Did you read THIS in today's Bible Reading Plan? Mark 7:20-23:
20 And He said, What comes out of a man is what makes a man unclean and renders [him] unhallowed. 21 For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, 22 Coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride (the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness). 23 All these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed.
What exactly was Jesus referring to here? First of all, the "heart" of a person is a combination of their spirit and their soul. We ARE spirit beings and we HAVE a soul, which consists of our mind, our emotions and our will. Before someone receives Jesus as Lord and personal Savior, they have dead spirits and are serving the satan, the god of this world system! They have dead spirits, and souls that are incapable of understanding the Word of God so that they can make wise choices. The only thing that a person who is not born again can understand is their need for a Savior. Once they make Jesus the Lord of their lives, THEN the Spirit of God comes into their dead human spirits and recreates them in HIS image! They are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)! This happens instantly, making the spirit man perfect! The soul, however, is NOT changed instantly! In order to stop speaking and doing the evil things spoken of in Mark 7, we MUST change our thinking to agree with God and His Word. The ONLY way to do that is to change what we allow into our soul by what we see and what we hear! The thoughts we choose to accept and to meditate on, whether from God or from the devil, WILL determine what comes out of our mouths! Make sure that YOU practice "reject and replace"! Reject the thoughts that are contrary to God's Word, and replace them with what God has actually promised in His Word! When you do this, THEN you will not speak or act on any of those things listed in Mark 7. Watch over your heart so that you can maintain close, intimate fellowship with the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible! (Proverbs 4:23)
23 Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23
AMEN! Here is Hillsong United with "Nothing Like Your Love":
Shalom in Him!
