Heart Morality or Hidden Immorality

Today the Lord, once again, has reminded me about the days in which we live. I grieve at the state of the church as a whole. Many believers think they are doing well in their lives because they are against homosexuality and abortion, but are completely accepting of many things that dishonor God on a regular basis.

Ready for the firestorm that is coming after writing this piece... here goes. Because the arrogance of the young people who refuse instruction and even mock the wisdom of the older folks, "heart" immorality is wide spread.

I was in a discussion recently about the undergarments of the teenagers today. Those who like to be in step with the modern culture think that wearing under garments that were only worn by prostitutes a mere 40 years ago, is acceptable because they are unseen.

The question arises, "Why would a young girl care about the style of her under garments if they are unseen?"

God is always looking at the heart, if we want to feel sexy under our cloths it is a heart condition. Why would we want to "feel sexy" as an unmarried person, except that our heart desires things we should not have?

The heart desiring to indulge in promiscuity without actually dong it, is prevalent. God looks at the heart more than the actions. Our hearts are only revealed though actions, but the heart condition is there before the action.

There was a time in our history when women wore long clothing to cover up, even corsets were considered immoral for the believer because the purpose was to show off a figure in public.

Then as the society became a little more bold the dress hems were raised to above the ground to show the ankles. Only those women who were wild and immoral would wear them in the beginning, most of society frowned on them. As the culture began to see more and more of these skirts above the ground exposing the ankle, the older folks became used to the look, rather than evaluating the consequences of this rebellion, they accepted it in the younger generation.

The skirt hems became shorter and shorter over the years until we have what we have now. Any long skirts we find, often have slits all the way up the back or the side exposing far too much.

However, this discussion is not really about the length of a skirt hem, but rather about a heart attitude of rebellion in sexuality.

The sixties and the seventies opened a Pandora's box of immorality that began a firestorm of sexual promiscuity that has infiltrated the church.

Today the modern teen is wearing cloths on the outside and underneath that only prostitutes wore not that long ago. This clothing is fostering rebellion and promiscuity in the heart, even if unseen on the outside.

So often parents, even home school parents are shocked when their daughters get to a certain age, they begin to indulge in bad friends and immoral clothing, even marrying unbelievers in disobedience to the Word, because the parents believed they were teaching all the right things, even holding "family altars." The problem is that the standard of dress has been low in comparison to God's standard, even under the street cloths. And, what is underneath fostered a promiscuous heart.

The seventies was a time when the "hippies" were "telling it all." In an effort to be open and honest the counter-culture of the hippies fostered rebellion against cultural norms disguising it as "openness", when in fact it was merely an in your face declaration to be different for difference sake. Most of what the hippie generation taught was not better, however it was damaging.

Let's take a look at what we have now that is a product of all this focus on fashion and amoral thinking.

We have half if not more of the people in the church divorcing and remarrying and those who have not done it are defending those who do.

We have half the babies born, are out of wedlock immorality. Many people are not bothering with marriage. Because of this children do not have a stable family life, break-ups are common among their parents and those in their sphere of influence are accepting and even helping in the dissolution of relationships and families.

We have 55 million murders in the form of abortion.

We have illegal drugs being sold at our elementary and high schools.

We have teachers who are immoral with their students in public schools.

When we teach our children that what they do on the outside is more important than what they do in secret, we are not addressing the most important issue of all, and that is the condition of the heart.

Parents need to take a strong stand very early with their children as to their clothing, on the outside, and to foster modesty even in the hidden things.

Romans 2:29 "but [he is] a Jew who [is one] inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise [is] not from men but from God."

1 Corinthians 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Luke 6:45 ""A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."

Exposing the Health and Wealth Lies

I don't know about any of you but I become weary at the health wealth and prosperity gospel that some are spreading.  There is no scriptural basis for it.  Many have become discouraged thinking they have done something wrong because they don't live in wealth, they are sick often and all their relatives hate them. 

There are those who say they don't believe the false gospel of prosperity, but live as though they must prove God is blessing them through feverish efforts to acquire wealth.  They even deny their illnesses to pretend they are healthy when they need a doctor.

Next time someone attempts to convince you that God does not want you to be poor, sick, or persecuted, repeat these words to them.

Hebrews 11:35 "Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

Hbr 11:36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.

Hbr 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, [fn] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented--

Hbr 11:38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, [in] dens and caves of the earth.

Hbr 11:39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise,

Hbr 11:40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from "

Many people are being persecuted, beheaded and hung on crosses today in Egypt, what would you have to say to those people. The health, wealth and prosperity gospel is not the gospel at all, but a false one.

Matthew 6:19 ""Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;"

Mat 6:20       "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal."

Mat 6:21       "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

2 Corinthians 11:23 "Are they ministers of Christ?--I speak as a fool--I [am] more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.

2Cr 11:24 From the Jews five times I received forty [stripes] minus one.

2Cr 11:25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

2Cr 11:26 [in] journeys often, [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils of [my own] countrymen, [in] perils of the Gentiles, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren;

2Cr 11:27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness--

2Cr 11:28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

2Cr 11:29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn [with indignation]?

2Cr 11:30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.

2Cr 11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

2Cr 11:32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me;

2Cr 11:33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands"

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Luke 21:14 ""Therefore settle [it] in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer;

Luk 21:15 "for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.

Luk 21:16 "You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put [some] of you to death.

Luk 21:17 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake"

Hmmm!!!  Christ was our example and He did not escape poverty and persecution, what would make us think we would.  Joel Osteen spits in the face of God when he writes a book entitled, "Your Best Life Now."  This may be the best life now for those who are refusing Christ and ultimately will end up in a firey hell.  But for the believer, nothing on this earth should take us captive, not wealth, not health nor the love of all the people that surround us.  Our best life is to come when we go before the Savior and hear His Words, "Well done good and faithful servant."

We as believers yearn for our heavenly home and our husband that dwells in us now and will one day take us home.