Mark 7:22
   When we consider carefully the list we see here we realize that it is not this material world that is evil. Yes, it is damaged, but it was perfect, and has the potential to be perfect again. It is in the heart of man, however, that we find the source of evil in the world. And, only by the power of the shed blood of Christ may we be redeemed from our fallen state.

Psalm 11:1-18:50

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Heavenly Father, your gospel is offensive to the natural man. Yet it is the source of great comfort to mankind. Knowing you is a great and wonderful privilege. May we never cease to edify others, and to be edified ourselves. Knowing you and your people is the blessing of our lives. Your goodness knows no bounds! Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a woman in poor health.

Journal 15262

Mark 7:21
   The influence of the heart upon the mind, that is where the problem lies. The heart is directly tied to the mind. Our physical brains are the interface for our mindful selves. Our heart is in direct control of that self-consciousness. Evil thinking is really the essence of our problem, but that originates in the heart. The heart houses our desires, which are often based on our flesh.

Psalm 5:1-10:18

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Heavenly Father, thank you for identifying the source of our dilemma. Your Word helps us understand how we are wired. We cannot hope to manage our members without the power of the Holy Spirit enabling us. You must give us the reasons and abilities to do as we should. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to be saved! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a man who is not feeling well.

Journal 15261

Mark 7:20
   The things which originate in our sinful soul are what gets us in trouble. The evil that proceeds from us is the real issue.

Job 41:1-Psalm 4:8

James 4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

Heavenly Father, thank you for the peace that you bring into our lives! You can bring settled contentment to our hearts. You can cause us to be unruffled in this rough and tumble world. You can bring us true joy and security in spite of fears and limitations. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a woman who is lost.

Journal 15260

Mark 7:19
   Here we see the contrast between the material and immaterial parts of man. When Jesus speaks of the heart here he is not referring to the organ that pumps blood. So the physical digestive process is not the source of sin, though it is affected by sin as part of our flesh.
   Instead, it is in the immaterial part that we find sinful defilement. What we eat, or take, or partake of, is not in itself sin. Sin is what is in our heart when we perform the act. For example, illegal acts committed unwittingly generally carry a lesser punishment because culpability is often tied to motive. In the same way, sin in our hearts is the reason for evil, not the substances or objects which we might abuse. Firing a weapon, for instance, is not evil. But, when one person fires it at another, well that’s altogether different.

Job 38:1-40:24

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Heavenly Father, I am so glad that no obstacle is too big for you! You don’t see giants like I do. There is no difficulty on the horizon as far as you are concerned. I can know that your ability far surpasses my wildest fears. You can outdo any problem I might face. Thank you for your awesome power and your love for us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a man who needs to be in church. Pray for a man who is having brain surgery.

Journal 15259

Mark 7:18
   Jesus asks them why they still didn’t get it. The confusion was in part due to their misunderstanding of the issue. The Jewish leaders spoke of defilement. They had carried this idea over from the laws ‘unclean’ laws. They had taken this concept in a direction not intended by the law.
   Some have said that Jesus rewrote the law. Though Jesus has the authority to do whatever he wants, rewriting the law is not necessary. It may stand just as it is. The law is, however, fulfilled in Christ. All of it’s just demands are found perfected in him. Thus, our daily practice is based upon him, and not upon it.

Job 35:1-37:24

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Heavenly Father, we see things only from our side of heaven. May we look more with the eyes of faith and see that the patience that we must have is really not that much of a difficulty. You do all things in the right time. And you know exactly how to lead us. You are not some out-of-touch God who has no concept of what we are or how we operate. You wrote the book on us and you know what we need. Thank you for taking care of us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a woman’s unspoken request. Pray for a family that just lost a loved one.

Journal 15258

Mark 7:17
We often tend to fail to understand even when God has made his message to us quite plain. The disciples wanted to discuss this one because they recognised what an important teaching it was. They wanted to make sure they knew what he meant.

Job 32:1-34:37

James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Heavenly Father, your Word is so very interesting. But, we often fail to remember that because we are distracted by life. I know you could have chosen to use something other than a book to tell us your message. But, you chose the best thing. You always do. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a man who needs to be saved.

Journal 15257

Mark 7:16
   Jesus makes it abundantly clear that he expects what he is saying to be understandable and applicable to his hearers. They would have no excuse if they missed his message.

Job 29:1-31:40

James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Heavenly Father, may we always remember that all we need can be found in you. You are our righteousness. You are working to perfect our souls by the power of the sacrifice of your dear Son. Thank you for forgiveness in him! Though we try, without him our most wonderful achievements would be worthless wastes. Christ in our hearts makes us once again the humans you had intended us to be. Thank you again! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for our nation.

Journal 15256

Mark 7:15
   Righteousness has not to do with what enters our bodies, but what comes out of them. Though it is difficult for us to see, God’s laws are not designed to keep us from taking things into us, but to prevent evil from coming out of us. The heart is evil, that we know from other Scriptures. Something loathsome coming into our body is not defilement in that it does not make us less holy. It is instead that which comes out of us, our words, thoughts, motives, desires, etc. that defile us, making us unholy.
   This is an extremely important concept for us to understand. We are told not to do so many things. And, most of what is sin has to do with what enters us. So, why this teaching? Ah, but we must look deeper. The things that are forbidden to us in God’s Word are those things which will tend to our destruction and defilement. They are not forbidden because they are evil, but because we are evil. Indeed, it is the evil in our own hearts that causes us to want these things. And it is the evil in our hearts that will cause us to be defiled by our participation in them.
   This helps to make sense out of many of the stories of Scripture. For example, Jacob is blessed as the progenitor of the the Israeli nation, and yet he had two wives, and tried to get ahead through lies and deceit. How can such a man be blessed? David had a man killed and took his wife. Noah got drunk. How can these things be overlooked? And the answer is that the attitude of the heart of these men defiled them. And yet, the attitude of their heart also led to their forgiveness. Jacob recognized God’s blessing was the real source of his success. David admitted his wrong and begged forgiveness. Noah had no intentions of committing evil, though his son Ham was not so humble. Though defiled, the defilement began in the heart, and in the heart began repentance. This is why the message of the gospel is to repent, not simply to stop sinning. To just not sin any more is not realistic without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and that indwelling will not occur without a contrite heart.

Job 24:1-28:28

James 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word! I cannot ever get over the truth that you have given us. It is wonderful to have truth available to us. We can see and understand through the Spirit what we should do for our lives. Sin is in the heart, and there is where repentance and faith begin their work. May we never lose sight of this truth! We must trust in you for our righteousness. We cannot manufacture it. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for the lost.

Journal 15255

Mark 7:14
   As I have emphasized many times before, Jesus was above all else a teacher. He would let his followers know when he was about to say something important. In this case he calls the crowd closer to him and instructs them, his disciples, and the Jewish leaders.
   Jesus seems to love to remind people to hear and understand. In other words, he always wants people to listen very closely and think about what they are hearing.

Job 21:1-23:17 

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your personal interest in us. You care about each of us and our needs and you have forgiven our sins by Christ. And you want to have a relationship with each of us. It is so amazing! Knowing you is the joy of my life. You make it all worth while. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for our missionaries.

Journal 15254

Mark 7:13
   The Word of God was being marginalized by their traditions. They felt their traditions carried a lot of weight since they had held to them for so very long. There were many traditions of the Jews disruptive to the word of God.

Job 17:1-20:29

James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Heavenly Father, we cannot possibly overestimate your mercy on us for saving or souls. Though you have found us to be guilty and caught us red-handed, you sent your own son to supply a way out of our predicament. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Pray for a man with spiritual needs.

Journal 15253