The Sanitized Heart

THE SANITIZED HEART

"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7.

Have you ever seen a tree that looks splendid on the outside, but when you cut it down, it is completely empty on the inside? Samuel once made that mistake! He was sent by God to the house of Jesse in other to anoint a new king. The man of God would have anointed Eliab, but God stopped him. We make the same mistake too! We look at a person and think they're perfect only to discover later that we were wrong. But with God there is no deception. He looks right through our hearts. God's still looking for the upright and pure in heart today.

"“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9.

The human heart is dark, clever, mysterious and crafty; it can appear one way when it is actually another. We can use a sweet voice, and act and sound as if we're perfectly calm, when inwardly we're boiling with rage.

"21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:21-23.

A heart that's nourished with immoral thought will lead its one to fornication, rape, prostitution and adultery. So we should be careful to protect it from contamination and defilement. The word defilement means to corrupt, to debauch, to violate, to tarnish the purity, to taint, to stain, to contaminate, and to render impure.

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45.

If your heart is filled with bitterness, hate, lust, pride, anger, rebellion and unforgiveness, then it will come out in your words. And if your heart is filled with love and forgiveness, that will come out in your words as well.

"As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man." Proverbs 27:19.

Just as we see our reflection in a mirror or a body of water, our actions reveal the state of our hearts.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” Psalm 51:10.

The Holy Spirit can breathe new life into our hearts and remove all impurities. But we have to actively fight against defilement. We must repent and let God works on our hearts. He'll renew and sanitize our hearts.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SANITIZE?

As we contend with the COVID-19 virus distressing the world today, evidence indicates that the pandemic is transmitted through respiratory droplets or contact. Contact transmission takes place when contaminated hands touch the mucous of the mouth, nose, or eyes; the virus can also be transferred from one surface to another by polluted hands, which facilitates indirect contact transmission. Consequently, hand hygiene is extremely important to prevent the spread of the virus. Hand sanitizers interrupts transmission of COVID-19, other viruses and bacteria causing common colds, flu and pneumonia, thus reducing the general burden.

Maintaining a clean hands and other body parts is healthy, but if your heart is full of evil or darkness, it is a waste. We can wash the outside of our bodies and everything around us, but if we don't purify our hearts we'll have evil thoughts. So what does it mean to sanitize? To sanitize is to clean something to make it free of bacteria or disease causing particles. It is to make completely clean. Sanitizing is to remove contamination from something, and thus rendering it safe. It is to get rid of impurities. To sanitize is to make something more acceptable by removing dirt. It is to lessens and even kills germs on surfaces to make them safe for contact. Other words for sanitize are: decontaminate, clean, freshen and purify. Purification is a must in order to do all that God wants to do in our lives. The definition of holiness is "set apart, consecrated, dedicated to God, separated and sanctified." "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:8. Clean hands and pure hearts is a reality.

THE HEART:

The physical heart is an organ in our circulatory system. It pumps blood, supplies oxygen and nutrients to the body. Meaning if your heart has a problem, it can affect all other parts of the body. The heart, according to the Bible, is the place where emotions and desires begin; it is what drives our will towards action. The condition of your heart is of primary importance to God: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" Proverbs 4:23. The heart is the soul or mind of man. It is the foundation of our thoughts, passions, desires, appetites and affections. The heart can be pure or impure! If your heart is pure, then everything springing from it is pure. If your heart is impure, then your life will be impure. Your action are a result of what is in your heart.