Mind Over Matter

Purity Part 4

Hello my adorable Thinkers!

A quick disclaimer: Please keep in mind that these are my opinions from what I see in Scripture and not what I think everyone should do. If God has led you in a different direction or to a different conclusion, that is between you and Him.

As I have been doing research about what God says about our thoughts, I have found that many scriptures in the Old Testament equate the mind with the heart. One example of this is found in Genesis 6:5 “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.” This is important to note since this concept is in many of the scriptures I am going to reference.

Previously in this discussion of purity I have talked about the physical aspects of purity that I see, virginity and modesty. Now I am going to move on to what I see as the emotional/mental aspect of purity. As with most (if not everything in life) the physical, emotional/mental, and spiritual are all interconnected. I am going to wait to explain the spiritual aspect for the next part in this series.

In the last discussion I mentioned that when we dress modestly we are showing how we want to express ourselves. That is a physical application of what mental purity is all about. Proverbs 27:19 says “As in water a face reflects the face, so the heart of a person reflects the person.” Meaning that the way we let our minds run is the way we will behave and appear. This is also mentioned in the first part of 1 Samuel 24:13 “As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness’.” So if we allow our minds to be filled with things that are not honoring to God, that is what is going to be expressed in our life.

In Scripture there are many examples that the heart/mind must be aligned with God’s will in order for someone’s actions to be righteous. One of my favorite stories on the topic is the story of when David was anointed to be king in 1 Samuel 16. God tells Samuel He has chosen one of the sons of Jesse to be king since Saul rejected Him. When Samuel gets to Bethlehem he tells the elders and Jesse’s family that he has come to sacrifice before the Lord. Once everything is prepared, Jesse and his sons come to the sacrifice. When the oldest son of Jesse, Eliab, comes in, Samuel is impressed and thinks that he must be the one that God has chosen. This is when God tells Samuel some very memorable words. 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'” Although Eliab may look like a king, God knows that since his heart is corrupt, he would not make a righteous king.

To have a heart that is pleasing to God we must pray and seek God’s word to “write it on our hearts”. This is shown by the following scriptures. Psalms 51:10 says “Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”, Proverbs 3:3 says “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”, and finally in Proverbs 4:23 “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”

The thing about mental purity is that it is almost completely a personal struggle and journey. A pure heart will look different in everyone and some things that would not be a stumbling block to one person, might cause someone else to be set on a course to sin. We must have grace with others and be vigilant with filling our own minds with scripture.

Proverbs 7:25 “Do not let your heart turn aside to her (temptation’s) ways. Do not stray into her paths.” That is my prayer for each of you that you will seek God and His word, and follow Him all your days.

Until next time my adorable Thinkers! ~The Pondering Panda