We can only be defiled by the things that come from within II

ByPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
I thank God for you and I trust that this day will bring you great blessings as you meditate upon the word God has given us for this day.Yesterday we established that our reaction on other people’s actions and outside pressures indicate the true content of our hearts. We also saw that those things that defile us come out of our hearts. 
«And He said, „What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man» (Mark, 7: 20-23).
 The vices cited in this passage of Scripture are the cause of all the relationship problems among people. Imagine a person whose heart is full of these vices and some others, but thinks that he is alright and that he is growing in the Lord. Yes, he is alright until God starts uprooting all these rotten things through the relationships with other people. If we do not allow God to take off our mask and change us, then the relationships with people will fall apart in spite of our claims to believe God.But God does not desire for our relationships to be ruined. He wants to transform us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. God uses people’s imperfection to open our eyes to the uncleanness that is in us. If we humble ourselves before God when we see the expressions of these vices in our lives, then He helps us to get rid of them. He wants to change us through relationships. He wants us to see what we are truly like on the inside and how much there is still that needs to change.It says in the Bible that human heart is deceitful and corrupt: 
«The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of is doings» (Jeremiah, 17: 9-10).
 Only the Lord knows the true condition of our hearts, and He wants to help us look into our hearts using the relationships we are involved in. Our views, actions and lack of actions, our words – all of these things cause particular reaction which determines the level of our spiritual maturity.The way we treat other people is the obvious indicator of our spiritual maturity. We start treating people differently as God transforms our character. We start treating them better than before; it includes our children, spouse, friends, brothers and sisters. We start to treat all of them like Jesus would. And we do it not because they have changes, but because we have. When we change, people around us change us well.So, what happens to us outwardly cannot defile us. We are defiled by the things that proceed from our hearts: our wrong reactions to the actions, words and behaviour of the people around us.Allow God to help you — to perfect you and change you into the image of Jesus Christ! I wish you God’s abundant blessings!Pastor Rufus Ajiboye

Similar Posts

  • Do You Hear What God Speaks? III

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 2 minutes
    There is another voice that we hear – it is the voice of other people and the voice of human standpoint. For example, the voice of experts goes in this category – a doctor who proclaims what the medical equipment indicates. A doctor may tell the patient that he will die in three days, because the medical equipment, the analyses and his own medical experience show that. Praise the Lord for our doctors, but we must know that the last word always belongs to God. God often says the totally opposite to what experts say. In such cases, it is necessary that we, while being respectful towards different specialists, put aside the expert conclusions and trust God, not people. The more you trust the expert conclusions and not the Word of God, the less God can give you life.

  • Do not focus of what you do not have; simply go ahead and use what you have! II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    God gives to us gifts according to our ability, so He does not call us to do the thigs we are not able to. If God has asked you to do something, it is only because He knows you are able to do it. He won’t give you more than you are able to bear. Simply use what you have.I once read a story about a woman who built a school for the needy. Before she began this, a desire was born in her heart to do it. It became her dream that she was thinking of consistently. At that moment she did not have a thing: no textbooks, no teachers, no building, and no money. But she did have a tremendous desire to fulfil her dream.

  • Four possible God´s answers to the right prayer said by the right person II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 5 minutes
    Answer Nr.3 – God says «No!» In this case you should be glad with this answer as much as glad you are when God says es”. “No” is the most difficult thing to hear and to pronounce. Some people never accept answer “No” at all. Those who dare say “No” to them become enemies of such people. Sometimes we are not able to accept negative answer from God too.Apostle Paul wrote in his letter about a thorn in his flesh used by the angel of satan to inflict pain on him. Paul prayed for three times for removal of it, but God said “No!” Didn´t Paul remain in God and the word of God in him?

  • Preparation of the way of the Lord II

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    Yesterday we started talking about God’s desire to demonstrate His glory and fullness in our lives; for this to happen we have to prepare our hearts and to prepare the way of the Lord. We have to cleanse our hearts from the things that God hates and cannot look upon.The following verses from the Scripture reveal the principle of preparation the way of the Lord.«In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.’”» (Mathew, 3:1-3).

  • Presence of God V

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 4 minutes
    God so desires for us to seek Him early in the morning. He so desires for us to return to Him. He wants to heal us and to bind up our wounds. God so wants to revive and restore us, so that we could live before Him. When we seek the Lord, when we seek to know Him, He comes and immerses us into His presence; He pours out His rain on us and waters the earth.Yesterday we talked about how Moses set up a tabernacle outside the camp for all seekers of the Lord. We also saw that instead of entering the tabernacle and seeking the face of the Lord, Israelites were simply observing how Moses spoke to God and how God answered Moses.

  • Everything that is hidden will unavoidably be brought into the light III

    AutorsPastor Rufus Ajiboye Reading Time: 3 minutes
    In one of his psalms David talks about a day in the life of a person that has repented of all of his sins before God. We can see the advantages of that kind of lifestyle.«Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!» (Psalms, 32:1-2)