"Pure in Heart" - Post #1

Monday, August 20^th, 2007 to Tuesday, August 21^st, 2007

“Pure in Heart”

Sexual Integrity

Matthew 5:1-12

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

“Blessed” has the root of happy. It comes from the island Cyprus where it was so rich, it provided everything to make “perfect happiness” (blessed). To have life to the full, get to know these QUALITIES.

• Why
• Principles
• Learn More
• Vision

I was created for relationships.

Genesis 2:8-9, 15-25

Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Man’s gift to God is purity - single focus. God ALONE is enough to meet my needs. That is purity and that is focus.

Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

John 4:34

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

Sin shows that God is not enough, not good enough, for me. So, is God enough, or do I need something else?

Eve was it for Adam. God did not make Eve and Yvette! Unity is between a husband and wife. It is an unselfish act and a loving act. Missing the target is sin.

Why Struggle: (Why do I struggle?)

• Trained and conditioned (objectifying)

I need to train to be righteous

• No training in intimacy

I was never trained in how to deal with emotions, so I search for comfort in unrighteous ways. I then resort to “false intimacy” or in general “anything”. False intimacy never lasts.

The “BIG” Myth: women want impulsive sex (from me). Are struggles due to “Biology”? When the brain experiences a good feeling, the brain will want more pleasure. EX: a rat pushes a button that causes pleasure in its brain and continues till it falls over exhausted. Frontal Cortex “disappears” on brain waves and person becomes unable to make decisions. This is what causes an addictive personality.

The Cycle:

• Emotional Pain
• Disconnection
• Searching Mode
• Acting Out Mode
• Regret Mode/Progression/Out of Control and Out of Body Experience

Other Factors:

• Deception (stretching the truth, lying, leaving something out when confessing)
• Compartmentalized (meaning to say “I’m OK in all these areas but just this one, so I’m good.”)
• Entitlement (I deserve it because…)
• Superficial vs. Intimacy

There is more to come with this. On a good note, I have a job in the bag, my first job since Mackenzie was 6 months old or so. Of course, it is having me work at 2:30 in the morning. Yowzah! Oh well, it is just a couple of hours long, so prayfully things will go well. I guess it calls for plenty of COFFEE and caffeine. Johnny Out.