***Note: I am currently in the Dominican Republic for meetings related to our ministry. First, I solicit your prayers. Secondly, if the videos don’t post for the next two days you will know why.
(Read Matthew 15:1-20)
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. We have been studying the life of the Apostle Peter and our study has brought us to Matthew chapter 15. For the past few days we have been looking at a passage where Jesus had a ‘run in’ with a group of Pharisees and teachers of the Law. They were upset because Jesus and His disciples ate something without washing their hands first. Jesus was upset because they were hypocrites. Jesus scolded the religious group. Later, after things died down, Peter asked Jesus for clarification of what He meant when He scolded the Pharisees. Let’s take a look at Jesus’ response and learn a few more things from it today.
Jesus said, “Do you still have trouble understanding? Surely you know that all the food that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body. But the bad things people say with their mouth come from the way they think. And that’s what can make people wrong. All these bad things begin in the mind: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual sins, stealing, lying, and insulting people. These are the things that make people wrong. Eating without washing their hands will never make people unacceptable to God.”
Instead of putting so much emphasis on what goes IN the mouth, Jesus was focused on what comes OUT of people’s mouths. Your words are an indication of your thoughts. Jesus explained this in Matthew 12 and Luke 6.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- The words you speak are a litmus test for the condition of your heart. Your words are telling on you.
- You are your words and your words are you. You cannot disassociate yourself from your words.
- Daily, your words are telling everyone what’s in your heart. Essentially, your words tell the world who you are.
- If you don’t like the message your words are portraying about you, then it’s time to change.
- To change your words (your output) you must change the content and condition of your heart. Because your mouth speaks out of the abundance of your heart.
- To change your words (your output) you must change your heart (your deposit), and to change your heart you must change your input: what you see and hear.
- If you can change your input you can change the condition of your heart, if you can change the condition of your heart you will change the quality of your words, if you can change your words you can change your life!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. In order to please You I must learn to live by faith in every area of my life. I meditate Your Word day and night. Jesus taught me that it is not what goes into my mouth that defiles me, but rather what comes out. My words are an indication of the content, quality and condition of my heart. To change my words I must change the deposit of my heart. To change my heart I must change what I allow IN through my eye gate and ear gate. From this day forward I protect my input. I don’t allow ungodly things to get through my eye or ear gates. I feed myself Your Word daily. Your Word gets down in my heart. Your Word FILLS my heart. And then Your Word comes out. Since my words tell on me, I declare by faith that my words will tell the world that I am a man/woman of faith! I refuse to allow any corrupt communication to proceed from out of my mouth. I only speak that which is good. My words minister GRACE to the hearers. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
