Reviving The Heart
Introduction
1 Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, 2 “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.” 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?
11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. —Matthew 15:1-17 (NLT)18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” —Matthew 15:18-20 (NLT)
The Key: What comes out, comes from the
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. —Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
These Four Enemies create a
As long as the debt is unpaid or unforgiven, the debt
Four Debts My Heart Must Resolve:
1. Guilt says
Owe
7 The borrower is servant to the lender. —Proverbs 22:7 (NLT)
Antidote To Guilt:
16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. —James 5:16 (NLT)
2. Anger says
Owe
Antidote To Anger:
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. 26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. —Matthew 18:21-27 (NLT)
Forgiveness is a decision to
35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” —Matthew 18:35 (NLT)
3. Greed says
Owe
Antidote To Greed:
15 Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” —Luke 12:15-34 (The Message)
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” —2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT)
4. Jealousy says
Owes
Antidote To Jealousy:
My 7-Day Prescription:
- Perform a HEART self-examination, what am I hiding?
- Who do I need to forgive?
- To whom do I need to write a “Thank You” note?
- Who do I need celebrate?
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