Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Now we can talk about fighting to overcome it.
FIGHTING AND OVERCOMING IMPURITY TOWARD OTHERS
I believe there’s only one way that an impure heart can be purified: Repentance. Total, wholehearted, mournful repentance. “I’m the problem. Not the other person. It is my sin that is the problem.” To face my sin head-on, full force, with total humility and bowing before the Lord in my heart, and seeking Him for deliverance; that's the way.
REPENTANCE
I've found when fighting sin - the majority of overcoming is that simple first step of repentance. I've seen in my own life this can even happen in one second in my heart! Repentance is: 1. Recognizing that I am sincerely and deeply guilty of it (Acts 2:36-38), 2. Deciding I don’t want it anymore ("count the cost" Luke 14:28), I have no intention of going back 3. Recognize I need the Lord's help to overcome since I can't do it in my own power (Rom 10:13).
From then on out, it's a matter of pressing on of it, in perseverance and faith, “he who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:13). When we repent (repenting is humbling ourselves before God - that's really what repentance is), God gives grace to the humble - so we'll get grace which is God's strength Himself to help us (1 Pet 5:5, 2 Cor 12:9). If we would only be faithful to do our part, to humble ourselves and repent first. The Lord can deliver us from impurities in our heart toward others.
GOD'S CONSTANT BURDEN FOR HIS PEOPLE IS, AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN "REPENT"
God's Word to His people has always been "repent" - to Cain, through all the Old Testament prophets. The Bible says says that John the Baptist appeared to Israel preaching that word, and Jesus did too (Matt 4:17). Jesus left that last Word “repent” in Revelation to the churches (Rev 2-3). His Word to the church has always been, and is still today - REPENT. So for myself I see, that must still be His Word for me.
A PERSONAL, LIFE-ALTERING EVENT
When I was around 16 or 17 years old I had an extended season of a very impure heart, where I harbored much bitterness toward my parents. It was a rebellious, hard, impure heart. However, someone I respected as a godly man saw this clearly, and corrected me very sternly about this. His words hurt. Bad. I was pierced to the heart, because I respected him so much. But I knew it was true. That's probably why it hurt so bad. So I had to make a choice to repent of this sin. When I did this and took it seriously - I saw this was a turning point in my whole life with God. My Christian life accelerated toward Jesus faster than I had known before that. I found ever since then that I had a zeal and seriousness and excitement for the Lord which I never had before that, though I had already committed my life to Him some years before that. I am thankful that God gave me the grace to humble myself and repent of this serious sin, because to this day if I did not do that, I'm convinced my Christian life would be so defeated and shallow today, and I would have so many regrets. The Bible says the Lord is faithful to support those whose heart is completely His (2 Chron 16:9) - but at the same time we ourselves have to decide to give our whole heart to Him. The Lord does not force anyone to give their whole heart to Him, and not everyone does. We ourselves have to decide to “count the cost” (Luke 14:28), and take the step in our will to want to die - in whole-hearted mournful repentance, since the Lord will not force us to do anything. And if we genuinely want to be pure, the Lord will help us by giving His Holy Spirit's power inside of us to live with His purity of heart.
Romans 8:3-4 "what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
REASONS TO BE MERCIFUL TO EVERY PERSON
The Lord has also given the truth of His Word to cleanse us. I want to mention some encouragements and truths that I noticed have helped me to be pure in heart toward every person.
GOD LOVES THEM
Consider the fact that God loves the person you are bitter against. He created them.
1 Tim 2:4 [God] "...desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
If they are Christians, they are even His own children. How can I hold even one thing against any person that the Lord created and loves?
CONSIDER GOD'S LOVE FOR ME
Also, I have to open my eyes to the Lord's great mercy toward myself. There have been many times when my children have been sick and they vomited all over and made a big mess to clean. But I didn't get angry - I pitied them. I wanted them to be better. Praise the Lord that’s how God feels toward me regarding my sin. Praise the Lord for His awesome mercy and patience toward me!! May we have that heart toward others.
God wants to teach us to love without any expectation of anything in return. Because that's how He loves us.
GOD'S LOVE MAKES US EASILY BEAR WITH THE FAULTS OF OTHERS
When someone is driving their car behind you or toward you at night with their very bright high-beam lights on, it hurts your eyes to look toward them. But in the daytime if someone has them on, you barely even notice! What’s the difference? The difference is that in the daytime, you are surrounded in a much greater light. So the small painful light of the car near you is not a big deal, it's not so bright and painful to you anymore. The closer we are to God and his glory (the great light), the less other people will bother us, and the less their negatives make us cringe. I won't be bothered as much when other people are "shining their high-beams into my eyes", if there's a much greater light, which is lighting up my whole life.
SYMPATHIZE - THEY MAY NOT SEE THEIR SIN
Another thing is to consider that this person may not see their sin. Jesus' heart was so pure, even to those crucifying Him, "Father forgive them, they don't know what they're doing" (Luke 23:34). They may not see it. Or perhaps they do see it but are defeated so far. Maybe they're more zealous about fighting the sins they do see in themselves than we are about fighting our own conscious sin. Or God may have made them differently. Perhaps their personality is more prone to some weaknesses than we are. And we may not be more spiritual, God just made us different.
Perhaps they're going through something we don't know about, and it's making things heavy and harder for them.
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Sympathize with others.
1 Pet 3:8 "To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit"
One time the Lord showed me, for example, when we get impatient with our kids that they are not doing something fast enough, and we ask them questions such as, "Why can't you do this quicker? Why can't you learn quicker? Why can't you clean quicker? Why can't you do better here?" I saw that as adults, one way we can sympathize with them easier is to try this: try writing a sentence (or even a couple of words!) with your non primary hand (I'm right handed, so for me it's my left hand). I tried this. I am 42 years old but to my surprise, I found that I write worse than a 3 year old if I try with my left hand. And the writing is so slow! It shows me, some people may be trying, and they may genuinely want to be better but just aren't there yet. Sympathize with them. And when I see myself struggling with something so simple, then I can see how patient I should be with other people who are struggling with something I think is simple.
Be merciful - assume the best about others, be patient with them.
FOCUS ON THE GOOD
Another thing is to appreciate the good, and focus on that. There's always something to appreciate about every person. I remember one time when I was a child, I had some negative thoughts about a friend from something they had done to me, and I was holding a grudge. But then a memory came to mind of when I was over at his house and he offered me ice cream so generously once. He said, "Here, take all you want." As a young person I was touched when I was reminded of this old memory that he would be so generous with his ice cream. I remembered that so much time later. And even though I was a child it genuinely helped me not be bitter at him. Focus on the good, remember to appreciate the good in people they’ve done or said in the past. Focus on that. That helps to overlook things in the present. Be tender hearted toward everyone.
Squeeze out impurity of heart by increasing the gratitude and appreciation toward that person. Not that they are perfect (neither are we!), but there are at least some things to appreciate about every person.
REMEMBER THAT GOD ALLOWED THIS PERSON IN MY LIFE, AND ALLOWED ANYTHING THEY DID
When we bow to God's sovereign hand and what He allows, we can be free from complaint.
Maybe there is a person in my life I'm struggling to love. Remember: God placed them there in my life, by His own hand and for His own purpose. There are so many trillions and trillions of stars in the universe. Maybe more. The Bible says God counts all the stars and named every one (Psalm 147:4). He put them there, each one in it's own location. He definitely put every person in a specific location too! And He chose the specific time for them to live here (at the same time and location as me) out of all of the thousands of years, and out of all the places for them since Adam and Eve. I have to bow before God's decision to place each person in my life as He allowed them there, "Lord, your will be done."
See everything through the glasses/goggles of God's love and sovereignty, see things through that, and we will see clearly. "Blessed are the pure in heart, they will see God". The pure in heart will see God's hand in everything.
JOSEPH'S EXAMPLE
The most amazing example in the Old Testament to me of this is Joseph when his brothers wept before him because of their jealousy and sin toward him of turning him over to be a slave his whole life. What did he say in return? He essentially said, "God allowed this, see what great purpose He had! So don't carry your guilt. Don't quarrel with yourselves anymore, I don't hold anything against you" (Gen 45:5). He held no grudge, no bitterness. Only love, gratitude, and worship of God. A pure heart is one which sees God’s hand allowing everything and bows before His perfect, though mysterious will.
BE SATISFIED IN GOD COMPLETELY AND HIS PERFECTION, DON’T DEPEND ON ANOTHER PERSON FOR YOUR REST
"From men with Your hand, O LORD, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your treasure; They are satisfied with children, And leave their abundance to their babes. As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake." Psalms 17:14-15 NASB
This passage holds a question: what satisfies me? There is one who is never satisfied. This discontentment will come out toward others. This one sits down for dinner eating out at a restaurant and there's always something wrong, the servers were too slow, the food was too raw, there was too much salt. This is somebody who is never satisfied - and they are quick to express their dissatisfactions with words or groans. The opposite sort of character is true when a Christian is totally satisfied with God alone. He or she has no complaints. Just contentment. They are "too busy being grateful" to hold impure grudges and complain against others.
Isaiah 42:19 says, "Who is blind but My servant, Or so deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is so blind as he that is at peace with Me, Or so blind as the servant of the LORD?" If we are focused on the Lord, we will be blind to focusing on the faults of others, because we are caught up with the Lord - "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of our faith."
I’ve been blessed by a Word the Lord has given be at times, “be a little blind.” Like the song says: “let me be a little kinder, let me be a little blinder - to the faults of those around me.” As the verse says - we will be a little blind, and a little deaf - but very at rest/peace with the Lord! Praise God.
Repent of harboring 'negatives' (spots/specs) about people. Aim for a pure heart, and viciously guard it that impurities don't enter in. Totally and completely forgive every person. Repent of all bitterness and negativity toward every person. Root for and love every person. This is the most beautiful heart in God's eyes - because this is the heart of God toward us, and He can help us have the same pure, soft heart of love and mercy toward every single person on earth.
If you are struggling "feeling" bitter toward someone, don't carry guilt over that. We can't help how we feel. But if you are sincerely doing your best to seek the Lord for help, He sees that. And He will help. God sees what we want to be, and what we are aiming for - "And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure" (1 Jn 3:3).
"How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along!" (Psalm 133:1 MSG)
Fellowship in the Lord, free from secret hidden impurities - What a joyful thought!! A taste of Heaven we can have here on this earth!! But we have to start with ourselves, cleansing ourselves.
The word "Blessed" in the Bible means "Happy." So, when the Bible says, "Blessed are the pure in heart", we can say "Happy are the pure in heart."
Here is the way we can be “one big happy family” in the Lord, WITH the Lord in our midst, and to have real, precious, joyful fellowship with the saints: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." And the pure in heart are those who for love, die to self for the sake of God and others.