Jesus summarizes His higher standard by stating, “ The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” ( Luke 6:45). Jesus expands the requirements of the Law from expecting good behavior to transforming us into His people by responding to His words with action. Jesus describes what it looks like to be His disciple, raising the bar of the Law from “ Do good to those who do good to you” ( Luke 6:33) to “ Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return” ( Luke 6:35). In Luke 6, a great crowd is gathered before Jesus, seeking to hear him and be healed. We are told to think before we speak, but when we don’t remember to do this, where are these words coming from? Why in moments of strong emotion, anger, or pain, do our words tear down and not edify and what can we do about it? How Does the Mouth Speak Out of the Abundance of the Heart? It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” ( James 3:7-8, ESV). Have you ever said something hurtful or unkind and wondered, “Where did that come from?” Have words left your lips and even as they exit you regret their expression and wish to retract them? James acknowledged the deadly impact of the tongue when he said, “… No human being can tame the tongue. How to Eliminate Bad Speaking Habits." The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." ( Luke 6:45, ESV).The Secret to Getting Ahead on Sermon Preparation – Get Ahead.5 Characteristic of Goals that Work – Set Goals.Make This Year Your Best Year – Start Here.Other Posts from the Best Year Yet Series As a spiritual leader, you need to be spiritually led. Who is helping to mentor you spiritually? (Even pastors need a pastor).Are you taking a sabbath? (Rest is the most ignored spiritual discipline).When was the last time you truly worshipped God with all of your heart? (Not just in church because you are supposed to).Are you reading the Bible for yourself instead of just for your sermon? (Don’t try to combine the two).Are you spending time daily in intentional prayer? (Not just for yourself and your ministry).Is there any unrepentant sin in your life that you need to confess? (The #1 reason people drift from God).So, here are a few questions to get you thinking. What you need is a checkup to help you identify the problem. You don’t need me to tell you how to improve spiritually. So, what is the condition of your heart? Spiritual Checkup You might be able to fake spiritual health for little while – many pastors do. You speak from the overflow of your heart. If you want to preach better, you have to start with the foundation. If you spiritual life is suffering, don’t make the excuse that it is because you don’t have time. So let me ask you again, how is your spiritual life? Are you allowing God to continually pour into you, or are you running dry? We can last a little while on reserves, but eventually we dry out. As long as we continue to allow God to pour into our lives, we will have plenty to pour out.īut if we stop allowing God to pour into us we have a problem. We receive a word from God, we process it and pour it out to our people. There is a direct correlation between the condition of your spiritual life and the condition of your heart. Your spiritual life shapes and molds your heart. As your spiritual life goes, so goes your preaching. Just as Jesus told the pharisees, the words you speak come from your heart. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. And you are probably aware of what Jesus said to them. Otherwise, we become just like the pharisees – trying to teach but lacking a real connection with God. 80% of pastors spend less than 15 minutes a day in prayer.Īs spiritual leaders, we need to make sure that first and foremost we are spiritually led.84% of pastors say they are not very satisfied with their prayer life. ![]() ![]()
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