Defilement is a word with negative connotations. The dictionary defines defile as:
1. To make filthy or dirty; pollute: defile a river with sewage.
2. To debase the pureness or excellence of; corrupt: a country landscape that was defiled by urban sprawl.
3. To profane or sully (a reputation, for example).
4. To make unclean or unfit for ceremonial use; desecrate: defile a temple.
5. To violate the chastity of.
This is what Satan did when he rebelled against Yahweh in heaven. He defiled the very heavens themselves. Job 15:15 ESV, “Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight;” Jesus had to cleanse the heavens with His shed Blood of Atonement. Hebrews 9:23 ESV “Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”
Satan did the same thing with Eve in the garden. He took a pristine creation and sullied it by convincing Eve to disobey her Creator and join him in his rebellion. The pure childlike conscience of Eve was violated while her open fellowship with her Heavenly Father was desecrated with spiritual death and physical and emotional suffering. She now knew the difference between good and evil, and sought to cover her nakedness while she hid herself from her God.
Jesus said that Satan came to steal, kill and destroy. The Old Testament is full of his defilements among the nations and lives of men, women and children. As soon as Jesus walks out of the wilderness, He starts attacking the devil’s kingdom by removing this defilement through healing the sick, and casting out demons from the oppressed. Jesus came to give life more abundantly with healing for the whole man.
Eve and Adam lost the life of their spirit through disobedience. Jesus came to show us that through the New Birth our spirit could be Born Again, enabling us to have fellowship with our Creator once again. Our conscience could be washed in water baptism and the Blood of Jesus Christ. The defilement can be washed away, and the childlike purity with our Father, restored.
The spirit of man is the part that is meant to rule over the soul and the body. We were never meant to be ruled by the passions of the body and the carnality of the mind. Satan rules from the bottom up, by exalting the flesh over the mind without the spirit. God rules from the top down, by exalting the spirit over the mind and the flesh. The devil says we can do what we want without God’s Word, becoming our own gods. Jesus taught us to humble ourselves, to seek first the Kingdom of God, and all of these other things would be taken care of for us.
There are two kingdoms at war with each other in this world. There are two natures at war in each heart of man. Jesus says that we will serve one or the other, it can’t be both, and there are no sidelines. Paul says we are slaves to the one who overcomes us by default.
Many of us are hurt emotionally and spiritually; but because we are unaware of our wounds, we don’t take the steps toward healing and health. Because of this, we fail to see the reality of pain, hurt, and anger in our lives. A college student may be considered the ‘life of the party’, but when she is alone, she experiences deep loneliness and seething resentment. A businessman, who has been neglected by his father, thinks, “If I can just get this promotion, then I’ll be happy.” Housewives, with demanding parents, can’t feel the love of their husbands.
We carry many things with us from childhood, while we desperately want our parents to be loving and supportive. When they aren’t, or can’t be, then we blame them for their lack of love. We deny that we have been hurt by their behavior, while refusing to acknowledge our own part in alienating them.
We develop elaborate defense mechanisms to block the pain and gain significance. We suppress emotions, we are compulsive perfectionists, we drive ourselves to succeed, or we withdraw and become passive. We attack people who hurt us, or we punish ourselves when we fail, or we try to say clever things to be accepted. We even help other people, in many different ways, in order to make ourselves feel appreciated.
We may refuse to look honestly within ourselves, for fear of what we will find. It is difficult to turn on the light of objectivity by ourselves. We need the help of the Holy Spirit.
Some have deep emotional wounds and scars from living in dysfunctional families, of neglect, verbal/physical abuse, manipulation, divorce, adoption, foster homes, alcohol, drugs, absent father, absent mother, or excessive anger; these, together with the effects of our own sinful nature and the imperfections of others, make for a deep dark void inside our inner man.
Many times we think that God will be upset with us when we tell Him how we really feel. Psalm 51 is David’s heartfelt confession of his sins. In verse six he says, “Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” ESV
David expressed a range of emotions to his God. He felt abandoned by God when he wrote Psalm 42:9 ESV “I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
Psalm 55:4-5 is about his despair of difficult situations. Psalm 58:6-9 is about his anger with others. Psalm 44:24-25 communicates his despair to God. Psalm 13:1-2 expresses his confusion. Psalm 42:1-2 shows his love for the Lord. Psalm 27:1-3 expressed his trust for the Lord. Psalm 145:1-3 shows his praise for the Lord.
These all show his desire to be open and honest with God about his emotions.
Sometimes we have misconceptions about God, resulting in hopelessness:
-God doesn’t really care about me
-I am an unlovable, worthless person
-Nobody will ever love me
-I’ll never be able to change
-I’ve been a failure all of my life. I guess I will always be a failure.
-If people really knew me, they wouldn’t like me.
It takes courage to shine the light on our thoughts, feelings and actions. You may be surprised by additional pain as you realize the extent of your wounds, but your healing can only be as deep as your awareness of the need for it. This takes the power of God’s light, so you need to ask Him to turn it on for you.
Many times we have tried to meet these needs in the wrong way. They are legitimate needs, but we need to meet them in God’s way, allowing His Holy Spirit to revive our human spirit with the light and truth of His Word, thus correcting our thinking into ways that are in agreement with His.
This brings our bodies into subjection to a spiritual mind, instead of the carnal mind being dominated by the carnal, bodily passions of lust, disobedience, and rebellion. We, in turn, experience a new fellowship with our Father, rather than alienation from His Divine love and acceptance; giving us self-worth, purpose, and significance.
From life’s outset, we find ourselves on the prowl, searching to satisfy some inner, unexplained yearning. Our hunger causes us to search for people who will love us. Our desire for acceptance pressures us to perform in order to gain praise from others. We strive for success, driving our minds and bodies harder and further, hoping that because of our sacrifice and sweat others will appreciate us more. Despite our efforts, we will never find lasting, fulfilling peace if we must continually prove ourselves to others.
Our desire to be loved and accepted is a symptom of a deeper need; the need that governs our behavior and becomes the primary source of our emotional pain. This is our need for self-worth. Only when we quit trying to get others to fill this void, and turn to God for His Holy Spirit and Love to fill our spirits and souls to overflowing, will this need be satisfied.
Self-worth is the basic personal need of each person to regard himself as a worthwhile human being. William Glasser says, “Everyone aspires to have a happy, successful, pleasurable belief in himself.”
A Biblical concept goes farther; it is an accurate perception of ourselves, God, and others, based on the truths of God’s Word. Our value is not based on our ability to earn the fickle acceptance of people, but rather, its true source is the love and acceptance of God. He created us. He alone knows how to fulfill all our needs. The creator, or owner, understands the needs of His creation. He alone knows how to remove the defilement from our spirits, souls and bodies, restoring our child-likeness in close fellowship with Himself.
He gave His life as a ransom for us. He has guardian angels around us from birth until they carry us home to be with Him. He knows what we have need of before we ask. He knows the number of hairs upon our heads. We are of great worth to our heavenly Father. All we need, to enjoy His fellowship, is the removal of the filth that we have soiled our spirits and souls and bodies in. He is ready to cleanse and heal the painful wounds. We just have to ask, seek and knock until we pray Satan out of the way. Begin to confess the belief of your heart, for yourself and for your loved ones, now. He draws near to us as we draw near to Him, and He gives us the desires of our hearts as we delight ourselves in Him.