"The heart is the seat of affection. It is the place where values are revealed" (Bill Johnson).
Purity of heart unleashes the aroma of heaven in any atomsphere you walk into. Whenever Jesus would step into a room or in the midst of a crowd, people became so attracted to him that they would run over others just to touch the hem of his garment. Brian Simmons touched on an idea that struck me deeply: "You cannot recieve the Spirit of God until you recieve the nature of the Lamb." This is what it means to be pure in heart. It prepares us for the overshadowing presence of the Holy Spirit to demonstrate His power and authority to the people He created.
Tonight I ran upon a verse that has touched me with power. "And all who focus their hope on him will always be purifying themselves, just as Jesus is pure" (1 John 3:3, TPT). This is the place of deep affection and adoration. We must always search for Him in the day to day in order for us to truly live from a place of purity. Many believers strive to find His presence by substituing praise and worship for ministry activities that are void of power. While serving is important, it must come from a prepared heart for the King to show up. Serving from an awareness of brokeness falls short of a divine encounter for others. We must purify ourselves by simply setting our hearts on His affection and giving Him our utmost attention. The heart that lives from the position of purity and power will easily recognize the Spirit of God in any given situation. My prayer for myself and the church is that we never loose our wonder. Stewards of His presence live constantly focusing on the face of Jesus.
I love Mary. Other than Jesus, she is a great example of demonstrating the purest form of worship. Whenever Jesus shows up in a room - she cannot help but fall at his feet. "Mary picked up an alabaster jar filled with nearly a liter of extremely rare and costly perfume - the purest extract of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet. Then she wiped them dry with her long hair. And the fragrance of the costly oil filled the house" (John 12:3, TPT). There is fasinating word play in the Hebrew about the word "oil."
"Your presence releases a fragrance so pleasing - over and over poured out. For your lovely name is "Flowing Oil." No wonder the brides-to-be adore you. Draw me into your heart. We will run away together into the king's cloud-filled chamber" (Song of Songs 1:3-4, TPT). The word play for oil contains both the word "name (shem)" and "oil (shemen)." That is why Brian Simmons translates this verse as "flowing oil" because his name runs like a river, covering the whole world with His glory. Notice the presence of YHWH is like that of a fragrance. In John 12, the alabaster jar was the most expensive scent in Jewish culture. This flask was taken from a nard plant in northern India. Therefore, they must have went on a long journey to find this expensive smell. This type of fragrance is actually supposed to be prepared in advance before distributing it to others. The prepartion must have been known to Mary as she was purifying herself before the coming of Jesus. Once the presence of Yeshua came into the room, the fragrance was released and the scent of heaven became strong like dew. I cannot imagine the powerful feeling of His presence in that moment. Whenever the face of God manifests, chains break and our hearts become saturated with the aroma of heaven. The heart of God is centered in purity.
Our hearts are a place of worship. Worship is establishing the worth of another. To unveil the worth of Jesus, we must live from a place of purity. Purity is rooted in faith. You cannot please God apart from faith. Faith lives in the environment of worship. Worship takes us beyond natural rationalism and into the mind of God - creating supernatural results. Purity of heart will always release the fragrance of heaven - creating an atmosphere for supernatural encounters.
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