From Bishop Jemmott’s Words of Encouragement article entitled “Pure Heart”:

Getting close to God is essential for spiritual growth. The author of the book of Hebrews encourages the believer to draw close to God: “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him.” Hebrews 10:22a (NLT)

The Apostle James gives us the requirements needed for believers to draw closer to God:

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:7-8 (NASB)

The first requirement was submission to God’s will. The second requirement was resisting the devil, or resisting the desire to sin. The third requirement was staying in His presence. The fourth requirement is having clean hands. The fifth requirement is having a pure heart before God.

Having a pure heart means that your intentions are pure and right. Jesus said that the heart was the wellspring of all evil thoughts:

“For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” Mark 7:21-23 (NLT)

When your heart is pure, you can come into the presence of the Lord. Whatever is in your heart will manifest in your life. How is your heart?

Be Blessed,

Bishop Jemmott

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