"Oh, that You would rend the heavens."

Lately, God and I have done some wrestling.. in a good way. He's just really been teaching me to go deeper, go beyond (bahaaaa, MERGE plug). There have been multiple "concepts" lately, but the latest is purity, but not so much purity.. just power. but there's more to it. basically, i just tweeted this:

Love = Purity          Purity = Glory          Glory = Power 

Jesus said in John 14:15, "if you love Me, you will keep My commandments." The normal interpretation of this for me was a self righteous Pharisaic disposition of proving one's love for Christ by upholding the law. Jesus, though, fulfilled the law for you, so we no longer have to keep these commandments. He beckons us to love Him. From this intimacy flows endless rivers of integrity. When you love Jesus, you naturally long to uphold His standards. 

but why?

What in the world is the point of this rule following? Not rules, roads, and narrow ones at that (Matt. 7:13-14). This is a pursuit of the presence and nearness of God in our lives. When you love God, you want to be NEAR Him. in His lap. These "roads" (rules, laws, commandments, decrees, statutes, whatever) are for our protection from harm; moreover, they are beacons of hope guiding us to a heightened "state of purity" in our lives. We could get caught up in the hair splitting of terminology, or you could just bear with me as i try to put into words what the Spirit has put in my head. 

When you love someone, a spouse or a significant other, you want to be pure for them, right? It's a sense of faithfulness or loyalty to that person. It gives you nearness to them. Ladies, the last thing you want is a husband who runs to the computer screen for sexual gratification instead of you. why? He'd rather have something fake, it makes you feel terrible (something i can't fully understand, so i won't even try to put it into words). Vanity. It's empty and leaves them feeling the same; ladies, it would do the same for you. If this rings true, why do we as followers of Jesus run to everything the world has to offer for "love" and fulfillment? Why not truly lay hold of the Spirit of God? What else do we have?

Purity. Is. Essential.

Matthew 5:8 says, "blessed are the PURE in heart, for they shall see God." David said in Psalm 119:9, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word." Purity = Intimacy. Love leads to purity and purity leads to love. Would we rather be caught in a downward spiral of emptiness, or a vicious cycle of intimacy and fulfillment? David understood the importance of keeping God's laws, striving for them. They kept him out of danger, but, more importantly, in the presence of the Almighty.

Proverbs 4:23 says, "keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." Too often, I've heard this associated with dating. Yes, guarding your heart is important. What's so much more important is our pursuit of Christ. If we would set our focus on the King of Glory, we wouldn't have to worry so much about the next guy or girl shattering our heart. Seriously. David's Bridal University needs to CHILLL OUTTT. ring by spring? boof. In other news, our purity is a direct reflection of our vision of heaven and the Father. If we aren't remaining unstained by cultural influence and worldly pleasures, our perception of Jesus is muddied and our purpose remains unfulfilled. We become devoid and bereft. 

The Law is insane. Have you read Leviticus? yikes. Well, when Moses followed every SINGLE command God gave in the establishment of the tent of meeting (a representation of purity), something major followed. "Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the Glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34-34). Purity of the "temple" led to a filling of the temple. Hold that thought.

1 Corinthians 6:19 says, "or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, Whom you have from God?" This passage is definitely talking about running from sexual immorality, but more so running towards purity, the glorification of God in our bodies. What in the WORLD are we filling our temples with? The world or the Spirit? Seriously, think about that. Housing the Spirit, the full Glory of God, cannot happen if we constantly grieve Him into a janitor's closet. We are refusing the fullness of God in our lives by choosing worldly lusts over true fulfillment. When God's Spirit is present and prevalent, the power of God works in crazy ways. 

The power of God needs to be let loose in our hearts and lives which will explode into the world around us. That's what we need, that's what God wants. Back to David but in Psalm 24 this time, "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? and who shall stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a PURE heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of Glory."

We all speak of a generation. There's even a song about it: "i see a generation rising up to take their place with selfless faith. I see a near revival stirring as we pray and seek, we're on our knees." So what are we gonna do about it? we can either tap into the dream of God and become this generation or prolong the inevitable and waste our lives on worthless pursuits and dreams ending in dead ends. We must seek God's face with clean hands and a pure heart. We must lift up our heads and fulfill our purpose as the ancient doors for the King of Glory to enter through. Cry out for His Kingdom and His return. Cry out for Jesus. 

Psalm 132:3-5. Isaiah 62:2-7. Matthew 6:10. Revelation 22:17. 

When we fulfill these as a person and a people, we will see the power of God break out unlike anything this world has ever seen. First, we must get back to purity. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:8-10). The beatitudes promise the kingdom of heaven, comfort, and satisfaction in righteousness will be given to these. When we bear fruit in repentance, we will see the face of revival in us and in the world around us.

God's heart BURNS for His people to BURN for Him. The dream of God is a global outbreak of revival and restoration. YOU, as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, are a minister of reconciliation. You are restoring a creation back to its Creator by the Spirit of God. We MUST let go of this world and our lives.We MUST.

I'm praying that theological disagreements are shattered by an overwhelming presence of the Spirit of God. I'm praying that apathetic hearts are gripped by the limitless love and jealousy of the Father for you. I'm praying for revival to break out in your heart and the world around you. I'm praying for revival. 

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”

Revelation 22:17