And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. 1 Chronicles 28:9
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8
Have you ever stopped and pondered what a whole and perfect pure heart would be? How would someone work on making their own heart ‘perfect’ before Him? What makes a heart ‘pure’ in the sight of God? It’s one thing to read these scriptures and just pass over them and not really care because you just dismiss the thought as too hard and that you would never be able to have one, and it’s another to read these statements and go — “I really want to see You Lord! I really want my whole heart to be Yours Lord!” And then seriously think, “How do I do that?!”
Do you have the fire within you from Jesus to really push into a relationship with Him at a much deeper level? Does you spiritual relationship with Him go further than the Sunday morning service ritual? If yes — then let’s look together at these verses a bit deeper.
In 1 Chronicles 28:9 the word ‘perfect’ in Hebrew is שָׁלֵם shalem (shaw-lame’). Let’s look at the different ways it is translated in the scriptures. It is used in several ways…blameless (1), complete (1), completed (1), completely (1), entire (2), friendly (1), full (4), just (1), perfect (2), prepared (1), safely (1), uncut (2), whole (5), wholeheartedly (1), wholly devoted (4).
In Matthew 5:8 the word ‘pure’ in Greek is καθαρός, ά, όν katharos (kath-ar-os’) meaning clean, pure, unstained, either literally or ceremonially or spiritually; guiltless, innocent, upright. It is used and translated clean (12), clear (3), innocent (1), pure (10).
As I pondered these things I heard His whisper “You need to be honest with yourself before you can be honest with Me.” I right away thought — “What am I deceiving myself with? What am I hiding from? Holy Spirit, please reveal the contents of my heart I don’t want to see. What is holding me back from being honest with myself and You? What is keeping my heart from being completely … clean and pure before You?”
I think there are hints about our hearts in 1 Chronicles 28:9 dealing with our thoughts and imaginations.
For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. Proverbs 23:7
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:11-13
Have you ever asked the Holy Spirit what your ‘triggers’ are that lead you away from Him? What temptations trigger your ‘addictions’ and wounds and cause you problems?
If you really want to be cleansed, and have pure heart, you’ll have to set yourself before the Holy Spirit and ask Him some really hard questions about your own flaws (iniquities) and how He wants you to deal with them. A pure heart before Him has great benefits and allows your relationship with Him to grow greatly. Confess those things before Him that He shows you about your heart. Make them ‘visible’ before Him by saying them ‘out loud’ and confront them, asking Him to help you with them, to take them from you if possible.
Do you really want to see God? Work at having your heart pure and clean before Him.