In review of James 1:21 it says, “Get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”
Bottom Line:
Get rid of filth and all that is wrong in your life, humbly accept the word God has planted in your heart, for it has the power to save our souls as it takes hold.
What this means to me:
This passage reminds me to get rid of all that is wrong in my life, both inside and outside, and humbly accept God’s word that is planted in my heart, for it has the ability to save my soul as I let it take hold of my heart.
As we all know, cell phone reception and quality varies greatly. The same is true with myself and my reception with God. In order to get the best reception, I must be positioned correctly in order to hear God speak.
Often I never give God a chance to talk. I've already made up my mind, because I want to do what I want to do, not what God wants me to do. My heart can be hardened, and unwilling to listen. So, when I have a closed mind, he’s not going to talk to me!
But if I really want to hear from God, I need to understand what is keeping me from hearing from God. There are three mental barriers that keep my mind closed to God’s message.
Pride - If I think I don’t need God in my life and want to handle things myself, I’m probably not listening for God to speak. This kind of pride will keep me from being open to the possibility that God might want to say something to me.
Fear - I may not hear God speak because I’m afraid of what he’ll say to me or ask me to do.
Bitterness - If I hold on to a hurt, resentment, or a grudge, then I’m not going to be able to hear God, because my heart is hardened. It has grown cold and made me defensive, even to God’s love.
Harboring any sin is also a barrier to me hearing. In order to hear from God, I need to be clean. I can do this by confessing my sin and asking for forgiveness. Also, holding onto any resentment will kill you! Resentment is a self-inflicted wound that allow something from my past to continue to hurt me today. This needs to be let go, not because they deserve forgiveness but because I need to get on with life. I need to get rid of the bitterness, fear, and pride that keep me from hearing God’s voice and living out his purpose for my life.
James 1:21 says, “Get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls” (NLT).
To “Humbly accept” means that I let go of my pride and stop trying to figure it out on my own. This is the key to opening my mind and heart so that I can hear from the Lord.
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