Having a Pure heart || Timothy Godwins
Hey Masterpiece Family! Following our theme of the month at Masterpiece, I interviewed Timothy Godwins about what it means to have a pure heart and love God like King David did.
Timothy is a Christian content creator and emphasises on our new creation reality in a Christ. He believes many Christian today struggle with an identity of whom they are in Christ, and by the grace of God, hopes to inform them of the confidence they have in their salvation. More Grace.
King David is a relatable person in the Bible, He fell into the trap of lust, sinned against God and seeked Gods repentance but God called him a man after Gods own heart. As a man in the 21st Century, do you feel that you relate to King David through your own experiences and how?
The truth is David was a man whom believed, and it was counted to him as righteousness, David plays a very important role in that he acknowledges the mercifulness of God despite his short-comings and I can most definitely relate in that God is merciful. Moreover, it makes me realise that God has position us in a much better place through his Grace in Christ.
The truth is David was so sin conscious reason being because he was under the law of Moses which spoke and revealed to him his sinful nature. For law condemned him in that it made him realise he was a sinner. [Psalm 51:5] [Galatians 3:11]
The reason why David was still classed as a man after God’s heart was not because of his own doings but because of the belief in the love of God which was different to self-works. You see I can relate to that because i myself could never boast about my works, neither could I boast about the life I lived in that I was disobedient.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9
But God one thing I appreciate even more now is that God doesn’t only calls us children who are after his own heart, but children WHO HAVE his heart because we’ve been given his heart through the sacrifice of his only begotten son that is in Christ Jesus. Looking at David really makes me appreciate the grace which God has given me by pouring out his love in my heart because of the spirit he’s poured out into our hearts.
“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” - Romans 5:5
We don’t have to worry about condemnation from God anymore because through Christ he’s given us the ministry of reconciliation not counting our sins against us, And what I learnt from David is that that the true love is that love that we acknowledge his love for us, and not only just look at our own love for him !!
And this is why David is an inspirational figure in the bible.
“We love because he first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19
What advice would you give someone who feels far away from God and needs to repent? (Like when King David sinned against God)
I always say ‘feeling far from God’ is a mere mental construct, the truth is that term has left many to leave the faith in the belief that God no longer wants them because they feel far too filthy to accept him. The truth is You were not saved or chosen by your willpower. Nor do you maintain that salvation by will. Nor do you add to it virtue or supernatural prowess by will.
You’re a good-news agent. Never let someone convince you that God is happy with you one day, then out to spank you another day. He always sees His Son [Christ] in you. And His Son bore your chastisement. And this the confidence we have in him !! Because Christ is in us, we don’t need to feel far from him anymore, we have an uninterrupted union with Christ, NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM HIS LOVE.
“In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him]; because as He is, so are we in this world.”
— Our union with him is complete. You have all of him and he has all of you. Let this be the reality you live in. - 1 John 4:17
Let me take a bite out the Apostle Paul’s letter to Romans when he came to the realisation of the love of God for us..
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 8:38-39 NIV] — Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God, NOTHING !!
The truth is your faith shouldn’t rely on how you feel, but rather rely on what Christ has done. We must understand the finished works of Christ in order to realised that we’ve been brought ever soo near to him, a complete union, he’s not got half of you, the Holy Spirit has taken up full residence and sent the old sinful nature packing!
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” - Colossians 2:9-10
You don’t have 2% of the Holy Spirit and the rest is junk, Noo !! You have the fullness, don’t allow the enemy to tell you he isn’t there. You must renew your mind and realise that you have the mind of Christ [Phillipians 2:5]
You will get out of God what you believe about Him. Believe He is harsh and that’s what will manifest in your life. Believe He is good and you will experience His goodness. Let it be according to thy faith.
What advice would you give to someone struggling with temptation?
“My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of his cross crucified me with him. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me— we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine!” - Galatians 2:20
- You must understand that your old self has already died with Christ. Everything that hindered you from God was eradicated on the cross. Death to your old crooked self was a past-tense occurrence that already took place on His cross.
- The very thing that separated you from God – sin itself – was evaporated there, as far as you are concerned. God did not just forgive your sins. He destroyed the very governing entity called sin itself, which owned and ruled you and made you do naughty things. The propensity for separation from God died once and for all.
- God did not just pull you out of sin. He pulled sin out of you! You are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Don’t allow the devil make you feel like you have to battle lust, you don’t, Christ overcame it on the cross and you’re dead to sin and it’s lust. The battle was Christ’s battle and he overcame it on the cross.
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires" - Galatians 5:24.
Again, I do not say it is impossible for a Christian to sin. If you have a momentary lapse in judgment, then surely don’t camp there! Be who you really are. Sin is not your identity and should never be your expectancy. Stop anticipating that your whole life is going to be a huge bout with temptation. When you are born again, you are given new, God-centered longings and desires. You lose your desire to sin. Your desire to sin is just as appealing as to eat a handful of dirt. It doesn’t attract you. Why ? Because if any man be in Christ he’s a new creation old things have passed away and all things have become new. [2 Corinthians 5:16-21]
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal. 3:26-27).
Immersed into Christ, you have fallen into deity. My heart for you is that you will never feel naked again. Let your boast be in Him, and never believe the lie that you are stained with the old nature. It is not your job to “put off the old self” and “put on the new self.”
That verse actually says, “Seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; and put on the new man” (Col. 3:9-10, KJV). These words “put on” means enduo in the Greek, meaning to sink into. Your union with Christ was an effortless sinking in Grace.
“For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” - Philippians 2:13 NIV
It’s not your effort but the effort work of Christ within you, He’s the one whom is helping you to conform to his image and walk in His likeness you just need to rest and allow him work in you. You can’t change yourself, He changes you.
What would you say are some leadership skills one must posses?
⁃ The important leadership skills is the skills of transparency. People look for those whom are open and ready to unveil there past experience for the sake of another persons comfort.
⁃ Letting others shine, the moment you feel as though you don’t want others to outshine you, you run the risk of pulling others down rather than helping them to elevate.
⁃ “By this we know [and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious] love: that He [willingly] laid down His life for us [because He loved us]. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers.” 1 John 3:16 AMP
What are some practical steps you would advice someone to follow if they want to have a heart like King David (A Man after Gods own heart) in todays day and age?
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.” — Ezekiel 36:26 KJVA
“And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” — Ezekiel 36:27 KJV
Here was the prophecy of Prophet Ezekiel received in regards to the transformation of heart of God’s people. The truth is you just understand that once you accepted Christ this prophecy was fulfilled. God has already changed your heart! God has given you the fresh heart you need, how? By the Holy Spirit. So all you need to do is to believe this and walk in accordance in the of the Holy Spirit.
“and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” — Romans 5:5 KJV
Connect with Timothy:
Twitter; @itsyaboytim1
Instagram: Wavey_tim
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdgybNdg75vi0sPZGD_aXgw