What is behind the meaning of circumcision? How do we prepare our heart? How do we protect our heart from corruption?
Circumcision was given to Abraham as a sign to signify that he was in a covenant relationship with God, all because he was obedient and acted in faith to the direction he was given by God.
Circumcision was a physical sign that has a spiritual aspect to it. It was an adaptation imposed by God upon the flesh of men that brought about both a physical cleanliness and a blessing from God.
Romans 4:11… And he (Abraham) received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had, by his faith, while still uncircumcised. This was to make him the father of all who believe but who are not circumcised, so that righteousness may be credited to them also.
The apostle Paul spoke extensively about the circumcision of the flesh and the spiritual aspects that it had upon a person’s life who prepared their heart for the spirit. We could now be declared righteous by our faith in the name of Christ Jesus so that we too might receive the seal of righteousness.
Romans 2:29… On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit, not from the letter of the law. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.
John the Baptist was called to prepare God’s people to receive the promised Messiah. He preached the baptism of water as a sign of repentance. So, that the Messiah could baptize us with holy spirit. John called to all the people to prepare their heart, but was this something new?
Counsel to Job
Job was counseled to prepare his heart because his friends thought he was being punished by God. Zophar his friend proved himself to be a false comforter but the words he spoke about acquiring the wisdom of God and preparing our heart to receive it was spot on. So, what can we learn from it?
Job 11:5… But oh, that God would speak, and open His lips against you, That He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.
First we have to understand that wisdom is a gift of the spirit, even Solomon knew that he needed to ask for this gift, and so we should ask. 2 Chronicles 1:10-12
Job 11:7… Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of The Almighty? They are higher than heaven, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. If He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment, then who can hinder Him? For He knows deceitful men; He sees wickedness also. Will He not then consider it? For an empty-headed man will be wise, when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man…
Second, we need to understand that God knows that man is inherently deceitful. That a man’s inclination from the heart is bad from his youth and it is incumbent upon us to ask for God’s free gift. Genesis 8:21
God can see the sin we are living with; we have to trust him to help remove if from our life.
Can you hear the pleading from the spirit?
Job 11:13… If you would prepare your heart, And stretch out your hands toward Him; If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away, And would not let wickedness dwell in your tents…
We have to be willing to renounce our sinful tendencies, to stop being treacherous in our dealings with others. To have the determination to not let these wicked thoughts dwell in us. Then the blessing of God would come. We would be guaranteed the joy and an uplifted spirit that only comes from God.
Job 11:15-20… Then surely you could lift up your face without spot; Yes, you could be steadfast and not fear; Because you would forget your misery, And remember it as waters that have passed away, And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around and take your rest in safety. You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid; Yes, many would court your favor.
Surely if God can see the sin we are living with then by our asking for help He will remove from our life.
How can we keep sin from returning to our lives? How does sin of corruption get into our heart?
Monkey See Monkey Do
We as humans learn by watching others. A father teaches his son how to fish by saying watch me, do as I do. So, we have this expression monkey see monkey do. Even in the animal kingdom older animals teach the younger ones different skill sets they will use later in life. With the eye we see, that is learn information and it becomes stored in the mind to be used later on as needed.
So, If you see sin you will be pressed to engage in sin. Because the eye is the pathway into the heart of a Man. We need to guard our eyes from seeing worthless things. The eye is a portal leading to the storehouse of our mind. If we feed our mind with these worthless things then they will become stored up to be meditated on later. From there in the storehouse of our brain, these things are pulled up like a file and are played over and over again in our minds and this affects our heart. These wicked sinful desires will lurk in the mind drawing a person into acting out what they have seen. Then these sinful desires will press you into a life of slavery in sin.
God had promised to give us a new spirit in which we can serve him in righteousness. God begin to reveal these promises about these things through the prophets until his Messiah arrived. Then these things were declared openly the people who wish to be clean from the oppressive and lustful spirit of the world. Ezekiel 11:19-20 and Ezekiel 36:26-28 then follow up with the reading all of Romans chapter 8.
Sin is Toxic to Your New Spirit
Think about this:
Galatians 6:7-9… Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So, we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.
Do not allow yourselves to be tricked into thinking that what you see does not affect you. God has warned us through His word and by the spirit about what is harmful to us. If we ignore or disregard His word then we are in affect mocking him, by our actions we are saying that we don’t believe the word He speaks.
Ephesians 4:30… don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption.
Now that this point is been brought out about grieving God’s spirit go ahead and read Ephesians 4:17-30 in the context of what’s being spoken here.
If what Paul has said in Romans chapter 8 is true about our life, and we have received the new spirit then we should continue to clothe ourselves in Christ.
What do we say to a child who puts on clean clothes and then immediately goes and plays in the water puddle and mud, right before going to really important event?
If we have received a cleansing from God why is it that we would want to engage our eyes in watching and looking at the things that God has called unclean. Why would we want to store these things in our mind so that they should affect our heart? What is unclean is toxic to the Holy Spirit and it will bring about a corruption of the flesh.
A person who engages in slander and does not stop after being warned by God’s word and the spirit will reap cancer of the mouth, of the tongue, or of the bone of the jaw, this is a direct effect of the toxicity that affects the spirit of man. That which affects the spirit that is in us will directly affect the physical aspect upon our flesh that’s just a fact that we have to come to realize or we shall suffer the penalty of affliction.
Come Lord Jesus and teaches more about the ways of God’s righteousness!
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