Purposing in Your Heart

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank." (Daniel 1:8)

The pure in heart don't drift into purity; they decide beforehand. They don't accidentally maintain integrity in a corrupt culture; they purpose to remain undefiled. Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." And the beautiful promise Jesus gives is that such deliberate devotion leads to seeing God—perceiving His presence, recognizing His voice, and seeing the way He is working in the world.

When Daniel found himself in Babylon, surrounded by pagan practices and pressures to conform, he didn't waver or compromise. Scripture tells us "Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself."

Look at the situation Daniel was in. He was taken from his homeland and brought to Babylon. What's he going to do? All of the Babylonians are living like pagan heathens. Daniel is away from his homeland, away from all the Godly influences, and yet Scripture says he purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's wine and the king's meat - those things that he knew would be displeasing to God.

A pure heart doesn't happen by accident. It's the result of purposeful commitment - deciding beforehand that you will live for God alone, that you will not defile yourself with whatever your particular culture's "king's delicacies" might be.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment choice made in the heat of temptation. It was a settled determination, a line drawn in the sand before the testing came. Daniel decided in advance what kind of man he would be, regardless of circumstances or consequences.

Paul experienced this same transformation. In Galatians 1:10, he confesses, "If I still pleased people, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." You know what that tells me? At one time in his life, Paul lived to please people. But he made a decisive break, purposing in his heart to live for Christ's approval alone.

Jesus himself said, "You cannot serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). He said you're going to be loyal to one and forget about the other. You can't live to please yourself, please other people, and please God at the same time. Something's got to give.

Have you purposed in your heart to live for God? Have you settled some things in your heart and said, "I am going to live for Jesus. If it doesn't please anybody else in my life, if it doesn't please my family, if it doesn't please my school, if it doesn't please my work environment, if it doesn't please my church, I'm going to live for Jesus, and I'm going to live to please Him"? That's someone who's pure in heart.

This kind of purity requires making a decision - a conscious choice like Daniel made, like Paul made. It means standing firm when everyone around you is compromising. It means choosing God's approval over human applause. It means drawing a line and saying, "This far and no further." Not because someone's forcing you, but because you've purposed in your heart to live for God and God alone.

Reflection Question: What decisions do you need to make in advance to protect the purity of your heart in your particular circumstances?

Heavenly Father, I find myself in a culture that doesn't honor You. Give me the courage to purpose in my heart that I will not defile myself. I choose today to live for Your approval rather than people's applause. Forgive me for the times I've tried to serve two masters or please both You and others. I want a pure heart that sees You clearly. Help me make those advance decisions that will guard my heart against compromise, no matter what pressures or temptations I face. Lord, I settle it today - I'm going to live for You, regardless of what anyone else thinks or says. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from "Do You Want to See God?": https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/9tp8ys8/6-do-you-want-to-see-god