April 28, 2012 (2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 12; Matthew 15)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “But the words you speak come from the heart – that’s what defiles you.” Matthew 15: 18 NLT
Observation: The Pharisees were bent out of shape because the disciples of Jesus ate without first washing their hands. The Pharisees made up a lot of rules and regulations that they commanded must be followed or else you would be deemed unclean. Their worship was a farce, for they taught man-made ideas as commands from God. Jesus revealed the source of their defilement, it was from within, not without. It was not what went in the body that defiled them, it was what came out from their heart. The words they spoke came from their heart, and it was these words that defiled them.
Application: It’s very important for a person that professes to be a Christian to pay close attention to what’s coming out of their mouth. From the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The words we speak often defile us and reveal the true state of our inner man. If you’ve truly been “born again” then the Holy Spirit will convict you and guide you into the righteousness of God the Father. We can never really hear and understand what the Spirit is saying, unless we voluntarily surrender to Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane first. We must totally surrender our lives to Christ and only allow what’s pleasing to Him to come forth from us. This will not just magically happen, we must make it a point to commit ourselves completely to His holiness.
Prayer: Dear Lord thank You for this day. Thank You for Your amazing grace and mercy that provide and protect me daily. Thank You for Your strong right arm that fights for me and wins! All of my hope is in You. Lord, help me be mindful of what comes out of my heart. Cleanse my heart of all wickedness and make it clean in Your sight. Cause the thoughts and words that come from me to please You at all times, in Jesus name, Amen!