A Spiritual Housecleaning

From the Gospel Chopel

“Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness,” (Psalm 119:36)

One of the most powerful evidences that we have God’s grace is that we have new desires and inclinations that replace ones of rebellion.

There is first a putting away of the old rebellion and inclinations, and then there is given a spirit of submission and inclination toward those things that please God. The Lord does not share His throne will a rebellious spirit. Rebellion must first be broken and removed before we hear that voice behind us saying that this is the way, walk in it. The Lord will not give the inclinations of His Spirit in the midst of rebellion.

The Scriptures clearly bring this forth. Turn with me to Ezekiel 36:25-27 to see the chronology of this:

“Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

That new spirit is a new attitude. It is all of grace. We cannot change our attitudes. We cannot do this in our own strength. We cannot walk in His statutes, we will not have the inclinations of the Spirit to incline us where to go and where not to go as long as we live in our filthiness.

The first order of grace is that He remove that filthiness. If our hearts are still unbridled, and we live in hatred, lust and covetousness, then we cannot claim grace.

The Lord cleanses us and gives us new hearts, and He puts His Spirit within us. That is the work of grace. Then He will cause us to walk in His statutes. If we see these marks of grace, then we can claim that we have the work of grace in us because the work of grace is an inclination to walk in the ways of the Lord.

First the weeds and thorns must be uprooted, then the good seed can be planted. You cannot plant a crop in a field loaded with weeds and thorns. First you must prepare the soil. You do not plant the seed until you have prepared the seed bed. You must dig out the weeds and thorns by their roots. Then the good seed can be planted.

The old man must be cast off before we can put on the new. I want you to see where salvation begins. Turn with me to Ephesians 4:22-24 to see the chronology, to see how this work of grace begins:

“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

We must take off that old conversation. We must clean up our filthy attitudes. We must deal with those old habits. We have to deal with the covetousness that fills our hearts by nature. When God begins working grace in our hearts, we will see that the beginning starts with putting off the old man. We see that this vain conversation is wretched in the sight of God. We see that we can no longer live in our old ways, and we must be renewed in the attitudes of our minds.  

Even after the most blessed change of heart, there is still that ever-ongoing spiritual warfare that we read of in Galatians 5:17:

“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

I have heard people say this means you must live in sin because you cannot do the good you should do. The word cannot in Galatians 5:17 in the original means “God forbid.” This means that the Lord with His restraining grace keeps us from the evil we would do. As saints, we plead for the Lord to incline our hearts to His testimonies and not to covetousness. In other words, give me your restraining grace and spare me from doing these wicked things. God, with His restraining grace, keeps us from doing those wretched, wicked things we would do.  Amen.

  

Spirit of God, that moved of old
Upon the waters’ darkened face,
Come, when our faithless hearts are cold,
And stir them with an inward grace.

     

Come, give us still Thy pow’rful aid,
And urge us on, and make us Thine;
Nor leave the hearts that once were made
Fit temples for Thy grace divine.

     

Nor let us quench Thy sev’nfold light;
But still with softest breathings stir
Our wayward souls, and lead us aright,
O Holy ghost, the Comforter.

Cecil Frances Alexander, 1828-1895