Thoughts for Life: #65 Cleanse Your Hands and Purify Your Hearts

C. Peter Wagner: In His instructions for
submitting to God, Jesus says, "Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (Jas. 4:8).

Cleansing the hands refers to what you do, and purifying the hearts is what you think or feel. Put together, this is a call to holiness, and holiness includes both attitude and action.

Developing holiness is essential for a spiritual warrior. Unfortunately, various aspects of holiness have been so blown out of biblical proportion in resent times that holiness has become not a blessing for spiritual warfare as God intends it, but a barrier to effective spiritual warfare.

This is an important enough aspect of spiritual boot camp training that I feel it needs considerable attention in this chapter.

Holiness for Warfare

Holiness is as indispensable for a spiritual warrior as is good eyesight for a military fighter pilot. Most Christian leaders will agree with this, but some go on to develop the idea of holiness on a first grade Dick and Jane level.

The deal with the milk of the Word on holiness, but do not seem to get to the meat. And others, in their commendable desire to emphasize holiness, tend toward an extreme that would imply holiness is an end in itself.

If God just blesses us with enough holiness, if we concentrate on polishing Christians to a high enough luster, effective ministry will supposedly flow forth on its own.

This may be somewhat of a caricature, but it is one of the current approaches that can easily lead to the bless me trap. To be effective in spiritual warfare, we need to understand some of the deeper implications of holiness.

[My following posts of Wagner's messages on this subject will cover these needs...]

Warfare Prayer

#65 Cleans Your Hands and Purify Your Hearts
By C. Peter Wagner

(pgs. 113-116) Regal Books

Father,

I see that this is an important aspect of
spiritual boot camp training, so I ask for guidance
to have correct attitudes and actions. I want to
develop holiness, as it is essential for my prayer times.

My desire is for this blessing to create
power in my own praying, as You intended it.
I ask that You help me to be open to what needs
to change, so as to please You.
In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today’s Bible verse: Ps. 103:3 "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases."

Today’s quote: Linda W. Rooks - "Only in the deeper mysteries of God can healing begin and hope be found. For with God, a broken heart is not the end result but a transition. Your pain can become an open door for God to enter in and touch you in the deep places of your life—if you will let him." (Taken from her book, Broken Heart on Hold pg. 20)

Some thoughts today: Is it possible that others can see Jesus in us? Is it a high definition? Do we reflect His character and confidence?

- We are told to guard what we have entrusted to Jesus. (2 Tim. 1:12)

- Jesus is the Healer, Deliverer, compassionate Friend, Protector, and Helper; even in old age! We shall "flourish like a palm tree"! (Ps. 92:12-15)

- Heb. 12:15 tells us to not allow a root of bitterness to defile us.

28th- Thursday’s post: #66 The "Bless Me" Trap
C. Peter Wagner)

30th- Saturday's post: A Mysterious Way: A Friend on the Freeway Keith VanderArk

31st- Sunday evening's post: May..
Lisa Buffaloe

June 2nd- Tuesday's post: #67 Relationships and Rules
C. Peter Wagner

A popular post: I'm Sorry, Man Dave Branon shares with us, "When my son-in-law Ewing and I attended a sporting event, we enjoyed
watching both the game and the people around us.

One of those people showed both the bad and good side of humanity..."

Book Review: The Family of Jesus by Karen Kingsbury
(This looks like a good book. Maybe you'll be interested in Karen's series. Check it out.)

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