Galatians 5:19 says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident…” Matthew 7:15 was speaking about false prophets, but it bears true for one who walks in the flesh. Verse 16 says, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?”

Does that remind you of James 3:11-12? He wrote about our tongue. It says, “Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”

Now let’s jump to Proverbs 18:20-21. It says, “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Death words bear flesh-fruit, and life-giving words bear fruit that encourages, strengthens, builds up, and imparts grace to the hearers. Our words impact. If you have ever been slammed by a death word then you know that is true. 

There was a lady in my church growing up (with the Lord now) whose words exuded encouragement. Folks flocked around her because she always had a smile and a kind word. I remember others that folks tended to shy away from. A gentle versus a caustic spirit. Which are you?

Ephesians 4:29 is a great character thermometer. It says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” I wrote an ebook called, “Honey-Laced Words.: imparting grace to your hearers” It is also chapter five in “Victorious Heart: intimate communion with God.”

One time, when we were out of the country on a short term mission trip, we all ate corrupted fruit. At least that was my definition of worm infested fruit. You know the saying, ‘What you don’t know doesn’t hurt you?’ 

We were driving back from a night of ministry. Our driver stopped the van and told us that we could get out and pick some fruit. We filled several boxes. We all ate this fruit in the dark. In the morning I went to the box to get another piece of fruit. It was crawling with worms.

I hope that is a good visual for what the Lord sees—worms crawling all over our thoughts based on our flesh. What fruit are we offering to others through our words which are first thoughts?

When we spend time with the Lord through His word, our thoughts will be saturated with truth. We will heed His voice,  do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments, and keep them—avoiding many spiritual diseases caused by our disobedience.

After God delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptians, He gave them clear direction. Exodus 15:26 says, “…If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes…”

Let me reiterate this. Diligence is a great character quality. Character is revealed by what we do behind closed doors. Are we as steadfast when no one is looking as when they are? Is our message and messenger the same? Diligence is steadfastness, and persistent in excellence. Diligence is the opposite of slipshod.

God’s promise to the children of Israel’s diligence included obedience. Note the words: heed, do, give ear, and keep. It was a conditional promise. If they did, then God said, “…I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

The Hebrew word for heal is rapha. The Strong’s definition is: to cure, repair, mend, restore health.  It is the Hebrew word for doctor. Did they do what the Lord told them? No. Numerous times they disobeyed.

Something happened that was later picked up by John. Number 21:5 says, “And the people spoke against God and against Moses…For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.”

Verse 6 says, “So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people…” Many died. In verse 7 they acknowledged their sin. They asked Moses to pray for them. He did and the Lord said in verse 8, “…Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it shall live.”

Fast forward to John 3:14-15. It says, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Isaiah 53:4 in the Amplified says, “Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses)…” 1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” The Lord is our Jehovah Rapha.

Disobedience is sin that bears consequences—fruits of the flesh. However, when we follow the Holy Spirit so that He is the One in control of our lives, we bear fruit for God’s glory. Even though you know these two verses, I want to include them.

Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” Verse 25 in the Amplified says, “…(If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit).”

I remember one hard trial that I was in years ago. My heart was comforted when He spoke this into my heart: Nothing is in vain. I will redeem it all. I want to take you to Ephesians 1:11. It says, “…according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

Whatever the Lord has allowed into our lives has His purpose engraved in it. Purpose means that it is essential. He included it when He formed you in your mother’s womb. He created us as He knew us according to Jeremiah 1:5.

We are being watched. Not only by those around us, but also to those that we cannot see. Ephesians 3:10 says, “To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places.”

Some of our trials fit under the category of the above verse. Others are to remove hidden dross that would taint our testimony. Some trials are seasons of instruction to prepare us for the next good work. 

Joseph had to go through the series of trials he went through in order to be and do what God had called him to do. In Genesis 50:20 he told his brothers that God has used their evil intentions, “…in order to bring it about as it is this day to save many people alive.”

We are empowered to endure whatever God has allowed. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 in the J. B. Phillips says, “He who calls you is utterly faithful and he will finish what he has set  out to do.” Our part in endurance is to trust the only One Who is Trustworthy.”

Here is one of my anchor verses. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” It’s my spiritual glue that firmly holds me together when everything seems to be in upheaval.

Jesus is always our example. Hebrews 5:8 says, “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” I don’t think I will ever forget the one scene in the Passion Of Christ. Jesus was kneeling before his scourgers. He said, “Father, My heart is ready.” 

In Luke 9:52 it says that they prepared for Jesus. Verse 53 was the fulfillment of Isaiah 50:7. It says, “But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.” Our course is set. Will we embrace it or get distracted through our trials?

Ezra prepared his heart and Daniel purposed in his heart. Both hearts were set to please the Lord in what He had called them to do. We may not know and understand the ‘why’ of our trial, but we can rest assured that it is His purpose.

We, as a nation, are being corrected. 2 Samuel 17:14 says, “…For the Lord had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring disaster on Absalom.” Let us keep praying for our nation to fulfill all (everything without exception) of God’s purpose.

Proverbs 10:17 Amplified is a great barometer for us. It says, “He who heeds instruction and correction is (not only himself) in the way of life (but also) is a way of life for others. And he who neglects or refuses reproof (not only himself) goes astray (but also) causes to err and is a path toward ruin for others.”

David’s prayer is one of mine. Psalm 25:4-5 says, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.”

Only one with a humble heart is willing to be led. The Lord was able to lead Ezra and Joshua because of their humility. The Lord led the children of Israel for forty years in the wilderness. Deuteronomy 8:2 says, “…to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.”

The Lord knew what they would do, but He wanted them to see what rebellion was hidden in their hearts. So it is with us. When we refuse to humble ourselves (James 4:10), then He will use adverse circumstances that will cause our hidden flesh to react.

Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of Your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple.” The Hebrew for the word simple means lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment and foolish. 

Our fleshly reactions are foolish. They lack God’s influence because He resists the proud. That is why we are to read His word for understanding—gaining knowledge, wisdom, and direction from our Instructor.

Here is a promise that we must stand on. Even when we flesh out, this verse holds true. Psalm 37:24 says that our steps are ordered by the Lord. However, if we get derailed through disobedience, and pulled off track, there is hope.

Verse 25 says, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” We are sealed for eternity. I love these kinds of verses. No matter what we do in opposition to the Lord’s way, He will not leave us to our own devices. More tomorrow.

Have you ever fleshed out? Do I need to explain about an adult having a temper tantrum? It might not be the kind a two year old throws. However, if we could see into our heart, it might look the same.

Many years ago I heard a speaker who gave a great visual illustration. He had hurried all his children into the car and was waiting for his wife. One of his sons jumped out of the car and raced into the house.

Backdrop. He had been very diligent to train his children how to respond instead of react when their goals were blocked. In that situation they were already late in leaving for their destination. In anger he got out of the car and yelled at his son to get back into the car. His daughter said, “What’s the matter daddy, did someone block your goals?” He said that it instantly humbled him, but his heart rejoiced because she understood what he had been teaching them.

Our flesh reacts when our goals are blocked. That is the key to why we are fleshing out. Psalm 62:5 is a great verse to train our heart with. All our expectations need to be on the Lord—not people or things which we have no control over. It says, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

Proverbs 25:19 says, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.” If you have had either, you know that they lack support. Proverbs 28:26 Amplified captures it well for us.

It says, “He who leans on, trusts in, and is confident of his own mind and heart is a (self-confident) fool, but he who walks in skillful and godly Wisdom shall be delivered.” Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Moses forfeited the opportunity to go into the promised land because he fleshed out. Joshua was in the crowd watching. Moses struck the rock in anger, instead of obeying God’s word to speak to it. What will you and I forfeit? A moment of angry indignation and fleshing out is not worth it.

Joshua listened to His Leader. Here were God’s instructions to this young man. Joshua 1:8 says, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Our victory over all things was accomplished through Jesus’ death on the cross. When we obey His command, ‘Take up your cross daily,’ we are positioned for the victory He has called us to walk in. Our cross denies our flesh that wants to act independent of God.

1 John 5:4 says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” How do we increase our faith? Romans 10:17 says that it comes by hearing the word.

Sunday my pastor used a verse that fits in really well right here. Ezra 7:10 says, “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.” 

Are you a seeker? I used this verse the other day but it bears repeating. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Did you notice how that faith and seeking are connected? I love David’s words. Psalm 27:8 says, “When You said, Seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Faith words or faith affirmations are without substance unless they come from the heart. 

Ezra prepared his heart to seek the Lord through His word. He wanted to make it part of his life, so that he would be an example for others to follow. Years ago I heard John Maxwell say something like, “If you are supposed to be leading, and no one is following, then you are just taking a walk.

Moses was God’s leader for the children of Israel. In Deuteronomy 4:1-4 he reiterated what he had taught them so that they could live. Verse 5 says, “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me…” Note the chain of command. “…that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess.”

Verse 6 says, “Therefore be careful to observe them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding nation.”

Authentic followers of Jesus walk in obedience to His word. We are not just taking a walk. Everyone in our sphere of life follows us by observing our words and actions which come from our thoughts. Is your faith visible to others?

Ezra 7:10 in the Amplified says, “…had prepared and set his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, (to inquire for it and of it, to require and yearn for it)…” I’m going to James 4:5 to pick up the Greek definition for yearn. It means to intensely crave possession. More on this tomorrow

If you are assailed with the emotional weight of worry, His word has the answer. You simply plant the seed of Matthew 6:25 which has to do with your thoughts. It says, “…do not worry about your life…” In other words, when worry slips into your mind, don’t give it another thought. 

Why? Verses 26-30 explained that we have a heavenly Father Who will totally care for us. Verse 33 is His directive for us to follow. It says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Hebrews 12:1 says that we are in a race. Our progressive sanctification race is one step at a time. It is not a competitive race. There is no sprinting to the finish line at the end to beat out any other racer. We will all cross the finish line when we take our last breath. Jude verse 24 defined that line. It says, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.”

Hebrews 12:1 is a warning for us about carrying emotional weights. It says, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Several years ago the Lord gave me a vivid illustration of my feet being entangled. I was coming back toward the house from my garden. I had reached the end of the grass and had lifted one foot towards the sidewalk that led to the back porch steps. Instantly I was entangled by a very long skinny snake.

For the record, I don’t do snakes! I was high stepping it, and it was desperately trying to disentangle itself. After I recovered, I thought of Hebrews 12:1 in a new light. Emotional weights entangle our steps. They ensnare us. We get stopped in the very tracks that the Lord had already laid out for us to walk on.

Here is a verse I want you to consider. The context was about Israel under God’s judgment. Isaiah 10:25 says, “For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction.”

I want you to apply verse 27 to your emotional weights when you cast them down before the Lord. It says, “It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.”

The anointing oil speaks to us of the Holy Spirit. He does the work. When we acknowledge our emotional weight as sin, confess it (that is the intent to lay it aside), then He will take it away. It has nothing to do with us, except we have to be the ones to kneel our heart.

I have been working on increasing my weights to help strengthen my body overall. Did you know that leg exercises increase your brain? My doctor suggested that I do tricep extensions. I had no clue so I looked them up on google. 

I had progressed from doing three reps without weights to 10 reps with 2# weights. I tried 3# and barely made one rep. That is when this title came into my mind. We were not created to carry any emotional weights! (this was typed several days ago-yesterday I did three reps with 3#~hallelujah!)

How would you describe the things that weigh you down emotionally? Burdens, cares, worries, fears, anxieties, phobias, and broken relationships would be a few. Psalm 55:22 is a great verse to memorize and hide in your heart as a reminder that there is One and only one who can help.

It says, “Cast all your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” All means everything without exception. Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” Emotional weights are thought driven. Rogue thoughts are undisciplined. 2 Timothy 1:7’s use of a sound mind means disciplined thought patterns.

Strong’s definition for the word commit is: to roll, roll down, roll away, remove. I love the word picture in Hebrew thought. Note from my Bible (my paraphrase because of copyrights). Picture a camel in your mind. It is burdened with a heavy load. When the load is to be removed, the camel kneels down, tilts way over to one side, and the load rolls off.

What a great application for us. We kneel down in our heart before the Lord We cast our cares at His feet. Like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress, the burden rolled off his shoulders at the foot of Jesus’ cross. 

It is that simple. We make it so complex by dialoguing about our emotional weights. Instead we just simply kneel, tilt our weight on the Lord, and He will sustain us through whatever situation we are in.

God’s word is a seed. It will grow and expand to bear fruit when it is established in our thought processes. All of God’s word has a purpose, that IN us, will accomplish what He said. Isiah 55:10 is our promise. More tomorrow.

Heart idols are like a mirage of water in a desert. They cannot deliver anything. They are a stronghold that exists only in our mind. In order to cast them down, we have to change our mindset.

Years ago I had a dream. I saw a city with huge concrete citadels, each with a name in capital letters. They looked strangely familiar. As I observed this one, I noticed it said SELF-PITY. The Lord showed me it was a citadel of ‘poor me’ thoughts that I entertained from time to time. I had no clue. That revelation became chapter seven in my first book, “Freedom! From Past Hurts.”

I remember in 1975 when the Lord revealed my heart idol of noise. I had my radio plugged into the front light switch. When I walked into the door I would flip it on. Why? I did not want to think.

I’ve disclosed two of mine from my past. I hope that it has helped you identify some of yours. Anything or anyone that we turn to instead of the Lord first, would bear the classification of a heart idol. Ezekiel 14:4 says that our heart idols cause us to, “…stumble into iniquity…” Iniquity is doing anything independent of the Lord. 

Oh, yes that was another of my heart idols—independence. How do we cast them down? 2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” Heart idols are inner strongholds that war against the Holy Spirit’s instruction.

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Romans 12:2 says that when we renew our mind it is a metamorphosis experience. The butterfly could not be created until the caterpillar died to its old life.

The Greek word for casting down is demolition. It means: taking down, razing, destroying, and figuratively means extinction. Jeremiah 1:10 says, “…to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down…”

Here is what king Josiah did to the idols. 2 Kings 23:4-15. Let me recap. He had them all taken out of the temple (our body is the temple of the Lord). He burned them. Verse 6 says that he burned them and ground them to ashes.. In verse 15 he broke down an idolatrous altar, he burned it, and crushed it to powder.

We do this by first confessing our heart idol usurped the Lord’s place in our heart. Then we renounce it, and all the lies we believed that were attached to it. It is an enactment of Psalm 18:42 which says, “Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets.”

Isaiah 30:14 says this is what the Lord does right afterwards. “And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter’s vessel, which is broken in pieces; He shall not spare. So there shall not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth, or to take water from the cistern.” Hallelujah!

I want to take you to the throne room. It is the scene that John took in as he was caught up in the Spirit. Revelation 4 is a glorious chapter. In 1997 I bought an old mobile. I had the 70’s wall to wall shag carpet replaced with emerald green. I wanted to remember His throne room each time I vacuumed. 

Can you picture verse 3? It says, “And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.” Verse 5 described what was happening.

It says, “And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Verses 6-8 was the description of the four living creatures.

Here is what they were saying day and night. Verse 8 says, “…Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” They had eyes all around. They beheld His holiness through all dimensions.

We are called with a holy calling according to 2 Timothy 1:9. Peter reminds us that we are to be holy and He is holy. 2 Peter 1:15 says, “…be holy in all your conduct.” Hmm. I can tell you exactly what blocks us—heart idols.

2 Corinthians 10:5 says, “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

We don’t intentionally set up our heart idols. How do they get there then? They are figments of our fleshly imaginations—thoughts based in pride. I can honestly tell you that I believed that my independent spirit was my asset. I learned to take care of myself. I was single and on my own before I was 20. It seemed natural. 

That summer I had a rude awakening. I was a counselor at our youth camp. In our quiet time the Lord spoke this into my heart: you have not esteemed My words more than your necessary food. It shook me. At the time I didn’t know what I know today.

Heart idols usurp God’s place. Here is a graphic illustration of pagan idols, yet we can make personal applications. Psalm 135:15-18 says that man made idols cannot do anything. Verse 18 says, “Those who make them are like them; so is everyone who trusts in them.” More tomorrow.