Matthew 15:15-20 – “But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶ Jesus said, “Even after all this, are you still so foolish? ¹⁷ Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and then passes out into the sewer? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰ These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God, a word kept echoing in my heart and head.   That word was Unfiltered.   That is amplified in Matthew 15:15-20.   This reveals a problem most tend to gloss over.

Some say, “I just tell it like it is, or I speak my mind.”   Yes, but is that the mind of Christ?  Unfiltered words are an overflow from the heart.  They reveal the true condition of the heart.  They are not to be excused.  It’s not your Irish or whatever heritage coming out; it is you!  You are responsible for your words and actions, and no one else. Just because you can, does not mean you should!

In 1 Chronicles 4:10, we have the infamous prayer of Jabez.   This prayer reveals a heart fully surrendered.  A totally surrendered heart will always filter its tongue.

The prayer of Jabez reveals that before God can enlarge our borders, He must enlarge His place in our hearts.   Jabez sought a blessing so he could be a blessing.  He totally submitted to God, dedicated his life to service, and sought spiritual power and deliverance.

Life, as revealed in Jabez and Matthew 15, is not about us; it is about the kingdom!   If our hearts are filled with God, our focus is not on us but on others.   If someone is lost, we seek to see them saved.   If they are hurting, we seek to see them healed.   If they are deceived, we seek the light to shine on them.  If they have gone astray, we seek their restoration.   Unfiltered hearts blast others, but a heart that overflows with God realizes that soft answers turn away wrath.

Our words reveal our hearts.  We can try to justify unfiltered words by saying that it’s because we care, but it is usually because we want what we want.     I ask, “LORD, let the words of our mouths be words from Your heart.”

May your filter filter out the unfiltered words that harm!

Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

As I prayed, read, and pondered the Word of God today, the phrase ‘Trust‘ kept echoing in my head and heart.  There is a saying in Robert Burns’ poem “To a Mouse,” which reads, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley” – essentially saying that even the best plans of mice and men often go awry.

Trust is a learned quality, and all of us trust someone or something.   We trust our wealth for security.   We trust our knowledge for guidance.  We trust our strength for protection.  We trust relationships for community.

In Matthew 6, the prayer pattern Jesus teaches emphasizes trust.  In verse 6, He gave us the proper perspective.   We are to set ourselves apart privately to seek God.  We are to close out the clutter and noise of life, and once we have come to quietness, we are to pray specifically to God.  Those are simple but direct prayers.  Remember, God gave us the language we use to petition Him, so He knows!

Then, as a further emphasis on Trust, He added the directive and revelation of verses 14-15 regarding total forgiveness.   Forgiveness is all about or anchored in Trust!   If we truly trust God, forgiveness is easy, but if we distrust people, it is difficult.

Matthew 6:19-34 doubles down on the need for Trust.   How can we face an uncertain future without a solid retirement plan?  We save, invest, horde, amass, and sacrifice so we will have ease in life’s sunset years.  BUT God suggests a different approach, which is only possible with complete consuming Trust!

In Matthew 7:7-8, we find the familiar, often-quoted passage of ‘Ask, Seek, Knock.’   That, too, is rooted in Trust.   To persistently Ask, Seek, and Knock requires Trust!

Then, a clincher is revealed in verse 12.  “Therefore, in ALL things, whatever you want people to do for you, so do for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Wow!   We call it the Golden Rule, yet we miss the Trust element.   This covers everything, including our attitudes, actions, and judgments.  That requires us to Trust God with everything, in everything, all the time!

If we develop that Trust, we become those who manifest Jesus in this present world.   Matthew 10:7-8 was their commission and ours.  Only out of Trust can we believe, and only out of Trust will we go.

Trust is the most essential element today.   Do we truly Trust?  There is an easy evaluation tool to know.   Listen to our words.   Evaluate our attitudes.   Consider our actions.   Do we Trust?  The proof is in the pudding!

May your level of trust soar to the pinnacle, enabling you to live Free!

Galatians 6:6-7  – “Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.  ⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.”

Yesterday, through the night, and this morning, the Holy Spirit has been impressing upon my heart the danger, destruction, and prevalence of deception.   It is not just a world thing, but it is rampant in the church and among believers.

Galatians 6:6-7 issues a stern warning against becoming prey to deception.  It is an effective tactic of the snake and has been for eons.

Deception’s root is the devil, and deception is sin.  Being deceived is possible ONLY if we allow the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life to prevail.   It is super subtle.   It cloaks itself in benevolence and adopts what we desire to be true as accurate.  It listens to voices that appeal to our flesh, deceiving us into thinking it is a word from God.

We dream of what we would do “if only.”    God needs no “if only.” He is the eternal creator God.   He needs no external stimuli or vehicle; He is God!

Deception is like a cancer or leaven.   It begins small, in one outlying area, and permeates the entire consciousness.  Our light becomes darkness through deception.  Ultimately, it will cost the soul if not recognized, rejected, and repented of.   It aligns itself with voices that promote hearsay, heresy, half-truths, and outright lies.   When a lie is exposed, the deceived heart justifies it as a simple mistake, not the diabolical fraud and purpose behind it.

Deception is deadly.  It has consequences.    There are numerous consequences of Deception listed in the Bible:

• Eternal punishment: Revelation 21:8 says that liars will be punished in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.
• Loss of the soul: Proverbs 21:6 says that a lying tongue is a characteristic of those who seek death.  2 Thessalonians 2:12 teaches that believing a lie can cost men their souls.
• God’s hatred: Proverbs 6:16 says that the Lord hates a lying tongue.
• Dishonor: Proverbs 12:22 says that lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.
• False witness: Proverbs 19:5 says that a false witness will not go unpunished.

How do we avoid deception?  

• Know the Bible.
• Pray for wisdom and discernment.
• Avoid believing empty words.
• Avoid living a double life.
• Avoid excluding facts that could change a judgment.
• Avoid altering facts to fit a narrative.
• Avoid fabricating information.

I’m diving into this because I want to avoid and have a defense against deception for myself and others.   The deceived cannot see the deception and often are unconvinced of the truth because it feeds their flesh.  They believe they are just in what they embrace and even insist it is a promise from God.

Anything that depends on man to fulfill is to be viewed with a measure of skepticism.   My God shall supply ALL your needs according to His riches in glory.  God demands 100% of us and desires our total reliance on Him.  I live with no sense of lack because He is my Supply! 

You shall know the truth, and the truth (that you know and embrace) will make you free.  Truth has to be known, acknowledged, and embraced to liberate.  The devil knows the truth but is not free!

May all your “if onlys” become, “God is.”

2 Samuel 18:23 – He said, “Come what may, I want to run.”  So Joab said, “Run!” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and outran the Cushite.”

Good morning!  What a day that shall be when my Jesus I shall see when I look upon His face, the one who saved me by His grace.  That song is in my heart today, but with a different twist.   It reminds me of LOVE!   God’s love for us, our love for Him, and our ability to love each other!

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, a plethora of things filled my consciousness.   Most were for private consumption, but one thing draws my focus: Zeal!

Zeal?  More specifically, zeal without a specific divine directive.  That is presented in Ahimaaz in 2 Samuel 18.  He kept bugging Joab to let him run as a messenger to David.  Joab said, “You don’t have the message.”  He persisted, and Joab said, “Run!”   He outran the Cushite who had the message.  He got to David but had no message.  He said, “I saw that something was happening, but I don’t know what.”

•  He had a desire to run. 
• He had the ability to run.
• He ran faster than everyone else.
• But his effort and ability had no redeeming value.  It was wasted energy and ability.

Sometimes, we become stirred by God’s presence and quickly volunteer to run.  We have the desire to be involved.  Zeal drives us into action, but without the divine directive, we are just running!

That’s how we get ahead of God.  We act before there is a clear revelation.  In doing so, we can do damage to the cause.   How?  We stir others up but have no revelation or divine directive.   We are just doing!

God is not interested in doing things for the sake of doing them.   He always has a purpose.   A stirred heart does not, in itself, qualify one to run!   A divine call is required.  Running without God’s message opens the door to deception and disappointment.   

It can result in spiritual frustration.   We ask, “God, why didn’t You, I Ran!”  Then, at others, we ask, “Hey, why aren’t you running?”  We become frustrated with ourselves and think, ‘If I had run sooner or faster, then…‘   Never let Zeal become more compelling than Call.

Doing God’s Word, God’s Way, and in God’s Time produces God’s Results.   It is not inactivity to wait for the Call, the Word, and the Timing of God; it is resting and waiting on the Lord.   The converse is also true; waiting out of uncertainty and fear when God has called is inactivity, not rest.  Jesus said, “My sheep, HEAR My voice and follow Me.”   

The question is, are we His sheep?  If we are, we hear His voice.

May your day be filled with peace and clear purpose!

Proverbs 27:5-6 – “Better is reproof that is revealed than love that is hidden.  Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.”

As I read, prayed, and contemplated the Word of God today, one thought kept echoing in my heart and head.  BLIND SPOTS!

Proverbs 27:5-6 was a key passage for understanding.   So many thoughts leap from those words, but the one singular thought echoing inside is Blind Spots!  We all have them, experience them, and suffer because of them.

Three questions arose in my mind as I contemplated this.

• Are you consistent?
• Are you self-controlled?
• Do you think independently?

Then, I sensed more questions that challenged me.   Can you handle negative criticism positively?  Galatians 6:9 comes to mind in Paul’s directive to never grow tired of what is right.

It is difficult to discern between constructive and destructive criticism.  How can we recognize the difference?  What is the attitude of the person delivering the criticism?   Is their criticism factual?  Allow the Holy Spirit to shine the spotlight of the Word on it and on us.
Do we have true integrity in all things and with all people?   Integrity is what we are; we are.  Are we peacemakers?  Are we open to views contrary to what we think or want to be true?

Most discussions that escalate into arguments generate more heat than light and are often driven by emotion rather than fact.  A person who is secure in Jesus, emotionally strong, and has a positive self-image does not have a driving need to win every argument or debate.   Most people will change their views when they see living proof of a better way.  Our blind spots not only hinder us, but also others.

The Lord spoke to me, saying, “Blind Spots are removed by making Me (Jesus) your focus.  Let Me be Me in you in all things.  Give Me your need to be right.”

My heart desires to be like Jesus or let Him be Himself manifested in and through me.   I want to be like Him in Character, Attitude, Spirit, Actions, and Reaction.   Lord, help us be free of the Blind spots we can’t see.

May all your blind spots be transformed into spots of revelation and sight spiritually!