Pure and Blameless

 

So, here I am early on a Saturday morning, with something burning deeply in my heart. Sleep won’t come because this thought is burrowing into my spirit.

Pure and blameless. Pure and blameless. Pure and blameless!

No catchy title, no eloquent wording. Just pure and blameless. This isn't a topic that typically attracts readers, but I will leave that in the Lord's hands.

Last night, I was crying out to God for the heaviness I was feeling due to recent revelations of moral failures among prominent Ministry leaders.

For the last few weeks, I have been studying Philippians, and last night I opened my Bible to Philippians again. It’s a small book, but twice it uses the phrase, pure and blameless. Those three words just jumped out at me.

Philippians 1:9-11,  And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 2:14-15, Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”

I feel this so deeply in my spirit; it’s like a fire burning in my belly, an inner groaning of wanting to personally walk in greater purity and blamelessness, and also wanting to see the Church walk in greater purity and blamelessness. I have been praying and interceding for purity of heart and purity of mind in my own life and in the lives of other Christ followers.

Being in Christian ministry has its challenges and can be very difficult at times. The wider your audience, the larger the target on your back. The attacking arrows come from the enemy of our souls and also from sideline critics.

Satan's strategy is to kill, steal, and destroy, and he will do anything within his power to stop the work of expanding the kingdom of God. He deceivingly distracts and destroys the work of ministry by enticing leaders with power, influence, success, and many other fleshly desires.

It is not my job or anybody else’s job to judge a person‘s heart; that is up to God. However, when we see a person’s actions that don’t line up with the word of God, then we can tell by their fruit whether or not they are walking in purity and blamelessness.

My heart is grieved by what I see happening in the Church today. The division in the Church does not bless God's heart. We are divided by political beliefs, social justice, theology, and denominations. Social media has created a platform for divisive slander and finger-pointing. I personally feel that unless we are actively involved in a situation, we should be very careful with our words, because we have no way of knowing what is true and what is being misconstrued in the scandalmongering of social media.

By no means am I condoning inappropriate, immoral behavior, especially in the church. Church leaders are actually held to a higher standard and will be judged more harshly by God. But I want to be extremely careful that I do not get involved with slandering someone when I have no idea if the allegations are accurate or true.

Pure and blameless. Pure and blameless. Pure and blameless!

Lord...

May our motives be pure and blameless.

May our discernment be pure and blameless.

May our ministries be pure and blameless.

May our personal lives, our thoughts, and how we spend our time be pure and blameless.

May the way we deal with accolades, followers, and platforms be pure and blameless.

May our thoughts, words, and deeds be pure and blameless.

May we exercise sexual integrity, guarding our hearts, our minds, and our actions, being pure and blameless before you, Lord.

May we put before our eyes no vile thing...being totally, completely, pure and blameless before you.

Oh God, we need more of you. We need more time on our knees and less time arguing, pontificating, judging, and finger-pointing. God, make us desperate for you and purify us to be the perfect, spotless Bride that you are coming back for. 

 

Go Ahead and Press that Button

 

The January reset, restart, or revamp... whatever you want to call it, is in full swing. Right? Today is January 16. How are you doing with those New Year's resolutions? Have you already given up and fallen back into old habits, mindsets, or are you staying the course laid out on January 1? 

One of the best ways that I reset every January is to start the year off with a 21-day fast. Our church participates in this together. We each hear from God on what we should give up and then fill out commitment cards stating what we will be fasting. I typically give up some sort of food, TV, and social media. And let me tell you, after the holiday behaviors of indulging in sugar, rich treats, and Christmas movies, I am in need of a serious reset! The first few days are pretty hard, but I eventually fall into a delightful rhythm that feels so right. 

Getting sugar/junk out of my system is so good for me, and having more time to read, pray, write in my journal, and spend time with the Lord is a great way to start off the year. I call it "being in the zone". It's so rejuvenating to press into the Lord and to get off my phone!! I can't tell you how many times I have picked up my phone out of habit, and then I just stare at it and try to figure out what I'm going to do with it. I have checked the weather more often over the last 16 days than I probably have in the last 2 months. Oh my! 

And then there is the January purge...that also has me "in the zone". I go through closets and drawers and weed out what I don't need and/or don't use. I donate, recycle, or trash all the unwanted items.

So much about January, for me, is getting rid of things that ensnare, distract, occupy, and consume me. What do I keep in my life to cause me to consistently stay "in the zone," and what do I need to get rid of that pulls me "out"?

My prayer for myself and for each one of my readers is that God would speak clearly to us about the January purge...what to keep...what to divest of...materially, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, and that he would teach us day by day how to stay "in the zone".

Slogans for 2026...

Off my phone and in the zone!

It's gonna stick in '26!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I Lack Nothing—Even When It Feels Like I Do

 

 

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need.

This verse and similarly themed verses have been ministering to my heart recently. Sometimes life can throw things at you that make you scratch your head and wonder where God's provision is. All those promises that we cling to about Jehovah Jireh- God our provider; at times, we declare them over and over again without seeing a breakthrough. Do you agree? Am I the only one?

But yet we know it's true. He IS our provider! 

Recently, I found myself being a little whiny to God. I had been contending for a few things in my life, and in the lives of those who are dear to me, for a very long time without seeing change. I was feeling disappointed that I hadn't seen movement towards healing. However, in the midst of my pity party, some scriptures kept coming to mind about God's provision. 

Psalm 34:9–10, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing

Psalm 84:11 no good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Philippians 4:19 he supplies all our needs according to his riches in glory.

2 Corinthians 9:8 and God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 

It seemed like every day I would randomly read another scripture or hear another song about lacking nothing. When that happens, I pay attention because I know God is trying to speak something to me. I sensed the Lord was leading me to declare these verses over the things that I was contending for. 

So, I switched my whiny prayers to that of declaration. Having done so, I wish I could say that I immediately saw changes in the situations that I had been praying for, but I didn't. But you know what did happen? I had a mind shift! Declaring that the Lord has given me everything I need made me accept that his provision to me IS exactly what I need. I became content with my current circumstances, all the while believing in his perfect timing to change them as he sees fit. His timing is perfect, and his plans are perfect. What more do I need?

Perhaps we are asking for more than we are currently ready for? Maybe there are more lessons to be learned before we see the fulfillment of the promise? Whatever the case, I will continue to declare that I lack nothing, even when it feels like I do.