Would you use a dirty pot to make your dinner? An unclean pot with caked up, black, dried mould?
I thought not.
It’s ironical though that many self-confessed, twenty first century followers of Jesus assume that God would choose to use a vessel that is defiled.
Now the word defiled is a strong term but its usage here is intentional.
The world we live in is defiled, unholy, and decaying, unperturbed by lifestyles and ways that in God’s economy are abominable, because these desires, passions and ideologies, flow out of the natural nature of mankind, which is flawed.
All of us as God’s children started off with this flawed nature, however, as His truth enters in and we make the choice to believe it by following Him, engaging with His word, allowing it to transform us, and filling up on His Holy Spirit, our nature changes from a state of sinfulness to righteousness.
We are full of sin on the outset of our journey into new life in Christ, however, many of us are not aware of this and assume the moment we say a prayer of repentance from our past ways of thinking and living, that we’re completely cleansed and made whole.
We forget that many of us indulged in sinful actions that caused our bodies, the very vessels that Father God desires to use, to become defiled.
When Jesus commanded Lazarus to come forth, he was still bound and wrapped in grave clothes, which had to be removed.
Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go” – John 11: 43 – 44.
As we embrace a new lifestyle in Christ Jesus, some of us as spiritual children, still struggle with habits from our old nature and may fall into the temptation of acting out some of these habits, which messes up and causes our bodies to become impure
This defilement happens every time a child of God indulges in the act of sexual impurity; pre-marital sex, pornography, masturbation, or fills their minds with unholy scenes from Netflix movies, Instagram, Tik Tok or other media.
Unresolved heart issues: a lack of forgiveness, anger, resentment, fear, rejection and other negative emotions can also block the free flow of God’s love into our hearts and need to be resolved, so we can experience the abundant life promised to us in Christ Jesus.
Unfortunately, today we have a watered-down concept of God as Holy and haven’t been taught the full gospel that incorporates our new nature in Christ with a renewed lifestyle of holy living and so we think we can frolic with the world, indulge in its ways and still remain pure.
We need to be set free from the impurity and bondage that attached itself to us when we lived a lifestyle of indulging the flesh.
Psalm 119: 1 says,
Blessed are the UNDEFILED in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
It’s when we are made righteous and live righteously that we experience God’s blessing!
As we mature, the Father expects us to grow in righteous living.
God doesn’t just want to save us from eternal destruction, He wants to cleanse us, use us to bring His Kingdom in and express Himself through us for His glory!
Let’s listen out to what Father God is saying. Can you hear His whispers? The bridegroom is almost here and it’s time for the bride to get herself ready.