“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.” -Matthew 5:8. Is it possible to see God, and at all times?… (Click or scroll down to continue)
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To See God
“Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.” -Matthew 5:8, ESV
The Holy Spirit had the scripture of Matthew 5:8 lingering in my thoughts for several weeks. Difficult to write a meaningful message, I was going to leave it and move on.
Yet, the Lord desired this message to be delivered, and knows someone who needs to hear this today.
What Is It To See God?
As Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God.” The inverse of this scripture is found in Hebrews 12:14: “Without holiness, no one will see the Lord.”
This is not to see the Lord with physical vision, like viewing your own hand before your eyes. But in purity of heart, we can draw so near to Him that we will see God at all times, seeing Him with His presence. Not only in the extraordinary, but in the ordinary and seemingly insignificant, God is seen.
A pure heart is a mirror, in which God is reflected to us in all things. His clarity and how much He is reflected to us hinges on our love, obedience, humbleness, dependence, and surrender to Him.
To have the presence of God runs many oceans deeper than physically seeing, hearing, and touching another of flesh and bone. For Jesus said, “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:20, ESV).
The presence of God is within us, as experienced with the Holy Spirit’s moving and interacting with us. It’s when we have surrendered our wants and desires, allowing room in our heart for Him to live and grow. The indwelling Spirit is an invaluable gift to each believer in Christ. He guides, counsels, encourages, convicts, teaches, empowers, and comforts us immeasurably more beyond what any man could do without Christ. And when we allow the Spirit to freely move and work within us, it then allows us to grow more into the likeness of Christ.
When room is made in our hearts for the Holy Spirit, God is seen by us through the spiritual fruit that the Spirit produces. In His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, the spiritual eyes see. The spiritual ears hear.
For only God can give you the eyes to see and ears to hear Him when we have purity of heart, with our love, obedience, and faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:15-26, CSB).
And What Is Purity?
Purity is a single-minded devotion to God. It’s without deceit, hypocrisy, and a selfish desire for personal gain. Many deceive themselves believing purity is the charity they do for others, the serving and consistent church attendance, and the like. But those are outward expressions, like keeping the Law. For keeping the Law didn’t reflect what was inward, that which was in the heart.
“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV).
““Purity of heart,” so far as it exists, brings with it the power of seeing more than others see in all through which God reveals Himself—the beauty of nature, the inward light, the moral order of the world, the written word, the life and teaching of Christ.”
Is Purity Possible?
The heart is naturally unclean. We have no power in ourselves to make it pure, and to make it acceptable to God. Only through the belief and walking with Christ is purity possible for us. It’s only through surrender and humbling ourselves, acknowledging that there’s nothing we have or can humanly do to purify our own hearts.
Though sin will always dwell in us while we walk the earth, its power over us as Christ followers is broken, through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are justified from all sin. The grace of God has been extended to us, though we were not worthy of it. The mercy of God was given, though we deserved death.
Saved through the atoning blood of Jesus, we still need to take the steps of sanctification, through taking up our cross daily. Jesus said, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23, CSB).
Therefore, we need to always pursue holiness and purity of heart, asking the Holy Spirit to search and convict in areas we can’t see. After He speaks and reveals, pull up the roots of sin before they take hold and bury deeper into your soul.
We should desire purity, because we want to see God, to have fellowship with our Heavenly Father, Redeemer, Savior, Comforter, Provider, and Protector at all times- our source of life, joy, peace, and love.
The heart must be purified by one’s faith and put in the hand of Christ for His keeping, while walking with Him each day.
For You…
Have you seen God? If not, do you desire to see Him? As there is much to explore with today’s message, watch your inbox for the second half of this message.
And we can pray:
Lord Jesus, we come to you in surrender and humbled heart. We desire to see you, and feel your presence every moment of every day. We pray that your Spirit show us those areas that are veiled, that keep us from seeing you clearly. Lord Jesus, we pray all of these things in your powerful and almighty name. Amen.
Health
This Week’s Health Pick
Saffron: Mood Booster & More
Saffron, the world's most expensive spice, is packed with potent antioxidants like crocin, crocetin, and safranal. It is highly prized for its ability to boost mood, enhance cognitive function, support eye health, and provide powerful anti-inflammatory and cellular-protective benefits.
Mental Health & Cognition
Mood Booster: Clinical trials suggest that saffron is as effective as some conventional antidepressants for treating mild-to-moderate depression, helping to stimulate "happy hormones" like serotonin.
Saffron increases serotonin, leading to better mood. It also promotes GABA, the brain’s primary inhibitory and calming neurotransmitter. Further, saffron has been shown to modulate dopamine and norepinephrine, two key neurotransmitters in the realm of mental health and cognitive function.
Anxiety Relief: The spice has calming properties that help reduce feelings of stress and subclinical depressive feelings.
Memory Support: Active compounds protect brain cells from oxidative stress, showing promise in mitigating symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and enhancing overall cognitive function.
The antioxidants in saffron help reduce inflammation and protect brain cells from damage.
Eye & Vision Health
Macular Degeneration: Saffron is rich in carotenoids, which have been shown to improve eyesight and protect retinal cells in adults suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Heart & Metabolic Health
Cholesterol & Blood Pressure: Saffron helps regulate arteries, dilate blood vessels, and lower both LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.
Weight Management: Studies indicate that taking saffron extract or using it in a diet can reduce appetite, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference.
Blood Sugar: It may help manage blood sugar levels and increase insulin sensitivity.
Overall Cellular Health
Antioxidant Powerhouse: Neutralizes free radicals and reduces chronic inflammation, potentially lowering the risk of chronic conditions like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Cellular Protection: Preliminary laboratory studies show its compounds selectively target and neutralize dangerous cellular mutations, offering chemopreventive properties.
Saffron contains the highest level of flavonoids compared to other spices. Flavonoids have been shown to help protect against certain cancers like rectal and liver cancer.
How To Select Saffron
Look for deep red strands: High-quality saffron has deep red strands with a slight orange tip.
Check the smell: Saffron should have a strong, pleasant aroma.
Beware of adulteration: Because of its high value, some sellers mix saffron with other substances to increase weight. Buy from reputable spice sources to avoid this problem.
Usage & Considerations
Dosage: Saffron is highly concentrated. Studies have found it safe for healthy adults to consume up to 1.5 grams daily.
Consuming more than 1.5g a day, you may experience side effects like dizziness, fatigue, anxiety, headaches and nausea.
Consuming more than 5g per day can lead to more serious side effects like vomiting and bloody diarrhea.
Precautions: Pregnant women should avoid using saffron in medicinal/supplemental amounts during early pregnancy.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding or taking certain medications such as blood thinners, talk to your health care provider before using saffron.
As with any supplement, please be advised to check with your doctor before taking saffron as a supplement.
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Two similar stories, with two different outcomes. One response can change the world... (Click or scroll down to continue)
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