Today I was doing a Bible study with a group of junior high students after school. It is a great time of eating cookies and drinking sodas in a park across the street from their middle school. We get together every Friday afternoon, it is one my highlights in my busy week. We are currently reading through James.
I have read through James a thousand times. But today God showed me something I have read over and missed. Isn’t that amazing how your eyes see something new in the middle of familiarity?
James 1:21 says, “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”
Today moral filth became visible to me. Do you see it? What is moral filth? Moral is the ability to know or sense right and wrong. Filth is something dirty, foul, disgusting, and unclean. So what is moral filth? It is something that is ok in the world’s eyes but unclean in God’s eyes. Abortion is ok in the world’s eyes. Premarital sex is ok in the world’s eyes. Astrology is ok in the world’s eyes. Most pornography is legal. Greed and covetousness is ok in the world’s eyes. But all these things are not ok in God’s eyes.
Verse 27 is a bookend for this idea: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Don’t get polluted by the things that the world says is ok. Seek truth through the Bible and live for God!
Rick Ellis
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20 comments:
I subscribe to a Catholic verse-of-the-day, and James 1:21 was the verse for Monday. I have a niece who thinks she is gay. She says that she is going to "marry" the woman she's been living with.
My brother was gay, and my sister (Jen's Mom) lived with a woman for over 20 years. I have a nephew who is living with a man.
I feel like the whole world is filled with moral filth. I ache for the children who will get a skewed version of the family. I'm sad for our family. My niece's decision has divided us into camps of "for" and "against."
It is Satan--his motto is "divide and conquer."
Please pray for us.
Praying for you n your family.I know God is able to turn your situation with you and your family members around! Be encouraged and keep the faith, Jesus is working things out for the good.
SEEKING GOD'S TRUTH
Love your heart for the things of God! Keep speaking truth into people; it is what sets us free! Jesus died so that we can have that truth! 😊😊
Only Jesus can break, what seems to be, a generational curse in your family. Keep YOUR eyes on Him! Seek Him for you and let what He does in you shine through!!
Just came across this "moral filth" in my daily scripture. Thank you for your explanation!
My mother is a good Christian but choose to live in filth. Why does she scorn me when I clean her house from top to bottom. Today she was upset with me for 'burgeoning' her with the inconvience of having to leave her house in order for the fumigator to eradicate her home from german cockroaches. Tonight she sits in cleanliness, without dirt and dust without cockroaches crawling the kitchen in the microwave on the table. Why is she angry with me. I am not looking for gratitude, I just want her to live in a clean environment
I learned this from God. The dust on your tv stand to the humming in your refrigerator shows how much evil is in your house. She doesn’t know it’s what’s inside her that does. You clean your clutter and keep it clean. You will see a difference keep working at it
I learned this from God. The dust on your tv stand to the humming in your refrigerator shows how much evil is in your house. She doesn’t know it’s what’s inside her that does. You clean your clutter and keep it clean. You will see a difference keep working at it
Wow what an amazing example. We live in uncleanness we are dirty and stained. Thanks to Jesus we are washed cleaned and are able to see the filth and desire to change by God's strength, but to the one that don't see, there happy with the way they are and when we try to change them instead of the Holy spirit they get angry and aren't happy with the change. Most times we try to help if its unwanted its going to cause conflicts. Hopefully your mom will see the changes and be thankful but her filth has been exposed and it may be her pride and embarrassment that's keeping her from saying thank you. Also self reflect could you have put her down or treated her in away that would cause her to stay angry. Walk in humility and apologize if you offended her. I find sometimes people take things in away you didn't mean it. Sit and communicate with her but don't attach be quick to listen and show to speak. That's in james chapter one, read and pray for wisdom and discernment.
I encourage you to love them, be there for them. Tell them about God. when they come to see God as the God of the Bible and about Jesus then and only then will they see what they are doing is wrong. Pray for the Holy spirit to convict them.
Wowowowow awesome 🙏🙏🙏 I was meditating James chapter 1 and this world "moral filth" caught my eye and I was googling the meaning of this word and God led me to your blog and it's awesome. Well explained what I needed today. Thanks and God bless
Added your family to my prayer list 🙏🙏🙏 Nothing is impossible to God and victory is on your way
Ive personally struggled with this issue since at least the age of 6 or 7. Talk about long suffering; I was introduced to Father God via catholic schooling and church attendance just as early. It has been a difficult journey especially in the world we live in. I know by self evaluation and reflection that the Lord has never left me. Although Ive prayed many times for Him to take me out of my misery.Thankyou Jesus! For You indeed have bestowed much grace in my favor. All this to say that nothing is impossible with God. Our fight is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual rulers and authorities of evil and darkness in high places. Prayer and fasting for them all is your spiritual duty since we have been called to the ministry of the Royal Priesthood. No matter what it looks like no matter the opposition you may face with them individually; dont fret and never give up. You may never see the results but When you stand in the gap praying asking for forgiveness on their behalf. God is a mighty strong tower. When I first gave my life to Christ.I had a greater understanding then that God had something great in mind to use me for; and the devil tried to put a monkey in God's wrench by convincing me that something terrible was wrong with me. But just the opposite. God doesn't make mistakes nor does he make junk. I cannot say that God has taken away the attraction but this is my trial my test. James says to stand through it. With every win and failure to God be the glory! Hey, for such a time as this. Praying for you all in Jesus's Powerful and Victorious name Amen
Thank you for the insightful sharing. Found your blog as I googled what this moral filth could mean.
Praise God! He inspired you to share this, no doubt, and is using what you have shared to help others. Believe He will work through what He gives you to share, that obedience to do what He says will produce fruit in you and in others. Because you were prompted by the Holy Spirit to share, and listened with obedience, I can attest to being blessed by your words.
I was reading in James today, chapter 1, and ‘moral filth’ stuck out to me too. I have been questioning and struggling with the topic of marijuana use. Some in the World would say ‘it’s okay to use as a Christian, God made plants and we are free to use them as we wish. He made all good things, right? It’s not a sin.’ Oh, tricky tricky!! Always test what the World says when your spirit questions if said ‘thing’ is permissible. Weigh whatever it is you question against scripture and ask the Holy Spirit to make these things clear to you. The things that may seem like ‘grey area’ to your eyes, test them. Ask the Holy Spirit to clarify, and believe with your heart that He will answer. If you’re willing to hear Him, and desire the Truth, He will be faithful to answer you.
Well, because I asked Him, God gave me a word in my heart that convicted me about the use of marijuana.
God made it clear to me that marijuana is one of those ‘moral filth’ type things. God showed me, in my personal life, that if I use marijuana (despite the conviction that it is wrong of me) the voice of the Holy Spirit is dampened. Each time I go against that voice, by choice, and use marijuana, my convictions become less ‘loud’. I would begin to make excuses to justify the ‘moral filth’. Even if it helps with pain, sickness, or appears to ease the flesh in some way, DO NOT go against what God speaks to you. God is our comforter, He is our healer, He is a jealous God and blesses total obedience. When we justify and excuse me what God tells us, the voice of ‘the World’ gets louder. The World becomes my inner voice and what I listen to.
DANGEROUS! That is so dangerous!
Warning, Because I didn’t listen to God about marijuana, His voice was not as strong in me. The Holy Spirit helps protect us from sin through inner conviction. If we silence that voice, we say ‘no’ to God. His voice then gets softer.
Because of the habit of going my own way, when I faced temptation of a different kind, I was not as easily prompted in my spirit to turn away from sin. I began to justify more sin for the sake of my flesh. I was hardening my own heart, starting by justifying my ‘moral filth’, and fell into adultery which almost resulted in divorce.
What!? Marijuana can do that?! Well, maybe it isn’t always marijuana that causes that heart hardening and falling to temptation, but it was for me. Whenever we justify or excuse ‘moral filth’ because we listen to the World, we are less able to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit which protects us by convicting us and leads us to repent when we fall. Wow.
Stay away from justifying ‘moral filth’! It is a slippery slope. God showed me my errors, (praise the Lord!) the Holy Spirit caught me and brought me to my knees.
Do not doubt that He gives the strength to stand up against the ‘moral filth’ of this World when we listen, believe, and obey Him. He is working in my life and my marriage, I praise Him for opening my eyes in time to not lose my soul to sin. Hallelujah!
Same!
Amen! This just truly blessed me.Thank you for sharing
Thanks for sharing
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