“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Prov. 4:23. It is therefore not possible to hide anything in the heart indefinitely. It is made manifest by life, for the issues of life proceed from it. What enters into man from the outside does not enter into his heart, and so it cannot defile him. Out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, pride, and all kinds of sin, and all of these defile man. Mark 7:18-23. Therefore a person’s heart has to be cleansed if his life is to be undefiled. When a person goes astray, it has nothing to do with whether he is talented or intelligent or not; he goes astray in his heart. Heb. 3:8-12. When a person falls away from God, it is not because of his surroundings or his circumstances, but because he has an evil and unbelieving heart. We read about the error of Balaam. He loved the seer’s reward in his heart, but with his mouth he said, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.” Num. 22:18. He also blessed as God had commanded him, but he could not hide what was in his heart. He taught Balak how to get Israel to trespass, and he was killed together with Balak. When a person ends up doing something wrong he says, “How could I have been so stupid,” or he blames other people or circumstances; but it is rare for someone to acknowledge that there was something wrong in his own heart. Yet the cause of all his misfortune is that his heart was not right before God, and he cannot come onto the right way again until he acknowledges that. Don’t you think that God will lead you in the right way if your heart is right? Listen now: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” 2 Chron. 16:9. Peter did not deal kindly with Simon the sorcerer, thinking that he was only a beginner and did not know any better when he wanted to purchase God’s gifts with money. Not at all! This foolishness was the result of his heart not being right before God. Acts 8:18-23. Peter called it “wickedness,” “poisoned by bitterness,” and “bound by iniquity.” Those who are doubting and fearful can often sound upright, but God places them together with adulterers, the abominable, and murderers. Rev. 21:8. Doubt proceeds from a divided heart. God says, “Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them . . . who set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity.” Ezek. 14:3-4. It is dangerous to go to a prayer meeting with idols in one’s heart. Then God will answer you in His own way as He did with Balaam. You believe you can hide it in your heart but God knows how to put a stumbling block in your way. Your guile will be revealed. Ezek. 3:20. You can hear certain people testify and speak God’s Word, but it is so weak and powerless. This is often regarded as humility, but there is guile in such hearts. There was a shout of a king in Israel because God did not observe iniquity there. They had the strength of a wild ox because there was no sorcery in Jacob nor divination in Israel, and when it was time, it was said to Jacob and to Israel what God would do. Num. 23:21-24. From this we understand that a person is not all that humble and innocent when he is powerless and downhearted; he has a heart that harbors idols and guile. You may ask, “Don’t people whose hearts are loyal to God have accidents and difficulties?” Yes, but it is not fitting to call them accidents. Listen to this: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on going on the even paths. As they pass through the Valley of Tears, they make it into a spring, and the latter rain will cover it with blessings. They go from strength to strength; they appear before God in Zion.” Ps. 84:5-7. As we can see, they have their valley of tears, but they make it into a spring. All things work for their best. It is not fitting to say that such people have accidents, and even less that they are downhearted. Not at all! They go from strength to strength. They appear before God in Zion. But then they don’t go on any crooked ways either; their strength is in the Lord. Keep your heart; keep it pure and your life will be pure. Then you will not go astray, but He who sees the heart will lead you aright.Sigurd Bratlie

Ecclesiastes 7:25-26. All fear of sinning has virtually been eradicated from the earth. The harlot preaching is to blame for that. Converted people are careless. All they have to do is ask for forgiveness. Christ has done everything. People suffer eternal loss for every single sin they commit. Those who hate sin with all of their heart but still sin receive forgiveness if they ask for it, but this does not mean that it is not a loss. Every single word, every thought and every act that is a sin is eternal loss; God’s good will was not expressed. Every single sin has an effect on my entire character with the result that I am weakened, and every time I do the good, that is, God’s will, I am strengthened. My entire person is strengthened. It is of the utmost importance to do, speak, act, and work so that people around us become more God-fearing. By the fear of God we depart from evil. He who is born of God keeps himself, and the evil one will not touch him. He is careful not to end up in something evil; then Satan himself will not touch him. Who is careful with his tongue? People rattle along. They feel something and then they speak about it. Women are particularly prone to do this. Solomon found one among a thousand, but a woman was not among them. He discovered it through God’s wisdom. 1 Kings 11:1. This was Solomon. What shall the person say who does not have God’s wisdom, or has only a little of it? We need all the encouragement unto godly fear that we can get. Solomon broke with God’s law and his own knowledge, giving in to women who were more bitter than death (Eccl. 7:26), as he himself said. We cannot comprehend this with our reasoning; we must simply believe it. It is a true picture of how weak man is if he does not lay hold of godly fear. What is the issue here? The issue is to be finished with sinning in all its forms. However, a person is firmly bound if he does not fear. He can utterly perish, be totally destroyed because of a lack of godly fear. One sin is sufficient to destroy a person entirely. There are people who perish because of lying, pride, unrighteousness, discouragement. Many people perish because of their tongue. They cannot control it, and in the end they succumb totally. Others perish in their gall of bitterness because of what certain people have done in the past. Their heart becomes hard and stiff and cold, and as a result they abide in death. Others perish in vanity, in food and clothing, suffering great harm, even eternal loss. The intention is that we should have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of heaven. We will not be equally rich in eternity; our riches will be according to what we have said and done. If I neglect much of the good, I will enter the kingdom of heaven fairly poor. What was Solomon thinking? “They will not get the better of me, in any case.” Here he left the fear of the Lord, trusting in his own wisdom. He defied God. These women were bitterer than death; they turned his mind; they strangled his innermost being. Usually, a person will give in outwardly so as not to create too much of a stir, but not in his mind. When a man permits himself to say or do something against God’s Word, it can go with him as it did with Solomon. The person who fears the Lord is greater than he who has found wisdom. The fear of the Lord is greater than wisdom. If you think you can handle the situation, you will experience that you cannot handle it. However, it cannot go wrong in the fear of the Lord. For example, a person is tempted to lie when he gets into a difficult situation. But when I fear to speak a single word that is not true, how can I possibly end up lying? And when a righteous man is afraid of incurring debt, does he run the risk of going into debt? On the contrary! He does not run up debts. It is possible to borrow and not be indifferent to it. Nevertheless, you run a risk; it is not without its dangers. If your eagerness to repay the loan is not as great as your eagerness to receive it, it is dangerous, even unrighteous. If you feel something, it is not that important to speak about it. What is the important thing? It is important that what I say is noble and good and can stand before God and all men. But who practices this in daily life? You can hear on the train and on the bus that the mouth goes like a coffee grinder. People chatter about everything between heaven and earth and about him and her. Sin is not lacking where there are many words. I must not sin in any area but rather be loving and noble on all my ways, also with my eyes. You can lie with your face. Who is afraid of that? It is difficult to find a single person. People dare to think and say things they cannot justify; they dare to go on ways where they should not go; they dare to pass judgment on others—even everyone—often and hard even though Jesus says, “Judge not . . . .” Who is seriously afraid of judging his neighbor? They talk about different people; they are gossips. This is scandalous, diabolical stuff. This is different than being pure, devout, and humble; and on top of it, they imagine that they have not lost anything by doing it! Every sinful word, glance, and act is eternal loss even though I can receive forgiveness. One moment that I use badly instead of in the right way and properly is eternal loss. The gain I could have had from each opportunity that I let pass is loss. May we truly fear God so that we do not dare to and cannot have anything to do with sin, but rather be on guard. Dying is not so dangerous, but sinning is dangerous. Consider Solomon. This is what can happen even though I am full of wisdom. We must not dare to think or say anything except what God has spoken. The wife shall be in submission to her own husband in all things. How dare she do otherwise? And how does the husband dare to be bitter toward his wife? The cause is a lack of the fear of God. How glorious and rewarding it is to fear God. I become increasingly blessed, and the heavenly treasures increase if I always do the good. When it concerns family planning (for example) one is more afraid of the midwife, the neighbors, aunts, uncles, and one’s mother-in-law than God. It is through childbearing that the wife will be saved. 1 Tim. 2:15. One doesn’t bother at all, so to speak, with 1 Peter 3:3-4 when it concerns a woman’s adornment. One fears people more than God and His Word. One doesn’t say it, but it is evident in deed. It is written that we shall not forget to do good and share with others. Heb. 13:16. We usually do it when it occurs to us but not otherwise or (for example) at a special request. “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.” Luke 6:38. Who has understood it like this? We must give and do good of our own volition. “He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever.” Ps. 112:9. Life is rich in content. By the fear of the Lord one departs from evil (Prov. 16:6), does good, and becomes increasingly happy. May God help us to be terrified of all sin so that we are on guard, choosing rather to die than to live in any kind of sin.

The gospel grants us a share in a blessed hope. Paul prayed to God that the Ephesians might receive enlightened eyes of the heart so they would understand the hope of their calling. The fact is, we also need enlightened eyes. The hope of the gospel surpasses every kind of hope in this world. We have been born again to this hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. What is this hope? James puts it like this: “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” Jas. 1:18. These words hide a blessed hope. A firstfruit of God’s creatures! This gives us hope for this life and for eternity. This is where we are molded to be a firstfruit—the bride of Christ—and then we shall live and rule together with Christ as His bride, first in the millennium, and then for all eternity. We have a hope in our calling: the hope of being the bride of Christ. Paul says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Cor. 15:19. This is how it is. The hope of the gospel reaches beyond this life. It is very true that the joy of hope bears us up in the battle; Jesus patiently endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. Heb. 12:2. Nevertheless, we sense that our hope will not be fully realized in this life. We will understand this one day when we are caught up in the clouds in the air to meet the Lord, and then we shall always be with the Lord. Because we have this hope, we purify ourselves just as He is pure. This is a blessed hope that has been revealed through the gospel.Gjermund Skreosen