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KJB Daily DevotionFollowing Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Thursday, October 19, 2017
Chapters: Matthew 15, Mark 7
Message: Be Opened!

Hello My Friend,

Closed; Shut; made fast; ended. Open; To clear; to make clear by removing obstructions. There are so many things that place obstructions on the heart, trials, tribulations, heartbreaks, the more we try to handle them on our own the more our heart closes and if we are not careful, even we as Christians can close our hearts to God. In order for us to break those barriers on our heart we need a close relationship with Christ. The bad things that happen to us are not His fault, they happen because there are is a lot of evil in this world, all from those whom have a closed heart to begin with. It is only with an open heart that we can endure and even break through the obstructions. “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” – Psalm 34:18-19.

The heart is not just an organ in our flesh that keeps the blood pumping, it is the core of our being, desires, interests, lusts, joys, sorrows, all these things go right to the heart. People who go through a lot of rejection, grief, and pain often turn into hardhearted, stubborn, and proud people, who trust no one, these are those who have a closed heart, and nothing you do for them will ever change their mind. The Scribes and Pharisees were the most religious group of people, claiming they know the Scriptures and follow them, but there were also a bunch of traditionalists making up rules of their own and saying they came from God. They not only watched every move Jesus made, they watched His disciples as well, a few of them did not wash up before they ate, they were quick to call them out, asking Jesus why they eat defiled. Jesus explains what true defilement is.

And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.– Matthew 15:10-11,15-20.

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,It is the heart that stirs up wicked thoughts, there is not one person who has not had some evil thought, especially when we have been wronged by someone. A closed heart literally destroys a person because they are consumed with hatred, in fact, they hate themselves, they are just too proud to admit that. “An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression. A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.– Proverbs 29:22-23.

Just because we are saved by faith, that does not mean Jesus does not want us to trust Him with everything else, sometimes He is going to test our heart. Jesus wanted to show the Jews that no matter who came to Him if they believed they will be saved, a Canaanite woman (in Mark she is known as the Greek woman), came to Him seeking healing for her daughter, and while He did have some questions for her He saw her faith.

And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.– Matthew 15:22-28.

yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” This woman was willing to take anything that Jesus gave to her, she was not worried about herself, she wanted her daughter free from the devil. It may be odd that Jesus said that He came for the Jews, but He wanted to see what was really in her heart. Of course, Jesus was talking about the living bread here, He gives it freely to all who believe, Jesus had intended to heal her daughter all along, He was looking for her faith. It does not matter who we are, we need Jesus, there is not enough wealth, possessions, or abilities that can heal us from things that are beyond our control. “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.” – Psalm 119:90.

Do not think that people who cause wicked and heinous acts have not had much thought in their heart about doing what they have done, it took lots of planning, and a closed heart to anything else. There are terrorist brought up from birth believing their only mission is to be a sacrifice. We may not always understand the way God handles things and why He chooses to allow us to go through certain things, but we can trust Him and open our heart, knowing that He has a reason for everything. A man was brought to Jesus who was deaf and stuttered when he spoke, through a rather odd illustration, Jesus heals the man completely.

And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.  And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.– Mark 7:32-37.

And looking up to heaven, he sighed,Jesus was not sighing at the man, but the crowd, He wanted them to see that He was not the one healing them, but it was God doing the healing. Okay, there are some amazing doctors out there and advances in medicine are astounding today, but man can only go so far, it is God that does the healing. A person who wants to be saved, whether it be salvation or a healing also comes from the heart, there have been many people who died because they did not have the will to live. While there are several factors in our being cured from anything, the key is in our own willingness, and that first comes when we open our heart to Jesus, and that includes salvation. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.– Romans 10:9-10.

Jesus Christ Magnified: “And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.” – Mark 7:34.

Today’s Prayer: Jesus, You plucked me up out of the hole I was in the second I believed with my heart that You are my salvation. I did not even know that I needed to be saved until I lost everything I had, it was when I lost it all that You gave me everything I needed. With an open heart I confessed that I needed You, and with an open heart I received You as my Saviour, and professed my faith in public by getting baptized. I know that my heart has barriers still today, there are a lot of things that it holds deep inside, that seem to only come out to remind me that there are still there, and sometimes that even affects the work I do for you. Lord, I do not want a closed heart, help me break all the barriers and keep it open completely for You, with Your mercy and grace, lead me and guide me in Your truths, and let me never lose sight or hearing of You. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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