"The Pure Heart"

"Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile." (Psalms 34:13) So what does a pure heart actually look like? Well one sure way to witness the pureness of a man's heart is by the words that come forth from his mouth! Oh, I believe you know what I am talking about; because you know when your heart is pure or not, and in those times of impurity, you also realize your tongue has a mind of it's own. There is only really one true way to keep evil from coming forth from your lips, and that is by keeping evil from dwelling in our heart. James sums it up quite perfectly, as he said, "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh." (James 3:11 & 12) The interesting thing about being changed within, in that the change which takes place in us is all God's doing; we cannot change ourselves! So, if you think you are going to control your words by controlling your words; well, I say, Good luck in that experiment. However, if you have a tongue of evil, and lips that speak guile, which means you lie a lot, then it's time to hit the ground and get some purity into that hungry heart! Yes, I said hungry heart; whether you believe it or not, you can't stay too long away from God's pureness without having a heart that starves for His presence to shine within it; and if you try, you are probably going to age prematurely, or at least look like you've been to hell and back. I know what you might be thinking, and if you are, then I think you have missed out on some glorious truth somewhere alone the way; because, even though we were born again and have received God's Spirit in our hearts, and we have been given new birth of the Spirit, that does not mean we have the ability to now control this body without God's help, because we cannot and will not do anything outside of God's power. Oh, we might think that can, and we may even experience a little victory for a short time doing so; but sooner or later, we end up in a dark dead end alley, where we have no power or control. As Paul explains to us in Romans 8:5, "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit"; it's all a matter of pursuit, which means, what are you chasing after..."For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:6-8)