(Mark 7:20-23) “And he said, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” We as believers need to protect our hearts above all else, for the heart will either lead you into sin or away from it. There is no such thing as a sin gene! Man is no more predisposed to be a thief than he is to be an adulterer or homosexual. Sin is always a choice and never does God say in His Word that it’s natures fault. (Pr. 4:23) says: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” 1) The Heart is part of our Human Nature. So, it needs to be given over to Christ, controlled by the Holy Spirit, and fed God’s Word, or it will produce the above sins on its own. The heart is not naturally good, but rather evil by nature. (Jer 17:9) “ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”2) The mind controls the heart. (Rom. 8:7) “the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Therefore, if our mind is given over to worldly things so will our heart be. That’s why we must renew our minds daily and keep our hearts clean through God’s Word. 3) A clean heart and mind is your choice. (Phil. 4:7) “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. If you decide to fill your mind and heart with sinful things, don’t be surprised when sin becomes a part of our actions. So, What’s in your heart these days?
( Gen 41:41-43) “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt... A nd he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.” When Joseph was introduced to us in chp.37, he was a young inexperienced 17 year old boy, and yet 13 years later God raised him up to rule the nation of Egypt. So, what made him different ? The Answer : “ Time,” and his faith in God ! You see time is a wonderful teacher; 1) Time strengthens endurance . Endurance and faith can only be strengthened over time. Like exercise, we start out not able to do much but over time we find that we can do more. You see, God allows us to go through the ups and downs of life, to help us gain not only spiritual maturity, but also spiritual abilities. Spiritual endurance therefore enables us to handle life’s trials better. 2) Time strengthens patience . Although Joseph, ...
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