and renew a right spirit within me
We sang that song today in church and it was perfect for the message that Pastor Josh Matlock gave.
Clean The Inside
Mark 7:1-23
So, here's the question...
What's on the inside? What's going on in our hearts?
So on a normal day we go about our business, whether it be going to our jobs, hanging out with friends, watching tv or movies, listening to music. I know that I'm guilty of not paying enough attention to the little things that I allow into my mind and body each day, but that's just it! We need to pay attention to what we put into our minds! What we put in our minds does affect us ...what our eyes see, and our ears hear.
"The Inside is What Counts"
(read vs. 20-23)
We need to work on the sin that is in our hearts.
- Our thoughts prompt our actions:
Evil thoughts in our hearts activate evil out of us.
- Take your thoughts captive (2 Corinthians 10:3-5):
We need to learn to control our evil thoughts.
Ask yourself...Is this obediant to Christ?
Your Thoughts Matter!!
Replace the bad and evil thoughts
with good and righteous thoughts!
Josh closed the sermon with some scripture verses to help in our times of struggle and need. He encouraged us to memorize them and think of them when evil is present in our lives, to take control of the sin and focus on being obedient to Christ. We were created in the image of God, so we should live each day striving to live as He lived, holy and righteous!! You too can use these verses to help you when you encounter evil and sin and need help (we all need help!):
Immoral Thoughts: Philippians 4:8
Angry Thoughts: Ecclesiastes 7:9
Unforgiving Thoughts: 1 John 4:20
Unloving Thoughts: 1 John 4:11
Covetous or Greedy Thoughts: 1 Timothy 6:7; Ecclesiastes 5:10
Lazy Thoughts: Proverbs 14:23
Thoughts of Gossip: Proverbs 20:19
Critical Thoughts: Matthew 7:2
(I referred to a couple of these already today and it totally changed my mindset and helped free me from the evil that was present!)
What is the desire of your heart?
Is the most important relationship you have with your Lord and Savior??
Its a choice to live holy...how do you choose to live each day?
Sin is not freedom...Its bondage!
See if there be some wicked way in me;
cleanse me from every sin,
and set me free!
Romans 6:11-23
[11] Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
[12] Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,
[13] and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
[14] For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.
[15] What then? shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!
[16] Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
[17]But thanks be to God, that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were commiteed,
[18] and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
[19] I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
[20] For when you were slaves to sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
[21] Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
[22] But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to god, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
[23] For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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