It Came From Within

This is the introduction from the message I preached on 8.05.07 entitled, "It Came From Within" I wanted to post this because the truths from God's Word are so powerful and life changing. If you were able to hear this message, these scriptures will be a good review and are worth memorizing...especially Proverbs 4:23. If you were not able to take in the message, take the time to dive into what Jesus says about your heart, and how he came to change it.

"All of us here have these filters that we put on our lives. We understand that to function in this world (to get job, get a date, get married, to stay married, to have friends) there is a certain way to act or behave. So we modify our behaviors. Most of us learn how to modify our behaviors when we are kids and we just keep adding on to the filter as we grow up.

What happens is that every once in a while something will slip through the filter. In a moment of anger we will say something very hurtful. In a moment of stress we will look at something on the web that we shouldn’t. In a moment of hurt we will hurt someone back. Then we will say, “Where did that come from?”

What we discover is that Jesus knows where those nasty little things came from, he would say that they came from your heart. Not the muscle that beats in your chest, but your true self, your true identity, the place behind your mask, the place where your conscience lives. Listen to what he told his disciples about where unclean things come from.

Mathew 15:16-20

“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ ”

So what are we supposed to do? Naturally our inclination is to work harder on our filter. But that just doesn’t fix the problem. The only way to fix the problem in your heart is to enter into a covenant relationship with Jesus.

Listen to how the apostle Paul describes what happens when we connect with Christ.

"He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith." ~ Acts 15:9

So when we enter into a covenant relationship with Jesus, he sends his Holy Spirit into our hearts to begin a restoration project.

Now, some of you maybe asking,

“Well, I’m a believer and things still keep popping up in my life!”

My response is, “Join the club!”

There is a battle going on for your heart. The sinful world we live in is constantly trying to influence your heart. Satan wants to destroy your heart. Quite frankly there are some parts of your heart that you haven’t given completely over to Jesus and he can’t do his work in your life until you do.

That is why we are doing this series because way too many Christians are missing out on the abundant life in Christ because of what lies within. So the theme verse for this series comes from the wisest man who walked the earth.

Solomon wrote:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” ~ Proverbs 4:23

We can’t fix our hearts, that is God’s job, but we can guard our hearts. That is what we will be doing for the next four weeks; learning how we can guard our hearts from four pesky little gremlin monsters that lurk within."