1 Peter 2:1-3
So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Overview: Note that these sins are rooted in protecting "self/selfishness". They are the seeds of wanting "other" than Christ as their chief need and want. Such a poison is unwilling to accept what we do not have and insists ways of protecting the inner image with an acceptable Christian image to assure people we are just like them, but inwardly pursuing a road of deceit to carry out the desires of the flesh nature. Rick
Main Words of the Verse Definitions
Malice-Gk. "the intent to hurt"; "revenge"; by holding back love and some expression of disapproval". Includes resentment, unforgiveness, loosening the union of Christian love
Guile-GK. "to bait or trick someone". The idea of lying or giving a portion of truth while hiding other facts to make the message acceptable. Guile is deception. It is leading a person in a different direction because of the message given.
Hypocrisies-Gk. "hiding behind a mask, playing a part of a script." Expressing a message to others, not intentionally practiced in the heart.
Envy-Gk. "means not just wanting what another person has, but also resenting that person for having it. ... that leads to division and strife and even murder. When we envy, we cannot bear to see the prosperity of others, because we ourselves feel continually wretched. Envy begins with desire to possess what another has but merges into resentful discontent." Precept Austin
Slander-means evil speaking, evil speech, evil report. Slander. Back-biting lies. Defamation. Disparagement. Speaking about others in such a way as to belittle or defame their character. Precept Austin
Point: Actually, any unconfessed sin harbored blocks the life and nourishment of Christ to the soul. If you are spiritually dry it is necessary to confront and examine our heart about all things to see what is selfish and what is Christ. Particularly, these sins listed above are extremely deceptive and dangerous to spiritual growth. Only an honest, transparent, humble believer will examine and deal with that.
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Growth
Only after we put away sins which expose our hypocrisy, we must then act like a baby. Become humble, reject selfishness, surrender totally to Christ and live in absolute dependence upon Him at all times.
Return to the simply life of drinking spiritual milk. Stunted Christians are spiritually dehydrated Christians. Drink little of the spiritual milk, don't expect to grow.
Have continuous conflicts and find no growth, then examine your drinking habits. Drink little and grow a little. Drink a lot, grow much and more able to successfully manage conflicts.
But your cup cannot receive the milk if you do not put away you know what you need to put away.
God is the Milk. He will limit His pourings in proportion to your putting away. Be filled with the Spirit is a permeating process dependent on what you empty of yourself. Spend little time seeing what needs to be emptied determines how much of the Spirit fills your soul.
The old-timers used to spend sometimes hours waiting on God. The experience was not really waiting on God to give but completely examining what is sin in our lives, then emptying it by way of true confession and complete turning away, then a purposeful yielding the soul to God. Then the Spirit enters and fills. It's evidence is by peace and sensing the experiential presence of Christ.
Though time is not the focus. It is taking the time to examine our hearts when sins of many types move into the heart. A growing Christian learns to judge inward strayings of the heart, expose them as sin, and turning away from them, yielding completely to Christ.
After we complete this necessary step; right with God completely, we should drink of Him.
I learned this experience some years ago. Deeply discouraged, I knelt and shared with the Lord that I did not know what to say to Him. I could only say that I was spiritually dry. I then confessed all I knew He disapproved in my life.
Then, when I felt I had cleared my heart, the Spirit of God brought to mind the words of Jesus, "he who thirsts, let him come unto me and drink....and out of his belly shall flow living waters."
So, I vividly remember opening my whole soul, my spiritual mouth as if I were drinking from a cup. I then, by faith, drank in Jesus. Yes, Jesus lived in me. But Jesus did not live in some areas of my soul: anxiety, worry, struggles with people, lusts, plans and hopes, etc.
I drank Jesus into my need. Because He is purity, I drank Him as my Purification and Cleansing.
I drank Jesus as my Provider and my Job Giver when I was unemployed.
I drank Jesus as my Wisdom when I needed wisdom for family or work situations.
I drank Jesus when I felt discouraged. I took Him as my Encourager, waiting and heard words from Scripture that guided my heart in hope.
I still do this. Whenever inner conflict arises, I stop and drink the Lord into that or those areas. I have many recurring needs. I recognize my need and drink Jesus as the supply to that. I leave that to Him, trust Him, and believe He will take care of it.
The result: He always has. He always does. He changes my inner conflicts into rest and works my outer circumstances to work out for His plan and my good. And I can handle all of that.
Tasting this kind of experience with Christ is good. I feel good AFTER I follow this task. It truly works in everything I do--yet there are times I don't drink. I wallow, I stay in my rut until I decide to confess and drink again. I don't know why I allow my will to remain so childish to keep Christ out of my true needs.
Hope you practice drinking of Christ and taste how good the Lord is. Only with this do you have abundant testimonies to help others in the Body of Christ.
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