When you merely listen to God’s Word and choose not to immediately act upon what the Holy Spirit has shown you and convicted you of you are drawing a false conclusion. You are building your house on the sand. You understand that what you read is true. You even think “Here is an area of my life that I need to deal with, and I will.” However, by not taking immediate action you’ve been deceived and duped by the enemy.
Welcome to the Point of Purity Podcast! I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #176 . This week’s Episode encourages each of us to “Reflect on Your Reflection.”
Have you ever looked in the mirror and noticed your hair mussed up or an unwanted smudge of something on your face? What did you do about it? Most people would stop whatever they’re doing and deal with it right then and there. I mean, makes sense – right? You see something that needs attention, you fix it as best you can before moving on.
Well, James 1:23-25 tells us that if we do not do what the Bible says, we are like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and sees something wrong, acknowledges there’s a problem that should be dealt with but for some reason chooses to do nothing about what the mirror revealed to him. Instead, he goes on his way, fully intending on dealing with it later. Yet other things such as everyday activities, pressures, demands of life, enter in and vie for his attention causing him to forget what he saw in the mirror.
James says that man is deceived. He sees the problem, takes the time to consider it, acknowledge it, even draw the conclusion that something needs to be done about it. Even though he fully planned on taking care of it, he chooses to walk away and promptly forgets what the mirror revealed. He comes to a wrong conclusion and is thus deceived – proven by his lack of immediate action.
Here's my point: When you merely listen to God’s Word and choose not to immediately act upon what the Holy Spirit has shown you and convicted you of – you are drawing a false conclusion. You are choosing to build your house on shifting and unstable sand. You’ve read God’s Word. You understand that what you read is true. You even think “Here is an area of my life that I need to deal with ... and I will.” However, by not taking immediate action you’ve been deceived and duped by the enemy.
Consider this: when God reveals an area of your life that needs addressing and you choose not to attend to it immediately, that area will get worse. Just like an open sore, left unattended it will fester and grow. It will be harder to clean up and deal with later. This is why it is so vital that you daily choose to face head-on whatever God reveals to you every time you look into the mirror of His Word. Don’t delay. Don’t put it off for even a moment.
James then speaks of the one who “looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away.” (James 1:23-24) That verb “to look” means to perceive, to observe and understand, to consider something attentively as you fix your gaze upon it. By using this verb, James is simply stating that as you read God’s Word, looking into the mirror of Scripture, you see the problem and are fully aware that it’s there. You cannot claim ignorance. The Holy Spirit has used the Word of God to reveal to you something and you have looked upon it, you have fixed your gaze upon it and are aware that it’s there. Remember, both the wise man and foolish man of Matthew 7 read God’s Word – they both looked into the mirror and understood what needed to be done. It’s what they chose to do with what they saw that made the difference.
The trouble lies not in the identification of the problem but the execution of the solution. I think it’s fairly safe to say that if you looked in your bathroom mirror and noticed a big red zit glowing on the end of your nose, you would seek to immediately address the issue. It wouldn’t even cross your mind to just walk away and not do something about it right then and there. Yet, the person James is talking about sees something much more severe than facial acne, and yet he still turns and walks away without dealing with it.
In verse 24 we see that the moment he steps away from the mirror he “immediately forgets what he looks like.” He has forgotten the issue that the mirror revealed. Here the word “forget” means that you are willingly choosing to neglect something, no longer caring for it. Now here’s something I want you to think about: The fact that he no longer cares for it suggests that he did at one point care – at least to some extent when it was originally revealed to him. However, something else has drawn his attention away. He has placed his focus upon other things that have suddenly become more important. The result is that he has begun to care more for that other thing instead, forgetting the imperfection that he had seen in the mirror.
By the way, the fact that he no longer cares for it does not mean that it’s unimportant to him. He didn’t see the problem and say, “Nah, no big deal.” It’s not that he didn’t care about it, but that he did not take the time right then and there to care for it – he chose not to attend to it. He simply began to focus his thoughts on something else and thus put his energy into attending to other things instead. When you read the Bible and the Holy Spirit reveals an area of your life that needs work, I’m fairly positive you don’t shrug your shoulder and respond with “Eh. No big deal.” I’m sure you agree that what God has shown you is something you definitely need to take care of.
Oh, my friend, don’t ever look into the mirror of God’s Word, see an issue in your life that needs to be dealt with, and then turn and walk away. I urge you to deal with it right then and there. Whatever appointment you may have to get to, whatever task you are needing to complete can wait. In the whole scheme of things, they pale in importance compared to the ultimate priority of having your heart right with God. Don’t risk walking away from that mirror and forgetting what God showed you in His Word. Later may be too late!
James goes on to say in verse 25, “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.” I want you to notice James’ use of the word “intently.” We are encouraged to look intently into Scripture. This word literally means we are to stoop to a thing in order to look at closely; to look at it with your head bowed forward and chin up, body leaning in so as to get as close to the mirror as possible for the purpose of becoming thoroughly acquainted with the details of what the mirror is revealing.
Let’s say you’re standing in front of your bathroom mirror when you notice what appears to be a dark smudge on your chin. You lean forward, getting as close to the mirror as you can, so that you are able to get a much better look at that spot and determine what to do next. The picture James is painting is that of a person reading the Bible and discovering an area or aspect of his life that needs attention. He leans in, searching the Scriptures and studying God’s Word to learn more about that issue in his life and how he should address it.
OK, now consider this: You don’t stand in a darkened room and look in the mirror. Why? Simply because you can’t see anything in the dark, so what do you do? You turn a light on. Without the light you cannot see the blemish so as to properly take care of it. Consider this: not only is God’s Word a mirror, it is also “a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105 NLT) God’s commands “are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” (Psalm 19:8 NIV’84) When you open the Bible and look in the mirror of God’s Word, your “secret sins” are exposed “in the light of (His) presence.” (Psalm 90:8)
You see “the unfolding of (God’s) words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” (Psalm 119:130 ESV) It reveals to us those things that are hindering a deeper and more vibrant relationship with God. The bottom line is that God’s “commandment is a lamp and [His] teaching a light” (Proverbs 6:23 ESV). Every time you open the Bible, every time you read the Scriptures, every time you are exposed to God’s truth, you are coming into the light (John 3:21). Your “evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible.” (Ephesians 5:13-14a NLT)
By the way, to immediately address the spiritual blemish that the mirror of Scripture has revealed means more than just confessing that issue before God. It certainly begins there, but also involves eradicating it from your life completely and applying the Word of God in such a way that you are altering and adjusting your lifestyle so as to never accommodate that sin ever again.
For the sake of illustration, let’s say you look into the mirror and see a wound on your cheek. You clean it up, apply some ointment and possibly a bandage on it, and then go on your way. Over the next few days, you periodically look in the mirror to see how it’s doing. You may have to clean it up again and put more ointment on it. As you continue to tend to it, it eventually heals and goes away. In the same way, to address your spiritual blemish requires more than just a cursory confession. It involves going to the Scripture, digging into the Word, seeking out Biblical truths and principles that apply to that specific issue in your life. You study the Word, memorize applicable verses, mediate upon the truth God’s revealed to you throughout the day, choosing to live by it every moment of the day.
In other words, you are looking intently into the Word of God. You are not giving it a passing glance but getting close to it, so close that you can thoroughly examine the details of what the Holy Spirit is revealing to you. God has much to reveal in His Word. Within the pages of Scripture, we find God’s Truth about who we are, who He is; and how we are to live that godly life that truly honors and glorifies Him. At times that means His Word is going to show you things that need to be dealt with. Maybe a nagging sin that needs to be eradicated once and for all; or an attitude that needs to be changed; or a thought process that needs adjusting. A cursory glance at the Bible will not usually reveal those things. It is only when you “look intently” into the Word that you will see your true reflection.
Let me quickly point out the obvious. James clearly states that it is the Word of God we are to look intently into. Yes, there are a lot of great books by great authors on how to live for God, how to have a closer relationship with God, and how to live in victory over sin. But without the Word of God filling your mind (“dwelling in you richly” Colossians 3:17) you will not know true lasting victory. Satan doesn’t care any of a long list of great Christian authors, as long as you’re not quoting the Word of God.
God’s Word is the “perfect” law of liberty. It is complete. It is all we will ever need, nothing else. And we are to look intently into it. We are to invest time in studying, not just spend a few minutes a day glancing at God’s Word. When we look intently and then choose to act upon what the Holy Spirit has revealed to us, that is when we are blessed. That is when we will know true happiness.
OK. Now I want you to notice James’ use of the word “and” in verse 25. Specifically, he writes “whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it.” This word “and” is called a conjunction of annexation. It’s a word that takes two separate things and unites them in a way that makes them totally dependent upon each other. Simply put, you cannot have one without the other. Here’s what James’ use of that word “and” is telling us: not only must you choose to “look intently” into the Word of God (daily searching and studying the Scriptures), you must also “continue” in it (applying it to your daily life, choosing to live it out). These two events are dependent upon each other. You must not merely listen to the Word; you must also apply it to your life and do what it says. This is when you are the wise builder of Matthew 7.
Every moment of every day we are to be in the Word of God. Every time we open Scripture we must look intently into it. Every day we must keep God on the throne of our heart and maintain our focus on not only reading God’s Word but listening to the Holy Spirit as He guides us into all truth (John 16:13-15). We must always, consistently and constantly walk in obedience to our Creator, Savior, and Heavenly Father.
OK. Let’s hit the pause button until next week’s episode as we continue our miniseries on How to Glorify God. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry (what we do to help men across the globe find freedom and victory over sexual sin), be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com.
Let me wrap up this week’s podcast by taking just a brief moment to give you a glimpse into our ministry. You see, we do a whole lot more here at The Pure Man Ministry than just producing a weekly podcast.
The Pure Man Ministry is faith-based and 100% donor-supported. Every aspect of our ministry from the website, to the podcasts, to the conferences, to the free APP, to the books I’ve written, and especially our 12-week Point of Purity Program (all of it) is only made possible by our team of ministry partners who faithfully support this ministry financially.
Without compromise The Pure Man Ministry shows men and women across the globe how to have a growing, vibrant relationship with Jesus that is real and personal. To be quite frank with you - we need ongoing financial assistance from people who are committed to helping us provide the hope and help men and women across the globe desperately need in order to win their personal battle against the beast of sexual impurity.
I am honored to extend to YOU a personal invitation to join us as we continue to impact our world by equipping and training men and women how-to live-in purity, godliness, and integrity. To give your tax deductible gift to this ministry today, simply go to ThePurityCoach.com and click on the Donate button in the upper right corner. And thank you for partnering with us!
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So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, Certified Professional MentorTM and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.
