Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 325

November 21;      Matthew 15:11;      15/260;      ‘Not What You Eat’

Matthew 15:11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." 

The Jewish religious leaders were so critical about foods that could or could not be eaten.  That is religion.  Religion, so often, deals with external, natural things.  When these ‘works’ are performed they often lead to a religious smugness.  The spirit of the religious person is not even involved.  Religion is such a dangerous lie, if you erroneously believe that you are impressing the Lord and that He will bless you for things that He has nothing to do with.  Jesus teaches that it is not what we put into our mouth that defiles us, but what comes out, that is what can defile a man.  What you eat, Jesus said, goes into the stomach and is eliminated.  Christianity deals with the spirit of man.  That is where the Holy Spirit comes to live when we are Born Again and our spirit is what we need to develop once we are saved. What comes out the mouth, comes out of the spirit and we should be very careful about what we allow ourselves to say.  It is easy to see that what we concentrate on, what we spend our time doing or learning, is what will influence our spirit and what will eventually come out of our mouth.  God’s Word is truth, God’s Word is freedom, God’s Word is power and will change your life for the better in so many ways, from the inside (your spirit) out.  Settle this in your spirit that nothing will bless yourself and others, by coming out of your mouth more than the Word.  The Lord created us to be a blessing and help others find Him.  Your mouth, bringing forth God’s Word, will never defile someone.  The Word will bless them.  God’s Word, sincerely spoken out of a heart of love, always impacts others.