search me, o God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
psalm 139:23-24
set a watch, o LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.
....
but mine eyes are unto thee, o GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins [noose, hook for the nose, trap] of the workers of iniquity. let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that i withal escape.
psalm 141:3-5, 8-10
iniquity: to exert oneself in vain, vain(ity), nothingness...idol...mischief, evil, unjust, affliction
what an interesting array of definitions for a word. i already knew the latter, but recently God's been working on my heart something fierce regarding the former. he's been slowly questioning anything i give my time to and holding it under the microscope of vanity (empty efforts). and at this time in my life, i cannot afford ANY vanity, friends. #amiright?
all the efforts i'm making to curb (and remove) the vanity are painful, difficult, exhausting -- reversing years of mistake and sin -- but God is so gracious to ensure that THESE tedious efforts aren't in vain. with him as my comfort and guide, they lead to a finite 180.
for behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation [irritation, vexation], yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yeah, what zeal, yea, what revenge! in all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
2 corinthians 7:11
this perfection process is approving me as:
- a minister of God (2 corinthians 6:4)
- one who is doing that which is honest (2 corinthians 13:7)
- one who rightly divides the word of truth (2 timothy 2:15)
- one who serves Christ in righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost (romans 14:17-18)
so now, in posting this i'm flipping the script and appealing to you, dear friends. i know it's hard, and painful, and exhausting...but it's what we are called to do. period. and the end is so beautiful.
having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 corinthians 7:1
[1] having therefore these promises:
...i will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2 corinthians 6:18b
...but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
romans 5:20b, 21
let us therefore FEAR, lest, a promise being left [us] of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
hebrews 4:1
whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. and beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. for if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 peter 1:4-8
faith * virtue * knowledge * temperance * patience * godliness * brotherly kindness * charity
[2] let us cleanse ourselves:
create in me a clean heart, o God; and renew a right spirit within me.
psalm 51:10
wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed [thereto] according to thy word.
psalm 119:9
therefore i will judge you, o house of israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn [yourselves] from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, o house of israel? for i have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn [yourselves], and live ye.
....
then will i sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will i cleanse you. a new heart also will i give you, and a new spirit will i put within you: and i will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and i will give you an heart of flesh.
ezekiel 18:30-32; 36:25,26
blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
matthew 5:8
woe unto you, scribes and pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. [thou] blind pharisee, cleanse first that [which is] within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
matthew 23:25,26
for the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
titus 2:11-14
draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded.
james 4:8
seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, [see that ye] love one another with a pure heart fervently:
1 peter 1:22
dearly beloved, i beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
1 peter 2:11
[3] of all filthiness of the flesh and spirit:
let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
isaiah 55:7
o jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
jeremiah 4:14
for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
1 corinthians 6:20
[4] perfecting holiness:
be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
matthew 5:48
for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
ephesians 4:12,13
not as though i had already attained, either were already perfect: but i follow after, if that i my apprehend that for which also i am apprehended of Christ Jesus. brethren, i count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [i do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, i press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
philippians 3:12-15
but the God of all *grace*, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish [to turn resolutely in a certain direction, to confirm], strengthen [also, confirm in spiritual knowledge or power], settle [to lay a basis for, i.e. literally erect or figuratively consolidate; lay the foundation, ground, settle] [you].
1 peter 5:10 *ministry administers God's grace*
[5] in the fear of God.
and he charged them, saying, thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.
2 chronicles 19:9
by mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.
proverbs 16:6
then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.
acts 9:31
wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
hebrews 12:28
#hewillbeyourstrength
