Pure in Heart

Aug 23, 2026 | 2026 Theme: Present Everyone Mature, August Focus: Impurity

7-minute read
Table Of Contents
  1. Introduction
  2. Guard Your Heart
  3. Treasure God’s Calling
  4. Fear the Lord
  5. Living It Out

Introduction

Impurity can begin quietly in the heart. What may seem like a small desire can grow and eventually affect our thoughts, actions, and even our faith. The story of Gehazi in 2 Kings 5:20–27 gives us a clear picture of how this can happen. Gehazi was serving alongside Elisha and had witnessed how God healed Naaman of his leprosy; however, he allowed greed and covetousness to take root in his heart. Although his impurity was not visible on the outside, it was already present within him. This reminds us that outward holiness does not necessarily mean inward purity, because God looks at what is happening in our hearts.  The story of Naaman also reminds us that purification can only happen according to the way God has prescribed. Naaman initially wanted to be cleansed in the rivers of Damascus, but God had instructed him to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. In the same way, we cannot decide for ourselves how sin should be removed. We must believe according to the Scriptures, which say that Jesus came by the water and the blood, and the Holy Spirit bears witness to this truth. Jesus received the sin of the world through His baptism at the Jordan River and then went to the cross, where He died for our sins. Our faith must therefore be aligned with what the Scriptures have foretold, not with what we think or feel. Gehazi’s life shows us how dangerous it is to allow impurity to remain in the heart. What began as greed and covetousness developed into dishonesty and disobedience, eventually bringing judgment upon him. This is why we must take the condition of our hearts seriously. As we look at Gehazi’s life, we will see three ways that we can keep our hearts pure before God: Guard Your Heart, Treasure God’s Calling, and Fear the Lord.

Guard Your Heart

The first way we can keep a pure heart is to guard our heart. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our heart above all else, because everything we do flows from it. The heart is where our thoughts, emotions, will, and desires are found, and it is also where impurity originates. Our actions are only the outward consequence of what is already taking place within us. This is why we cannot focus only on outward holiness. We need to deal with the root, which is the heart. 

James 1:15 shows us the progression of sin: evil desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully matured, it brings forth death. This is why we must not treat impurity as something small or harmless. When an evil desire begins in the heart and is allowed to remain, it can eventually produce sinful actions. The way to guard our hearts is therefore not simply to control our outward behaviour, but to deal with the evil desires at their root. 

So how do we guard our hearts? Colossians 3:5–10 tells us to put to death the earthly things within us, put off the old self with its evil practices, and put on the new self. When evil desires arise, we are to kill them by putting on the new man. Through Jesus’ baptism, we are united with Christ. When He died, we died with Him by faith; when He was buried, we were buried with Him; and when He rose again, we also rose with Him by faith. His baptism is important because that is where He received the sin of the world, and through His death and resurrection, we can now live in the new man. 

We see the danger of failing to guard the heart in Gehazi. His desire for silver and clothing began in his heart, and that impurity led him into dishonesty and disobedience. He allowed greed and covetousness to remain alive instead of putting them to death. This is why we must not allow even a small impurity to remain in our hearts or in our faith. What may seem insignificant can grow and affect the whole foundation of our faith. We therefore need to guard our hearts continually, kill the remaining sin, and put on the new self, keeping our hearts aligned with the Gospel of Water, Blood and Spirit.

    Treasure God’s Calling

    The second way we can keep our hearts pure is to treasure God’s calling. Gehazi had the privilege of serving alongside Elisha and witnessing the work of God, including Naaman’s miraculous healing. Yet when Naaman offered gifts of silver and clothing, Elisha refused them because God’s mercy could not be earned or bought. Naaman was healed because of God’s mercy and grace, not because he paid for it or purchased God’s favour. 

    Gehazi, however, allowed his heart to be consumed by greed and covetousness. He valued the silver and clothing more than the calling God had given him, and he ended up trading something eternal for things that were only temporary. Mark 8:36 says, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” We may gain possessions, money, success, and many things in this life, but none of them can be carried into eternity. 1 Timothy 6:7 reminds us that we brought nothing into this world and can take nothing out of it. 

    Jesus therefore teaches us in Matthew 6:19–20 not to store up treasures on earth, but to store up treasures in heaven. These treasures are connected to the work we do for God, because our labour for Him will be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7 reminds us not to give up because our work will be rewarded. When we treasure God’s calling and make Him our priority, our hearts will follow. Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” When our hearts are set on things above and on holy things, they will remain focused on what pleases God. 

    Gehazi instead set his mind on things beneath and allowed temporary possessions to become more valuable than his calling. This is why keeping our hearts pure requires us to treasure what God has entrusted to us above the things that will eventually fade away. Therefore, let us treasure God’s calling, set our minds on things above, and keep our hearts fixed on what will last forever.

    Fear the Lord

    The third way we can keep our hearts pure is to fear the Lord. The fear spoken of here is a reverential fear of the Lord, where we acknowledge His presence at all times. Gehazi served alongside Elisha and witnessed miracle after miracle, including Naaman’s healing, yet he still lacked this reverential fear. This reminds us that we can serve, preach, play music, or help in church, and still lack the fear of the Lord. Gehazi thought he could deceive Naaman and even Elisha to obtain material gain, but he could not deceive God. When Elisha asked where he had been, Gehazi lied, yet Elisha already knew what had happened. 1 Samuel 16:7 tells us that people look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Romans 2:16 tells us that God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus, while Hebrews 4:13 reminds us that nothing in all creation is hidden from His sight. We may be able to hide our motives from people, but nothing is hidden from God.  This is why our motive in serving God must be sincere. Galatians 1:10 teaches us that if we are seeking the approval of man, we cannot be servants of Christ. Our desire must be to please God rather than man. We may appear to serve faithfully on the outside, but if our motive is to gain popularity, recognition, or the approval of others, then our hearts are not aligned with God. The Lord sees right through us, so everything we do for Him must come from a sincere heart that seeks to please Him.  Gehazi’s impurity did not go unpunished. Leprosy clung to him, and he suffered the loss of his ministry. This shows us how seriously God deals with impurity. A person who fears the Lord acknowledges His presence, serves Him with a sincere heart, and seeks to please Him rather than man.

    Living It Out

    Let us therefore keep our hearts pure before God by guarding our hearts, putting to death the evil desires that arise, and putting on the new self. Let us treasure God’s calling by setting our hearts on things above rather than allowing temporary possessions to take the place of what God has entrusted to us, and let us fear the Lord by acknowledging His presence at all times and serve Him with a sincere heart that seeks to please God rather than man.

    Aug 23, 2026 | 2026 Theme: Present Everyone Mature, August Focus: Impurity

    7-minute read
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