The Holy Spirit's Possessing of Our Hearts
This post is part of our series entitled: “The Right Grip on Rightesouness”
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10, NIV).
The way Jesus speaks about righteousness here is to say that righteousness is residing within those who belong to the kingdom of God - ‘for theirs is the kingdom of God.’ This beatitude is really about “who” has possession of our hearts and the evidence of that possession being made known throughout our lives. If righteousness is sharing in a total heart agreement with the Lord and that is not possible in and of ourselves, then for us (a fallen, sinful person)then this heart agreement (this binding-covenant) is a supernatural work. It is a work of the power of the Holy Spirit.
This means that our sinful, dead hearts are culled out and made new! What does this supernatural work of the Holy Spirit look like?
Scripture explains the Holy Spirit’s work in us here: “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:20b-21, NIV).
This supernatural exchange is only possible through the gospel; those who repent in Jesus’ name have their sinful nature ridded and exchanged for the Holy Spirit of God. And as we remain submissive/obedient to His leading, coming into agreement with His Spirit, then His Holy Spirit loosens and releases generational sin and unclean spirits that have been stored within our hearts, while we were dead in our sin. Righteousness is then the fruit of our hearts because the Holy Spirit has bound and sealed Himself to our hearts.
An Eviction Notice from the Holy Spirit for the Repentant Sinner
Perhaps our best way to relate is consider that our hearts serve as houses where spirits dwell and reside within us (Matthew 12:43-45). Unclean spirits take up residence within and possess the hearts of the unrepentant. Scripture teaches us that those who do not know Jesus as Lord that their hearts belong, not to the kingdom of heaven, but to this world and remain vulnerable to Satan! Those who are unrepentant or deceived by Satan, if their hearts are homes for unclean spirits, then their desires, actions, words, their lives altogether are evil; they produce sin and are comforatble with that type of evil-produce. Here is just one example Jesus offers us about a person that speaks evil because their hearts are residences and a storing place for evil spirits:
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:35-37, NIV).
Why? Because our hearts are rooted in the sin-cursed soil of this world and evil spirits find a place of rest there, in the hearts of the unrepentant. Because that is so, they remain in participation with Satan and they can only produce sinful-fruit. Their heart does not belong to the Kingdom of God; their hearts belong to Satan and His demons possess it.
But when our sin-bound souls are awakened by the piercing life and light of Jesus, the Holy Spirit then comes in and evicts every one of those evil and unclean spirits and He takes up residence within our hearts, sealing our hearts with His holiness. We then, through obedience to the Holy Spirit, see that our hearts come into agreement with God; He makes our hearts His home, cleansing our hearts and renews our disposition with the very righteousness of Christ Jesus!
Out of that newly righteous disposition flows desires, deeds and words which reveal that we belong to the Kingdom of God. Now, we continue to wrestle with sin and with those who are ruled by spiritual principalities of darkness; we will continue to till the day we die. But we do so with the power and sealing of the Holy Spirit, who produces an agreement in our hearts with our God; He will go before us all the way to heaven - “for blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”