Proverbs 17:3 says, "The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests hearts." In order to restore the image of God that men lost and enter New Jerusalem, the most beautiful dwelling place of Heaven, we need to cast away even every form of evil in our hearts. But it is not easy to discover and cast away evil that is deeply rooted in us, so God allows for trials. Then, what are the biggest roots of evil we should get rid of?
Falsehood, the lack of truthfulness
If one is not truthful, he often lies. He breaks promise to others and even himself. He overstates or understates facts.
Some people purposely lie to deceive others, and others habitually lie and are incited to make up lies. In many cases, they even don't know the fact that they are lying.
When Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times", Peter replied, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You" (Matthew 26:34-35). However, Peter denied Jesus three times before a rooster crowed that very night.
Of course, Peter thought he spoke the words with his heart. But he couldn't keep what he had spoken due to fear when he was faced with the reality of his words. If men have untruthfulness that remains in them they can't assure themselves of their own words and they can't keep their confession, either. Thus, you have to find the nature of lying and cast it away to become a man of integrity.
Straying from the right path, a desire to seek one's own benefit without following God's will
'To stray from the right path' signifies that you don't act in the right way. It is when your hearts, thoughts, and action are not right. If all people abide by the law and the order, there will be no problem in their society. In the same manner, God's children must live in accordance with the Word of God in the 66 books of the Bible for they have citizenship of Heaven.
It is not walking the right path that makes things go wrong and causes one to be tempted by personal passions and desires to gain benefit and takes in unrighteous things. Abraham gave the full price of the field for Sarah's burial state though the sons of Heth tried to give it to him for free (Genesis 23:13).
Daniel and his three friends didn't compromise with the untruth. They walked only the path of righteousness. While doing so, Daniel was put into the lions' den and his three friends were thrown into the furnace. However, they were not hurt at all—even to the extent that not even a strand of hair was burned and they glorified God greatly (Daniel 6:16-23; 3:19-27).
You can walk on the right path when you don't seek your own benefit and don't spare your life as long as it is the will of God. Apostle Paul lived such a life and walked the right way in any kind of hardship, so he could say in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ."
Deceitfulness, not keeping one's own words and hearts
If you don't fulfill what you planned to do and change plans for your benefit or advantage, it means that you have deceit in your heart. No matter how small it is, if you change your plan, it is because of a cunning heart in you.
Your nature with which you are not steadfast on something belongs to a sly heart. These kinds of people easily change their plans. They even betray others although they seemed to work together faithfully at first.
If you have such a heart, it is easy for you to fall into the worldly temptation such as fame, authority, and financial gain. Thus, to the extent that we cast away deceitfulness from our hearts and cultivated truthfulness in our hearts, we can be used for the kingdom of God more greatly.
Therefore, we must keep our words without changing what we have set in our hearts. If you regard such things small and don't keep them, you can't build relations of trust with God. To the extent that we keep promises with others as well as ourselves and act in it, such deceitfulness is gotten rid of and truthful heart comes into our hearts.
Despising, not being able to regard others more important than oneself
If you despise someone or something, you have no respect for them or think that they are unimportant. If you have it you look down on others with authority that you have and abuse them. All actions caused by arrogance can be said to be those of contempt.
To the extent that you do something to one of the little ones, you do it to the Lord. To love your brothers is to love the Lord. Thus, if you despise others, it shows that you despise God. When the Israelites asked Samuel to appoint a king for them God said they had rejected Him from being their King as written in 1 Samuel 8:5-7. And when the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses, God said their grumblings are not against Moses but against God (Exodus 16:8).
We must keep in our hearts that there are many members but one body in the Lord as read in 1 Corinthians 12:20. Each of us is a member of the church which is the body of Christ. If members have contempt for one another, the body is uncomfortable all the time and it can't function well.
Each member of the body has its own role and there is not one among them that is unimportant. It tells us that we must not feel contempt for others even if they are not educated, well-mannered, or they are in poverty. It is like the mouth saying to the eyes that they are "unnecessary to the body". If the body doesn't have eyes, however, the whole body as well as the mouth could not help but be lost and fall into a pit. It would be foolishness.
Philippians 2:3 reads, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves." Therefore, if you regard one another as more important than yourselves and serve them you can never ignore them. You must not forget your position and duty, and even if you are loved by and get recognition from others you must show humble attitude and deeds unchangingly.
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