The Quill and Me—Devotional Blog•Oswald Chambers Reflections
Today's Devotional • Back to Home Page
Open thou mine eyes
Psalm 119:18
The prayer that breaks spiritual blindness
July 26
Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest
Matthew 15:18-20
"Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart . . . . For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man . . ."
Open My Eyes, Lord
Chambers continues his theme on purity . . .
Purity. A newborn baby is pure innocence. A tiny baby animal is pure innocence. Even a grown animal is innocence to me because they live from instinct—God given instinct. I love animals and consider them innocent. God gave Adam reign over this world, animals are under our jurisdiction. They are at our mercy.
But a human being is no longer innocent once childhood has evaporated from their life. I relate innocence with purity. But an individual, with knowledge of good and evil, is no longer considered innocent; no longer related with purity of mind and heart.
As we learned from our previous message, only the Lord can purify our hearts with the remaking of our internal life, called sanctification. Requirements for sanctification:
- One must be a saint — saved and redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
- One must embody surrender — a humble posture, a deliberate decision, a release of "self".
When we surrender to Him and let Him sit on the throne of our lives, the sanctification process begins.
Without sanctification, purity of the mind and heart cannot happen. At the moment of surrender—when we choose to release control, the Holy Spirit immediately takes up residence on the throne of our life and begins the work of sanctifying the saint.
In the process of sanctification, our hearts and minds are remade from within to exhibit the life of Jesus Christ, the one and only pure human to ever walk the face of this earth, because He was God incarnate.
God has thought of everything. He loves us and is taking care of us. All we are asked to do is put our complete trust in Him and He will fulfill His promises to us.
I believe Him. I am living, walking, talking, writing proof that He does fulfill His promises. He will possess the throne of your life in the same instant that you release control. He does immediately begin the process of sanctification. He heals, He teaches, He carries you, He reminds you, He guides you... He does everything you have read about in the Bible but may have never experienced before.
The reason you may not have experienced it is because the Holy Spirit only performs these works in a surrendered saint. You still have your free will in your control; He will not override it to begin this process. You have to make a deliberate choice. It is a forever thing—a serious decision.
When it finally dawned on me that surrender was what I personally needed to do, it took me a day or so to work through the mental process of release, humility, and a posture of prostration before the Lord. But I did manage to get there. And immediately—once I prayed my prayer of release—the Holy Spirit took up residence on the throne of my life, and nothing has been the same since. He began to do all the things in my life I had always read about in the Bible but never experienced—because I had never been surrendered before. I was saved for 68 years but did not know about surrender. Always prayed, "Your will be done in my life," but never let go of my own control. It has been a revelation.
If you want this makeover, release your control. Give it to Him, and tell Him you want Him to fulfill all the promises spoken of in the Bible. You want the surrendered life.
Purity of the heart and mind is created by the Holy Spirit working the very nature of the innocent and pure Lamb of God into your very soul. But you must choose this. You are already saved by the blood of the Lamb... take the next step and let Him also be Lord of your life.
Prayer
Lord, I ask that you bless all who pause here.
Open the eyes of all that read these words;
grant spiritual sight to those who draw near to You.
Open the hearts and minds of those who linger,
and pour Your love out on them.
Help them see for themselves that You are pure Love.
Help them see that You long to save them from the strange god Self—
that they lose their lives only to find them on the next corner,
being carried by You.
Lord, I love You, I praise You, and give You the glory in all things.
Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings Your grace pours out for us.
Your goodness and mercy are everlasting.
In Jesus' name, Amen
Breath Prayer
Inhale: Purify my heart, Lord
Exhale: I surrender to You
Share God with someone today:
Scripture References
1. The Heart’s Condition & What Defiles Us
(The opening section on innocence, purity, and the human heart)
Matthew 15:18–20 — the anchor verse
Jeremiah 17:9 — “The heart is deceitful above all things…”
Psalm 51:5 — born in sin, not innocence
Romans 3:23 — all have sinned
Psalm 51:10 — “Create in me a clean heart…”
These support the point that innocence evaporates and purity cannot come from human nature.
2. Only God Can Purify the Heart (Sanctification)
(Section on the Lord remaking the inner life)
1 Thessalonians 4:3 — “This is the will of God, even your sanctification…”
Ezekiel 36:26–27 — God gives a new heart and new spirit
Titus 3:5 — renewal by the Holy Spirit
Philippians 2:13 — God works in you to will and to do
2 Thessalonians 2:13 — sanctification of the Spirit
These reinforce the teaching that sanctification is God’s work, not ours.
3. Requirements for Sanctification: Salvation & Surrender
(The list: saint + surrender)
Romans 10:9–10 — salvation through Christ
Romans 12:1 — present your body a living sacrifice
Luke 9:23 — deny yourself, take up your cross
Galatians 2:20 — crucified with Christ; not I, but Christ lives in me
James 4:7 — “Submit yourselves therefore to God.”
These support the “saint + surrender” structure.
4. The Throne of the Heart
(Section on letting Him sit on the throne of your life)
Colossians 3:15 — let the peace of God rule in your hearts
Romans 8:14 — led by the Spirit
Galatians 5:16 — walk in the Spirit
Proverbs 3:5–6 — acknowledge Him, and He directs your paths
These match imagery of the Holy Spirit taking His rightful place.
5. The Holy Spirit’s Work After Surrender
(My testimony section)
John 14:26 — the Spirit teaches and reminds
John 16:13 — the Spirit guides into all truth
Romans 8:9–11 — the Spirit gives life
2 Corinthians 3:18 — transformed into His image
Philippians 1:6 — He who began a good work will complete it
These support testimony of the Spirit doing what Scripture promises.
6. The “Strange God Self” & Letting Go of Control
(The prayer section)
Matthew 16:25 — lose your life to find it
Psalm 37:5 — commit your way to the Lord
Psalm 34:18 — God is near the brokenhearted
Isaiah 57:15 — He revives the humble
Galatians 5:24 — crucifying the flesh with its affections
These match the prayer’s theme of releasing self and being carried by Him
•
Comments
Post a Comment