Attitudes

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• He who denies me, I will deny him

 2 Timothy 2:7-13:” ⁷ Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.⁸ Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:⁹ Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.¹⁰ Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.¹¹ It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:¹² If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:¹³ If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

Here, the Apostle Paul is addressing Timothy saying:” If we do not do our part in preaching the Gospel, He will deny us “and it is said by Jesus in Matthew 10:33:” ³³ But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven”. God will remain faithful meaning that He will deny the person who does not do his part and complete it. God will not change this character or deny His personality. Know the complete and wrong understanding about the explanation of many regarding this verse.

Here, it is the clarification of being permissive and having the wrong motives, even if you read the Word of God daily and have a very well-known service. A day will come where all your work will collapse if it is not done based on biblical standards. Do not justify your permissiveness by saying:” God will remain faithful to me even if I am not. God is faithful to you when you are close to Him. Yes, you fall and then get up again, but you won’t get up while you are being permissive.

God will not be changed by emotions unlike the heresy which claims that God will look onto those who are in hell, have compassion on them, and therefore bring them out of there into heaven. 1 Corinthians 4:1:” Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God” which means that we are commissioners (apostles) to carry the mysteries of God and any person who walks faithfully with God becomes an ambassador to Him; he sets his foot down this path, claiming himself to be entrusted by God.

• Motives! What are they? How are they formed? What are they affected by?

Motives are a group of thoughts generating a personality leading to a driving force. God designed motives so you can move with Him in a driving force towards the right things.

Motives are the launch of the energy of your heart and spirit against any situation with determination. They are the work of your spirit towards a certain direction. The motives of some people in knowing the Word of God is for their own benefit and for God to intervene in their lives and this is possible to happen in the stage of spiritual childhood, but it is dangerous in continuing like this.

2 Corinthians 6:1-13:” We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.² (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)³ Giving no offence in anything, that the ministry be not blamed:⁴ But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,⁵ In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;⁶ By pureness (the purity of motives), by knowledge (spiritual awareness), by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned (true love),⁷ By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,⁸ By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;⁹ As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;¹⁰ As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.¹¹ O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged (you have a place in our heart).¹² Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.¹³ Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged”.

“By the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left” meaning to use the right hand for attack and the left for defense. It is not an attack against people, but against those who slander us. We start declaring the Word against any attack and of course, evil spirits are the ones behind it.

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 (AMPC):” Our mouth is open to you, Corinthians (we are hiding nothing, keeping nothing back), and our heart is expanded wide (for you). There is no lack of room for you in (our hearts), but you lack room in your own affections (for us). By way of return then, do this for me- I speak as to children- open wide your hearts also (to us) meaning that their hearts are open to the Corinthians and talking to them frankly and clearly. The Corinthians have a huge status no matter what they do, but the problem is that they don’t have a room in their hearts for the apostles. Therefore, they need to open their hearts to them. The reason behind this is their co-participation with people who spoke negatively about the apostles and I will show you the proof.

He continues telling them in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18:” ¹⁴ be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? ¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”. He is addressing their wrong motives due to their co-participation with people who were talking negatively about the apostles which was leading them to be distant from the apostles and believing the lies that were being told.

2 Corinthians 7:1-2:” Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.² Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man”.

If you allow a corrupt seed (a corrupt thought) to be thrown into your land (your human spirit) it will pollute it, so this is why he is telling them “let us cleanse ourselves”. Then he repeats again saying “Receive us” meaning open your hearts to us, so this proves the existence of the idea that some people close their hearts to God and His word due to their co-participation with people who talk against God or your co-participation with thoughts that are against God, people, or yourself.

The problem with wrong motives is that they not only close your heart toward the ministers but also toward God and His Word because there is no separation between them. I will remind you of a common occurrence that proves to you the truth of this statement. If you attend meetings with thoughts against God, yourself, the ministers, or the Word, you will gain nothing from the teaching.

• Motives and the seat of Christ

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 (AMP):” ⁹ Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth] or away from home [and with Him], it is our [constant] ambition to be pleasing to Him. ¹⁰ For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the ^[a]judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or ^[b]bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities]”.

God is pleased with faith; so when you use your heart in the wrong way, you will not benefit completely from the Word. What will be revealed in front of the seat of Christ is: motives, goals, accomplishments …

2 Corinthians 2:17:” ¹⁷ For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity (pure motive), but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ”.

Paul is saying:” We do not corrupt the Word of God but we serve with pure motives and speak in His presence” meaning we speak the Word being conscious and attentive to the presence of God.

Motives are the force that makes you do certain things and if you do not discover it from the Word, then you will get lost and sabotage your life. Pure motives make you a type of a person that people are comfortable talking to.

2 Corinthians 5:11-12:” ¹¹ Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.¹² For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart”.

^“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord” meaning that we are conscious and aware of the fear of the Lord, with respect and appreciation to Him, we seek to win others for Christ and to persuade them. The Word “manifest” means we are plainly recognized and understood by God and we hope that we are plainly recognized and understood in your spirits. Therefore, we worship, fear, and reverence God.

“To answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart” these are people who take pride in God by what is seen than what is in the heart. The pure motives of Paul led to his rapid promotion in the spiritual realm unlike the ones who have wrong motives.

The motives of the heart are the way to steer it due to what it contains from thoughts. If you let evil thoughts to dwell in your heart, they will turn first into a way of thinking, leading to a behavior, and then turning into a leading force that will make you do spontaneous things which is not recent, but it is the result of a group of thoughts that made you do it easily and smoothly.

For example: sometimes you find yourself getting angry quickly in particular situations without knowing the reason. The reason is a group of thoughts that you have permitted to dwell in your heart turning into a way of thinking and then a behavior which you got used to it.

• Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God

If you allow unbiblical thoughts to dwell in your heart, you may go forth in worship but your heart will not be completely pure toward God because of these thoughts. Perhaps you have within you a word of reproach toward a person that you have not expressed, or certain objections, and therefore you will remain preoccupied and charged with these thoughts, which affects your relationship with God.

2 Corinthians 10:1-6:” Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:² But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:⁴ (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)⁵ Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;⁶ And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled”.

“Casting down imaginations” these imaginations were formed because of the Corinthians’ co-participation with people who spoke against the Apostle Paul. He urges them to destroy all imaginations and perceptions against him personally, which in turn will hinder their relationship with God.

So we come to a conclusion that there is a connection between your relationship with God and your relationship with the servants. Not only servants, but any idea against a person that you did not deal with properly; therefore, you must protect your spirit from the ideas you adopt, just as you take care of your body and protect it from colliding with anything.

“And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” he is telling them that he is ready to revenge the disobedience of the people speaking against the apostles when they deal with any ideas that have leaked to them against the apostles.

• The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely

Philippians 1:12-18:” But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;¹³ So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places;¹⁴ And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:¹⁶ The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:¹⁷ But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.¹⁸ What then? Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice”.

Here, the Apostle Paul speaks in the language of victory because even though he was in prison, he was able to spread the Word. It became known that he was arrested for preaching about Christ, and his boldness led to the audacity of many of the brothers to speak the Word, and this shows the extent of the impact of your boldness on others. There were those who served having the wrong motives of the heart, thinking that they were angering Paul because they were free and he was arrested, but he was happy because the Word was being spread regardless of the motives of their heart.

There are those who enjoy being malicious to others, and there are those who preach to others about Jesus with impure motives. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21:” Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” because not everyone who speaks is honest regarding the motives of his heart.

The heart of the human being speaks louder in the heavens than his tongue. This means that the voice of your spirit is louder in the heavens and this is what made Jesus teach the following in Matthew 5:28:” But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”.

The problem resides in the heart because what you fill your heart with will come out as actions. Your tongue, of course, has a very importance here on earth because it’s the executive force. The human spirit has an effect on the will, therefore, if your motives are pure while worshipping, it won’t make a difference if you love the tune or the words of the song.

• The motives of the heart and their relationship to the various aspects of life

Sometimes while you are listening to worship songs or in times of praise and worship, you hear the Spirit telling you:” Turn off these worship songs, and you sing to me”. This happens so you won’t depend on anyone worshipping on your behalf or to motivate you to worship, and when He purifies your heart from the wrong motives (such as praying with the motive of pleasing God and doing your duty) you will take off spiritually. Proverbs 14:26:” in the fear of the Lord (when you worship God wholeheartedly) is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge”.

When you worship God with all your heart without having your own wrong opinions and thoughts against God, yourself, people, or servants- which are arrows from the devil- you will have extreme confidence; Therefore, worship must be wholeheartedly, it is a complete submission, for you will not know how to worship while having thoughts against people.

When Jesus was clarifying that the problem is the heart and not Him, He said to the Pharisees in Matthew 11:17:” We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented” which means we spoke to you from the law in various ways, but you did not accept our words, because the problem is not in us, but in you. The problem lies in underestimating and not appreciating the Word of God.

People of the Old Testament cried out to God and David expressed it in Psalm 86:11 saying:”unite my heart to fear thy name”. Glory to God! This prayer has been fulfilled in the New Testament. Your heart has been united with God and you can put your heart in everything that you do.

When your heart is distracted and you have many thoughts within you, search for an answer from the Word or seek help from someone with that, but do not remain silent. If you remain silent, the thoughts and the questions within you will increase and so as your confusion because you don’t have specific answers .When you find answers to every question within you, your heart begins to take off.

You must build your heart’s motives (thoughts and convictions) based on the Word and you must allow God’s Word to remove all the wrong thoughts and convictions. There are those who have a force that pushes them to sin (smoking, sexual relationship, or anything else) when they feel that their level of faith has begun to decline because they feel that there is no solution. This driving force towards sin did not appear suddenly, but rather it is the result of the accumulation of wrong ideas inside of them.

The motives of the heart are not only limited to the service, rather they are linked to many aspects. They are the force that drives you to do a particular thing because everything you do is the outcome of the motives of your heart. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit and when you surrender your will to Him, you will then find yourself talking and doing things without preparing for it and this would be the outcome of the right motives inside of you.

Believing that you have surrendered yourself to Satan and you are no longer the child of God is a wrong belief and an illusion. You cannot do that because the Word says in 1 Corinthians 7:23:” Ye are bought with a price”. When these thoughts are thrown at you and you respond to it, you are training your soul for weakness, and it will become very easy for you to weaken and to keep going down, even though you see and you are aware of Satan’s hand in your life but you are not refusing it nor stopping it.

• Examine your motives and correct it.

You must know whether you know the biblical truth as information or do you truly understand it? Does the more you know God and understand His Word, the more you love Him? What are your motives for reading the Word or attending the meetings? Are you interested in understanding and appreciating the Word or only hearing it in meetings?

Jeremiah 32:38-39:” And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

³⁹ And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them.”

This prophecy was told about the shape of the heart in the New Testament. Your spirit is directed through thoughts. Motives are the thing that you will be questioned about before the judgment seat of Christ, although they are not publicly heard now but they are heard and recorded in heaven.

If you are worshipping God to please Him or doing it for your own benefit, then you are not worshipping Him in spirit and in truth.

The Holy Spirit is always at work in you to purify your motives 1 Peter 1:22:” Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth” meaning to continue in your separation and your holiness.

Romans 12:9-11:” Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

¹⁰ Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

¹¹ Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord”.

Love includes all the aspects of your life and it comes from your whole heart. Maybe you do not feel it, for feelings are not a proof to motives because motives are ideas that make you do something with conviction even if your feelings do not follow along. Therefore, always examine your motives and your ideas because you are the one who can differentiate them. Do not do that to condemn yourself but in order to find a solution to your mistakes and to correct your motives. When you take this seriously and with all your heart, you will move forward spiritually.

Some people question the divinity of Lord Jesus because it is mentioned in Matthew 4:2:” And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred” and in Matthew 8:24:” And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep” thinking that God does get hungry or tired and if you follow your feelings and agree with these people, you will then question the divinity of Jesus also. You need to realize that Lord Jesus lived here on earth as a normal person.

Examine your motives constantly; For example, when you share your testimony, examine your motives for sharing it, and when you discover that your motive is to show off, do not share it until you correct it, or if you dress nicely, examine your motives. Are you showing off in these clothes? When you do that, you train and encourage yourself to walk in the spirit, but beware of always doubting your motives.

James 1:19-21:” Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:

²⁰ For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

²¹ Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls”.

This scripture reminds us of Ephesians 4:26:” Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath”. It means to revolt against your life if you are stable. When the Holy Spirit urges you to stand on your feet spiritually, do not make the mistake of allowing the sun to set on this wrath and the good revolution and remain silent and satisfied with what is happening in your life. Thus, you can accept the Word implanted within you in the sense of walking in it, living it and putting it into practice.

2 Corinthians 7:1:” Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”. Sanctify and isolate yourself from those who speak negatively. Do not concern yourself with the sins of others. If you notice that there is a mistake, do not think about it and consider that the person has repented.

• Actions are not by intentions

Practice walking in righteous and see yourself as God sees you. For example, if you fall asleep while praying, do not blame yourself, but rather get up and continue your prayer. Motives produce automatic behaviors in your life. In the spiritual stage of childhood or adolescence, things are not measured by behavior, but in the stage of spiritual maturity, things are different, as your actions are taken into consideration.

I will explain this to you; When God appeared to Moses in the bush, he did not speak to him or condemn him for killing the Egyptian, but when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it, he was prevented from entering the Promised Land. Numbers 20:10:” And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” he did not enter the Promised Land and God told him in Numbers 20:12:” And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them”. This shows the importance of doing the will of God.

Do not live your life believing that actions are based on intentions, because there is a stage where you reach maturity and what you intend to do you will then do it, and therefore the meaning that you did the thing, is that you intended to do it; therefore, correct your wrong motives and accept the correct ones. Accept the Word with all your heart. Open your heart to it, appreciate it, and reflect on it. Listen to it more than once because the Holy Spirit will repeat the Word within you often, and if you get bored of repeating it, you will not know how to deal with the person of the Holy Spirit.

Even if your Bible is old, you must always consider it as a treasure and appreciate it like someone who is proud to own the original copy of a book because it contains secrets and that’s why he appreciates it so much.

Joseph also had pure motives. He was an example of patience, that is, he stood his on his ground against every lying counterfeit. He did not lose his dream or take revenge on his brothers when he met them. Even the cup trick and his accusation of them being spies was not out of revenge, but rather because his brothers were violent and he wanted to check up on his father Jacob and bring him to Egypt.

He named him his firstborn Manasseh, meaning the Lord made him forget all his trouble. He was betrayed, abused and humiliated. He honored others but no one honored him. Despite all of this, he was not very self-pitying.

Ephesians 4:20-23:” But ye have not so learned Christ;²¹ If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:²² That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind”.

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind” That is, let your spirits renew your minds. When the human spirit is filled with the Word, it has an impact on the mind and it renews it, and it also has an impact on the human will.

The motives of the heart navigate the person and are what have caused many to stray from God’s will and allow evil spirits to have an influence on them.

Proverbs 19:2-3:” Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.

³ The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord”.

The fact that a person has passion without knowledge is not enough. The fact that a person has a desire to know the Lord but does not know the method is not enough, and thus he sabotages his life. Then he accuses the Lord of being the cause of this ruin and enters into a conflict with Him.

John 3:16:” For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. Love was the motive for God to give His only begotten son for the world without taking into account anything else.

Your love for God is the motivation and the energy that purifies your motives. There are those who serve with impure motives and this is what allows Satan to enter into their lives and it is enough to make them see wonderful things negatively. Like the Pharisees who always saw the wonderfulness of Jesus in the wrong way. Also, pure motives draw things for you in the right way.

• How do you reach stability?

Being aware of your value and worth in Christ.

Pure motives

To see God in the right way as being good and that he does afflict you with temptations.

To trust the biblical teaching offered to you after revising it.

To trust the servants who give you the biblical truth.

There are those who worship the Lord with a trumpet, but this is not necessary now. The trumpet was used in the Old Testament in wars, and in the New Testament in the last days in times of trouble, and the bible did not shed light on it. Paul the Apostle was very particular about small matters and this caused him many troubles.

Paul the Apostle once said that if you walk according to the Old Testament, you fill fall from grace Galatians 4:5:” Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace”. He also taught about the end of the law saying in Romans 10:4:” For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” that is, with Jesus is the end of law.

There are those who believe that as long as they know the Word and have discovered what they have in Christ, then their motives are pure and this is not true.

2 Corinthians 1:12:” For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity (pure motive), not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward”.

Pure motives are very important; therefore, we find the Apostle Paul highlighting this topic over and over again. Motives have made many lose God’s call on their lives. What an important matter!

Mark 8:27-33:”²⁷ And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? ²⁸ And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.²⁹ And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.³⁰ And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.³¹ And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.³² And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.³³ But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men”.

The Lord Jesus saw that all the disciples hear what Peter says and are affected by it; therefore, he rebuked him publicly, saying: “Get behind me, Satan.” These words were directed at the devil who was speaking through Peter, while “For you do not care about the things of God, but about the things of men” are directed to Peter because he allowed the devil to enter. He cared about people and this was the motive of his heart.

Mark 8:33 (AMP):” you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (you are not on God’s side but on people’s side).  Although it was revealed to him that he was Christ, and this was of course a divine discovery, but he had wrong motives.

Hebrews 4:12:”  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.

You do not discover the motives of your heart yourself, but the Word of God reveals them to you, just as God revealed the motives of the heart of Peter and corrected them for him, and then he also taught the disciples, saying in Mark 8:34:” Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”.

The motives of your heart are what help in your rise or fall. Pure motives are enough to move God’s heart for you, even if you stray from the right path like Cornelius, who had pure motives. This moved God’s heart by sending him Peter to give him the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.

​ The motives of the heart are not limited to service only, but also to your daily interactions; if you are sitting with your friends, what is the motive behind your words? Or why do you love someone? Is it selfishness or giving? Because there are those who love their enemies just to brag about it in front of everyone!

When John the Baptist refused to baptize the Lord Jesus, He told him in Mark 3:15:” Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.” There are those who wonder why the Lord Jesus was baptized? Because he walked legally as a human being on earth, and here he allowed hands to be placed on him by John the Baptist. There are those who refuse to be laid hands on. Make your heart smooth and humble. Purify your motives because if you do not, do not expect God to use violence against you and so you can find favor in the sight of God and man.

Luke 18:18-23:” And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?¹⁹ And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.²⁰ Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.²¹ And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.²² Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.³ And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich”.

The Lord Jesus recognized that his heart was much attached to money and said to him, “You still lack something.” Matthew 19:21:” If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor” that is, you are walking in the right way, but still missing something. But he left sad, because his heart was attached to money. Pure motives always keep your heart smooth, full and satisfied. There are those who live sad and never feel satisfied. They move from house to house and from job to job, not knowing that the real problem lies in their heart and not in the surrounding circumstances.

• The importance of pure motives

1. You find favor in the sight of God and man

Proverbs 3:1-4:” My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:² For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.³ Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:⁴ So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee” Forbid or refuse to act with selfishness, hatred, or any other impure motives. Prevent yourself from lying and hypocrisy. As a result, you will find favor in the sight of God and man, and everyone who talks to you will feel comfortable, as there is a movement of angels around you because they are ministering spirits for you, as the word says in Hebrews 1:14:” Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”.

2. They help you understand the Word in the correct way

Colossians 1:21-22:” And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled²² In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight”.

“Enemies in your mind” You had a hostile tendency of thinking, that is, a hostile motive. Unbelievers have a motive against God and His Word, and even if someone fears God but hears the Word without the person of the Holy Spirit, he will be not able to understand it. The person of the Holy Spirit is a professional at communicating with you, but impure motives hinder that communication.

3. Worshipping smoothly

There are those who shout in worship and raise their hands in order to be satisfied internally. Therefore, we find the Apostle Paul warning regarding this wrong direction. If a person does this, then he is worshiping himself and not God.

There are simple churches whose members do not know how to read or write, but they experience signs and wonders, unlike those who wait for a certain emotion in order to worship God vigorously because they have a wrong motive. The Lord wants to purify the motives of believers in worship, so if you want to increase the anointing in your life and serve effectively, realize the importance of purifying your motives and submitting to the formation of the Spirit.

Colossians 2:16-23:”¹⁶ Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:¹⁷ Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.¹⁸ Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,¹⁹ And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.²⁰ Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,²¹ (Touch not; taste not; handle not;²² Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?²³ Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh”.

“Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” The things to come are the symbols which are the shadows of the truth and not the truth itself because the truth is Jesus. The word “body” here means the embodiment of the one who was a shadow in the Old Testament. The one who was symbolized in the Old Testament became an embodiment, which is Jesus.

​ “Vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind” Meaning, he claims to see visions while he does not see anything because the five senses control him.

“A shew of wisdom” The Apostle Paul confirms that he knows very well why they worship the Lord in a man-made way that has no value, and they try to force them to do so. They have a good appearance on the outside, but they deceive others that they are worshiping in a correct way, but God looks at the secrets of the heart, looks at the wisdom that is of their own making and which its goal is to overcome the body and satisfy themselves.

There are those who worship the Lord and appear humble in front of everyone, but inside they want to satisfy the flesh. There are also those who fight against true biblical teachings in order to satisfy their humanity.

Some ministers are afraid to preach about tithes and offerings for fear of being told that they want to collect money from people. God looks at the heart. If you do not walk in love with people and deliver to them the complete Biblical truth without caring about what is said about you, you will not be promoted in the spiritual realm. You will not be entrusted with what is more, as this behavior of yours is evidence of your impure motives.

James 4:6:” God resisteth the proud” Remember that pride is not only arrogance, it is also human self-gratification, and this has no value to God. There are those who will stand before the throne of Christ, and we will find the Lord saying to them:” All your deeds are worthless because you did not do what I wanted, but rather what people wanted and they praised you for it”.

The more you think about the past and how it affected you, the more it will hinder you from worshiping smoothly. What do you want from the past? Do you want someone to apologize to you for the harm they caused you? Instead of wasting time, direct your heart to love the Lord with all your heart without any personal gain because He loved you and gave you His life without expecting anything in return.

It is great to get excited while worshipping in meetings, but that is not all. You must be amazed by this God within you in your personal solitude as well. The Lord wants you to be on the move wherever you go, in your home or at work and to be fruitful even if you find yourself in a desert.

4. You will not lose God’s will in your life

Romans 12:1-2:” I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.

“By the renewing of your mind” Here he means establishing new motives and principles about the world and its thoughts so that you can experience God’s will and share His dreams.

​ Jeremiah 30:24:” the fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he hath done it, and until he has performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it”.

“The intents of his heart” which is one of the verses that clarify that those motives are stored thoughts that move you to do a specific thing. Be rich in regard to God, store up the Word within yourself so that you will have the right motives and thus find yourself doing everything right.

Matthew 13:22:” He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful”.

The thorn here symbolizes one of the types of the motives of the heart. The Lord says: The care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word. The person’s heart has become occupied with things that hinder its growth, and there is no longer a place for it. This explains why in sermons those who have a mind filled with many worldly ideas cannot concentrate.

He who purifies his motives will find it easy to receive during prayer by the laying on of hands, but there are those who are distracted by many thoughts and are preoccupied with them and have the wrong motives of the heart so they are unable to receive anything. He who believes that as long as he does not commit major sins that he is safe, he may waste his life with thoughts that make him troubled.

• How do you preserve the motives of the heart from contamination?

Philippians 3:12-15:”¹² Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.¹³ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.¹⁵ Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you”.

“Us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded” That is, add this type of way of thinking and have this motive in you, meaning put this intention within you, and thus this way of thinking will affect your will.

If you want to build the right motives within you, you must know the Word because that will not come from the air, but rather the Word of God shines it in your eyes, so that you can change any motives you have to match it to the Word. Purifying your motives is your responsibility! Don’t wait for God to do it for you… Yes, God will be the one who will reveal it to you, but this will not cancel your role.

There are those who are afraid to proclaim biblical truths for fear of persecution and use these truths for their own personal benefit only, not knowing that this will negatively affect them later because they are fostering impure motives of the hear. We see the Apostle Paul preaching to the nations and not caring about what is said about him. He could not do the opposite because God’s love confined him. Whoever comes into contact with God’s love can do otherwise.

1 Peter 4:1:4 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin”.

        Here he urges them to put this motive within them, so it is something you know and learn about.

1. Discern the motives of your heart

Hebrews 4:12:” For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.

You need to sit before the Word in order to discover your motives. Any problem you suffer from; you need to have inspirational knowledge (revelation) about it to discover what is behind the situation. The Spirit of God is the one who shows you the correct measure of the situation.

2. Purify your motives

2 Corinthians 4:1-2:” Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;² But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God”.

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 (AMP):” Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as we received mercy [from God, granting us salvation, opportunities, and blessings], we do not get discouraged nor lose our motivation. ² But we have renounced the disgraceful things hidden because of shame; not walking in trickery or adulterating the word of God, but by stating the truth [openly and plainly], we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God”.

To be known to a person’s conscience is to be known to his soul, because conscience is the voice of a person’s soul, and if you continue to look at behavior and not look at the heart, you will remain banished from problems and worries and live a miserable life because you will care about what others do to you (so-and-so talked to me badly, so-and-so did not smile at me). Let me ask you, if someone spoke badly to you, would that take anything away from your God-created spirit? All of these are impure heart motives that you must abandon.

2 Corinthians 7:1:” Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”.

Everything that is impure in your soul is the cause of your problem, as the Lord Jesus said to Peter and rebuked him because he did not think about what the Lord was thinking, but rather he thought and cared about what people cared about, because the Lord sees the heart. There are those who claim to be believers and to act with pure motives, but people do not discover them, and there are those who act secretly with pure motives and no one knows anything about them.

3. Renew your mind with the Word

If you are trying to escape from sin, don’t just run away, the Word says in 2 Timothy 2:22:” Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” but get busy with the Word and follow it with all your heart in order to purify your thinking, even if you are still falling into sin, because you would be similar to a person who takes medicine whenever symptoms appear, knowing that these symptoms will disappear completely at a later time.

When you approach God only in times of distress, know that the motives of your heart are impure and that you are worshiping yourself. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and feelings, and form a right relationship with the Word, and deal with it as a person and not as a thing, because the Word says in John 1:1:” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. He deals with the Word as a person. Also in John 1:14:” And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”.

4. Arm yourself with this intention

1 Peter 4:1:” Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin”.

Be prepared for persecution. The Church was going through persecution at that time. You may not be experiencing persecutions now, but you can arm yourself with this intention (able to pass victoriously) against any situation you are going through, and it does not have to be due to persecutions. Arm yourself by thinking about the Word and putting your heart in it. As long as they were able to overcome these persecutions victoriously, they can overcome any other situation victoriously.

When you know the pure truth, you will not be confused in understanding yourself, but rather you will discover the motives of your heart in a correct way.

Let this thought be in you; No matter what happens and no matter what challenges or persecutions you encounter, you will never abandon the Lord and His Word. Always remind yourself of the approaching coming of Jesus. Be alert, waiting for the Master’s return. Maintain pure heart motives. There is the seat of Christ waiting for you. Stick to your brothers and do not leave your meeting with them.

Hebrews 10:25:”²⁵ not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”.

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Written, collected & prepared by Life Changing Truth Ministry and all rights reserved to Life Changing Truth. Life Changing Truth ministry has the FULL right to publish & use these materials. Any quotations are forbidden without permission according to the Permission Rights prescribed by our ministry.