Jesus said, Happy are the pure in heart, they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)
What does it mean to have a pure heart?
No lustful thoughts?
No evil motives to rule the world?
No secret thoughts to murder your boss?
I believe it’s more than that.
I believe that a pure heart means to be 100% for God.
Question: Are you 100% for God?
Or are you holding back a part of your life from Him?
If you want to be 100% for God, you need to do these three powerful things…
3 Steps To Be 100% For God
To give yourself completely to God, you must…
1. Pray in every moment
2. Submit in every area
3. Love in ever act
If you do this, He has a promise: You’ll see God.
1.Pray In Every Moment
God wants to be in touch with you at every moment.
Not just on Sundays. Not just when you “officially” pray. But at every single moment. The Bible says, Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
How is that possible?
Imagine you’re talking to your Boss…
Boss: “Good Morning. How are you today?”
You: “I’m very fine, Sir. Our Father who art in Heaven, holy be your name…”
Boss: “Huh? What did you say?”
You: “I said I was fine. My job is doing well. The wife is happy. And the kids are healthy. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is heaven.”
Boss: “You seem to be speaking to someone else…”
You: “Oh, I was just talking to God while I was talking to you. You see the Bible says I should pray without ceasing.”
When you arrive from work, you greet your spouse and say, “Hi Honey. I’m home! Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you…”
When you greet your kids, you say, “Hi Bobby. Hi Sandy. How’s school today? Glory to Father, and to the Son, and the Holy Spirit…”
I don’t think that’s what praying without ceasing means.
So what does it mean?
Simply this: To be aware of God’s presence and allow that powerful presence to change your life.
Choose Your Selah Moment
In the Psalms, they use a Hebrew word to pause between verses. It’s Selah. It basically means, “Before reading the next verse, breathe. Stop. Wait. Listen. Absorb.” Chew the thought. Mull over it. Get it into your system before moving on.
We need Selah moments at various times during the day, to remind you that you’re surrounded by God’s presence.
I read about a multi-millionaire who built his huge business for 40 years based on one mantra: “God is with me.”
Silently, beneath his breath, he’d say this line a hundred times a day.
People didn’t know he was religious. He had no religious trappings. But the line, “God is with me,” gave him the courage when he faced tough challenges. It gave him peace when he was confused. And it gave him confidence when he ventured into new territories.
He’d say that line, “God is with me,” when he started the day. Or when he made a tough decision. Or when he entered a room to negotiate a deal. Or when he launched a new product.
Saying, “God is with me,” was his Selah moment.
For me, my Selah moment is when I do my breathing exercises. When my computer is loading, I take a Selah. Or when I feel my eyes are tired from reading, I take a Selah. I close my eyes and inhale God’s love. I imagine God’s love permeating every square inch of my being. Everytime I do this, without fail, I feel my soul is flooded with God’s love. And I feel tremendous peace.
What is your Selah moment?
Learn to pause during your day to be aware of God’s presence.
God Is Present In The Toilet
I’m not kidding.
God doesn’t only live in church. He’s present in your house. He’s present in your bedroom. And He’s present in the toilet.
That’s why you can pray in the toilet.
The great St. Therese of Avila always prayed in the toilet while answering doing the you-know-what. One day, the devil taunted her, “How could you pray to God in the toilet? Such disrespect!”
St. Therese answered him, “Whatever goes up is for God. Whatever goes down is for you.”
Psalms 139:7 says, Where could I go to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence?
Inserting A Little Theology
Allow me to share a little Theology. (Skip these two paragraphs if you’re not interested.)
Seeing God everywhere is the doctrine of immanence. Don’t be afraid of that big theological word. It simply means that God is present here, in space and time. God is manifesting Himself everywhere. God is present in all things. In every molecule, in every atom of this universe, God is present.
It’s also connected to the doctrine of incarnation: That when Jesus came as a human, God blessed every physical thing. The whole physical and material reality has been made sacred by the Presence of the flesh and blood of Jesus on planet earth.
Here’s the second way of being 100% for God…
2.Submit in Every Area
Do you remember Zacchaeus, the Chief Tax Collector? The small guy who had to climb a Sycamore tree to see Jesus?
Allow me to twist the story (in a crazy way) to drive a point.
One day, Zachy heard from the neighbors that Jesus was passing by their village.
Because he was short (the politically-correct word is “vertically challenged”), he climbed a tree to see Jesus.
The strategy worked. Because Jesus looked up and saw this little guy on the branch of the tree. He called out, “Zachy, why don’t you invite me to your house? Do you have some felafel and shawarma for me?”
The little guy was overjoyed.
After talking to Jesus over dinner, Zach stood up and made a big announcement. He says, “Master, I’m going to change my life. Starting today, I’ll start praying everyday. Not only that, to make up for all the religious duties I missed doing in the past, I’ll go to the Temple 4 times a week!”
Jesus smiled, “That’s great. I’m happy that our little chat has moved you to change the religious area of your life. Any other areas you want to change?”
Zach raised his eyebrow. “Uh, other areas? Like what?”
“Well, you’re the Chief Tax Collector in this city. Has our conversation moved you to make changes in that particular area of your life?”
Zach frowned. “Uh, what do you mean?”
Jesus said, “Would you like to share your wealth to the poor? And would you like to repay those you have cheated?”
Zach glared at Jesus. “Hey, that area is Off-Limits to you. Meddle with my religious life, yes. Meddle with my prayer life, yes. But don’t meddle with my money life!”
Obviously, that didn’t happen.
In the real story, Zacchaeus said, “Lord, I’ll give half of my belongings to the poor. And I’ll pay 4 times anyone whom I have cheated.”
Zach asked Jesus to enter his house and his life. He then opened every room to Him. Not a single room was Off-Limits to Jesus.
My question to you: Is every room in your life open to God? Your job. Your recreation. Your hobbies. Your eating habits. Your emotions. Your thought patterns.
Or is one room still Off-Limits to God?
Submit that area to Him right now.
Be 100% for God.
And here’s the third way…
3.Love in Every Act
Do you want to be really happy in your life?
If you will do this one thing, you’ll achieve true happiness: Make love the motive of every word, thought, and action.
Here’s a powerful verse: Let all that you do be done with love. (1 Corinthians 16:14)
Friend, this is holiness.
This is what it means to be 100% for God.
When every thing you do is born from love.
God is like that.
He does everything out of love.
And He invites you to do the same.
If you do everything from love, you become unstoppable.
Love Will Make You Fearless
I preach 300 times a year.
Every time I step on stage, I remind myself why I do what I do: I love people. I preach because I love.
Here’s what I noticed. When love is my motive, I preach with freedom and power. Because I have no fear. I don’t care what other people will say. I don’t even care if I’ll make a huge mistake on stage. I don’t care if people will laugh at me. Because my goal isn’t to impress anyone. My goal is to love them.
But if love isn’t my goal, I’m inhibited. A million things are in my mind. “Is my hair okay? Are my hands too movable? Am I smiling enough? Is my grammar okay? Is my zipper up?”
If you make love the motive of every act, you simplify your life. Because you have focus.
Let me give you another example.
Love Can Make You A Fortune
When I build a business, my motive is clear: I want to love people. I want to love my employees. I want to love my customers. Making money is a side effect.
Don’t get me wrong. Making money is a very important part of the business. Without it, I cannot continue loving them long-term.
This business philosophy has made me prosperous.
Why?
If I love my customers and serve them with the best my ability, most of my customers will love me back. And if I love my employees and treat them well, they’ll treat our customers well too.
A businessman who will do it just for the money may earn more. Because he’ll be ruthless. He’ll cut corners. He’ll underpay his employees. But a businessman who will do it for love will have more than enough money–and be happier!
See God In Every Person
Jesus promised that if you’re heart is pure, you’ll see God.
How? I believe you’ll see God in every person you meet.
One day, I rode a public jeepney and saw one well-dressed, made-up, bejeweled lady make the sign of the cross. We passed three churches and she did it three times.
She was religious. But I noticed another thing: She was also rude.
Especially to those who appeared poor. In front of one beggar, she covered her nose with her branded hankie. The way she looked at him, it was as though she was saying, “You shouldn’t exist in this world.”
Yes, the woman saw God in a concrete church. But she failed to see Him in His other church–the beggar in front of her. Because every person is a Temple of God. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
The Greatest Commandment
Be 100% for God.
It’s how I interpret the greatest commandment: Love God with your all your heart, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:37).
How?
Pray at every moment.
Submit in every area.
And love in every act.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
PS. A Giant Truckload of Blessings Is Coming Your Way This Weekend! That’s why 10,000+ people will be joining me at the Kerygma Conference 2011 on November 18 to 20. Don’t you dare miss it! You’ll go home empowered, equipped, and encouraged. It’ll be an experience you’ll never forget. For details, click here now!
