this world that can contaminate purity. Since I know what floods our society today, I'll focus on that as an example. A lot of us have dealt with a spirit of lust that can lead to masturbation, pornography addiction, divorce, premarital sex, etc (in the very least, even looking at a person in lust is like committing adultery in your heart...this stuff is serious). This may seem a little blunt, but it's the REALITY of the enemy that is in our land, and we need to know what's at stake. We have heard the lies that creep in telling us we are "dirty," "unloved," "unwanted," etc. He uses the same old junk against all of us. It has to stir up enough anger at the enemy in us that we wage warfare! 

  The unbelievable, mind-blowing, ridiculously good news is that we have already received the victory at the cross! Jesus left his home (which, think about it ya'll...most of us have a hard enough time moving across the country, let alone leaving HEAVEN to come to earth..shew) so that we could stand in the face of the enemy and boldly claim that we "overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loves us." God has raised us up with Christ to where every other dominion, power, and authority must bow at the name of Jesus. You better believe there is freedom in renouncing the areas of attack you may be under. When Jesus said, "it is finished," that meant everything. That doesn't mean there won't ever be temptation, it just means satan's gotta get on outta here! 

  Praise God for victory! Now, what's left of a heart that's been deeply wounded? If there is anything I've learned about purity, it's that it's a gift. How do I know? The bible tells me so (yay for Sunday school answers!) For real, I want us to truly understand what is wrapped in this gift. 

The Greek meaning of the word "pure" is: 

kaqaroß (katharos)   

clean, pure

1. physically
   1. purified by fire
   2. in a similitude, like a vine cleansed by pruning and so fitted to bear fruit
2. in a levitical sense
   1. clean, the use of which is not forbidden, imparts no uncleanness
3. ethically
1. free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt
2. free from every admixture of what is false, sincere genuine
3. blameless, innocent
4. unstained with the guilt of anything

  Now, let's look at David. Here is a man who had fallen flat on his face after committing adultry with Bathsheba, and yet, he is known to this day as a "man after God's own heart." What was so special about David's heart is that God restored it to purity. 

In a true moment of repentance, he cried out to God....

Psalm 51

7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

(Hyssop was used under Old Testament law for two rituals of purification. It was part of the purification of one healed of leprosy, and of those who had contact with a dead body. David's sin was a deadly disease that could be cured by His Healer.) 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness, Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.9 Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.

I love the fact that David knew how sweet the presence of God was, and he was willing to do anything God asked just to remain in it. When we sin, most of us are afraid to face God, and we feel like we need to cover it up and ignore it. We forget that He has seen our motives and every detail all along. It's not like David didn't share this commonality. However, David knew he could face a giant because he trusted his Father, so surely he could face his Father and believe He could cast this current "giant" into a sea of forgetfulness. Our Creator not only forgot David's sin and allowed him to remain in a place of authority, but He also breathed life into a new heart for David that was still able to SEE God. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God, right? In all of the Father's mercy and grace, He joyfully embraced his son, sat him on his lap, and handed him the treasured gift he so desired. 

 God invited me to sit down in a garden one day. He pointed out two flowers to me. First I saw a red one, then next to it I noticed a white one. He sweetly said, "Beloved, you are not the red flower, for that is My crimson blood that has covered your sin. You are the white flower, for I have washed you whiter than snow." I believe He says this to all His children, since "there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." There is a crimson robe we once wore, but our Daddy says, "Come my child, let me dress you in your true garments," which burst forth a radiant white, clean, light too bright for human eyes to look upon. It's waiting for you. 

I pray now that you see yourself exactly the way your Daddy does .