This month's scripture: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" Mark 7:20-23, NIV

Sermon:

 

"Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In our latest section of perfect words from the Master, we begin with learning how our evil thoughts (also accurately known & referring to any worthless tribulation which Satan pains us with) Christ mentions are eliminated (if we'll work with Him, which we must) via John 16:33: "in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." It's important to consistently and daily practice purifying our hearts, minds, and souls so as to draw closer to Christ & to thus enjoy and produce better clearheadedness and obedience toward & with Him, so be alert to negative mentality which Satan seeks to torment you with, and defend yourself by drawing needed guidance & strenth from our redeemer. A critical and mandatory aide to this necessity entails our required daily prayer time, and that's why doing so at the start of every day truly helps. 

Additionally, it's worthwhile to understand that sexuality is a completely normal and wonderful part of each disciple, though we must pursue it carefully. Sexual immorality is addressed in Romans 13:14: "clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Continually ensure that you direct sexual desires exclusively toward members of the opposite sex who are your marital partners, for that is all that God will tolerate, as well as what works and what will make us happy.

Additionally, we must never give way to the worthless sin of adultery! Matthew 5:27-28 states: "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Infatuation at all levels of life must be appropriate (which means that they are only intentended for appropriate use), so pay attention to where your mind strays, and always be ready to redirect it back to the holy agenda of our messiah. 

Also, while money is a valuable tool, love for it is always trouble, and Matthew 12:22 warns us of the snares of greed when Christ says: "I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear." Be thankful for what you have, and only seek propsering when God approves, or any victories along those lines that you achieve will be very short-lived, while creating long-term misery.

While telling the truth is often challenging, our Lord is always watching us carefully, and we will be punished and rewarded for the quality of our commitment to Him, so heed 2 Cor. 8:21 as Paul sets an example for us via stating: "we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men."

In conclusion, arrogance is never what we should be demonstrating, as we are humble children of our heavenly father who-in His eyes-are no better than anyone else. Sincerely helping someone else selflessly (instead of drawing attention to ourself) ensures that God's looking at us with favor and will help meet our needs, in turn, as demonstrated with Luke 18:14: "everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Obviously, what goes around really does come around, especially since the diety which we live for is always watching. God bless!"