Tag: justified

53.w. Isaiah 26:3-4

 

 

Isa 26:3-4  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

 Isaiah 57:19-21    creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him.  But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.  There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

 Psalms 85:7-8   Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.  Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

 Micah 5:5     And he shall be their peace.

 John 14:27    Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

 John 16:33   I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

 Romans 5:1    Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Ephesians 2:14-16     For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility  by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,  and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

 Philippians 4:7    And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Isaiah 31:1   Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!

 Psalms 9:10     And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.

 Jeremiah 17:7-8    “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

 Romans 4:21   fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

 That day, seems to mean when the New Testament Babylon shall be levelled with the ground. The unchangeable promise and covenant of the Lord are the walls of the church of God. The gates of this city shall be open. Let sinners then be encouraged to join to the Lord. Thou wilt keep him in peace; in perfect peace, inward peace, outward peace, peace with God, peace of conscience, peace at all times, in all events. Trust in the Lord for that peace, that portion, which will be for ever. Whatever we trust to the world for, it will last only for a moment; but those who trust in God shall not only find in him, but shall receive from him, strength that will carry them to that blessedness which is for ever. Let us then acknowledge him in all our ways, and rely on him in all trials. (Henry)

‘Peace, peace;’ the repetition of the word denoting, as is usual in Hebrew, emphasis, and here evidently meaning undisturbed, perfect peace. That is, the mind that has confidence in God shall not be agitated by the trials to which it shall be subject; by persecution, poverty, sickness, want, or bereavement. (Barnes)

The word “perfect” is not in the Hebrew text, it is there “peace, peace”; which is doubled to denote the certainty of it, the enjoyment of it, and the constancy and continuance of it; and as expressive of all sorts of peace, which God grants unto his people, and keeps for them, and them in; as peace with God and peace with men, peace outward and peace inward, peace here and peace hereafter; and particularly it denotes the abundance of peace that believers will have in the kingdom of Christ in the latter day. (Gill)

52.j. Wilderness – 16.p. “Walk as children of light “

 

Deu 27:9-10  Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the LORD your God. You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”

 Romans 6:22    But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

 1 Corinthians 6:9-11    Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,  nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

 Ephesians 5:8-9    for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light  (for the fruit of light is found in 

 1 Peter 2:10-11    Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.  Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

If the LORD is our king, then it is fitting that we obey Him this way. Moses, and all the leadership of Israel simply declared a fact that was obvious to everyone. (Guzik)

“You have become the people of the Lord your God”. As children of the King of Kings, we are blessed beyond all measure. Through God’s grace, mercy, and love we have been redeemed and born again through faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus suffered beating, ridicule, whipping, and nailed to the cross. He did this to redeem and save us from the corruption within our souls.  What manner of children should we be in light of this?

Should we:

  1. Give into worldly pleasures and lusts? 
  2. Give into greed, pride, fear, anxiousness, hate, jealousy, worry, etc…?
  3. Give into the busyness of life?
  4. Give into neglect of God’s Word?
  5. Give into being babes in our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word and things of God?
  6. Give into being lukewarm in our commitment?
  7. Give into gossip?
  8. Give into blind eyes and deaf ears to the leading of the Holy Spirit?

We are a child of God, the King of Kings, Creator of all there is, our all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present Heavenly Father. What manner of children should we be? What witness in your life brings recognition, honor, and glory to Him alone?

45.i. “Wilderness” – 9.o. “But be doers of the word”

 

Exodus 35:1  Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do. Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”

 Exodus 34:32    Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.

 Romans 2:13   For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

 James 1:22     But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

This was a strict call to obedience. Before they did the work of building the tabernacle, God first called Israel to the work of simple obedience. Basic obedience is a pre-requisite for doing work for the LORD. (Guzik)

The mild and easy yoke of Christ has made our sabbath duties more delightful, and our sabbath restraints less irksome, than those of the Jews; but we are the more guilty by neglecting them. Surely God’s wisdom in giving us the sabbath, with all the mercy of its purposes, are sinfully disregarded. Is it nothing to pour contempt upon the blessed day, which a bounteous God has given to us for our growth in grace with the church below, and to prepare us for happiness with the church above? 

If we heard a sermon every day of the week, and an angel from heaven were the preacher, yet, if we rested in hearing only, it would never bring us to heaven. Mere hearers are self-deceivers; and self-deceit will be found the worst deceit at last. If we flatter ourselves, it is our own fault; the truth, as it is in Jesus, flatters no man. Let the word of truth be carefully attended to, and it will set before us the corruption of our nature, the disorders of our hearts and lives; and it will tell us plainly what we are. Our sins are the spots the law discovers: Christ’s blood is the laver the gospel shows. But in vain do we hear God’s word, and look into the gospel glass, if we go away, and forget our spots, instead of washing them off; and forget our remedy, instead of applying to it. This is the case with those who do not hear the word as they ought. In hearing the word, we look into it for counsel and direction, and when we study it, it turns to our spiritual life. Those who keep in the law and word of God, are, and shall be, blessed in all their ways. His gracious recompence hereafter, would be connected with his present peace and comfort. Every part of Divine revelation has its use, in bringing the sinner to Christ for salvation, and in directing and encouraging him to walk at liberty, by the Spirit of adoption, according to the holy commands of God. (Henry)

We are then doers of the word, when, being enlightened by its doctrines, awed by its threatenings, and encouraged by its promises, we, through the aid of divine grace, love and obey its precepts, both those which enjoin repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, as terms necessary to be complied with in order to our justification and regeneration, and those subsequent commands which show how those, who are already justified and born from above, ought to walk that they may please God. (Benson)

But be ye doers of the word,…. And they are such, who spiritually understand it; gladly receive it; and from the heart obey it, and make a sincere and ingenuous profession of it; and who submit to the ordinances it directs to, and keep them as they have been delivered; and live, and walk, becoming their profession of it. Be not hearers only; though the word should be heard swiftly and readily, and received with meekness; yet it should not be barely heard, and assented to; but what is heard should be put in practice; and especially men should not depend upon their hearing, as if that would save them; this is deceiving your own selves; such as rest upon the outward hearing of the word will be sadly deceived, and will find themselves miserably mistaken. (Gill)

We had a discussion in a men’s bible study the other morning about, what keeps us from being pierced in the heart by the Word of God when we read it or hear it spoken. Neglect, being comfortable in our sin, thinking our sin is not that bad, giving room in our lives to willingly sin, thinking we are doing “enough”, or “being good enough”, or “giving no thought to how our sin might dishonor or not glorify Jesus Christ”. There is a big difference between wanting to hear/read God’s Word and wanting to be changed by it for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. Are our ears deaf and our hearts hardened to the point of not being able to be led by the Holy Spirit? Oh that our hearts and minds would desire to be led by the leading of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.

36.j. Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

 

 

 

Genesis 15:1  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:1-3 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

Romans 4:9-10 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.

Romans 4:19-24  And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Galatians 3:5-7  Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? – just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

There was a good reason for God to say this. Abram had just defeated a much larger army made up of a partnership of four kings. He had reason to be afraid, expecting an attack of retribution. God told Abram this because he was afraid, and afraid for good reasons. Yet God also gave him a reason to put away his fear. God doesn’t tell us do not be afraid without giving us a reason to put away our fear. 

God knows how to become the answer to our need. When we need a shield or a reward, He becomes those things for us. “I do not think that any human mind can ever grasp the fullness of meaning of these four words, ‘I am thy reward.’ God himself the reward of his faithful people”  “If God be our reward, let us take care that we do really enjoy him. Let us exult in him, and let us not be pining after any other joy.” (Spurgeon).

The faith that made Abram righteous wasn’t so much believing in God (as we usually speak of believing in God), as it was believing God. Those who only believe in God (in the sense of believing He exists) are merely on the same level as demons.

Believing in God or believing God – Believing in God does not mean you believe Him, His Word, and what it says.  Believing in God without believing God is like believing there is eternal heaven but never seeking or desiring the righteousness to find home there upon death. You might believe in God but discount the need for repentance, forgiveness, redemption, salvation, obedience, and reliance on Jesus Christ. You might believe in God but never give thought to humble surrender before Him.  You may believe in God but never spend time in His Word. You may believe in God but never expect to hear those quiet whispers deep in your heart and soul that would lead you to believe Him. You may believe in God but never choose to live a life that honors and glorifies Jesus Christ in all you say, think, and do. Believing God is more than just believing in God.  There is a transformation in your life. A new birth. A spiritual birth. You become a new creation. born-again. Never let believing in God be the end of your submission and reliance on Him.  Believe God, believe His Word, and learn to apply it in your life for His honor and glory.

34.a. “How then can man be in the right before God?”

 

 

Titus 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

 Job 9:20    Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse.

 Job 15:14   What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous?

 Job 25:4    How then can man be in the right before God?

 Isaiah 57:12     I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, but they will not profit you.

 Romans 3:20    For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

 Romans 9:16    So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

 Romans 11:6    But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

 Ephesians 2:8-9     For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Religion is a system of beliefs leading to the worship of a divine being. Based on such a definition, Christianity is a religion. But there are ways in which Christianity is different from all other religions—primarily, the value of the human being in the sight of the Deity. In Christianity, God reaches out to mankind to establish a relationship—in spite of man’s sins and disregard for God’s ways. In every other religion, man must gain merit before God through works or sacrifices before receiving any blessing from God. But the opposite is true in Christianity. The Bible says that God (by His own initiative) so loved mankind (in spite of his sins) that He bridged the gulf between God and man (through the Person of Jesus Christ). God’s mercy resulted in man not suffering the punishment he deserves but instead receiving the blessing and forgiveness he doesn’t deserve.

Have you responded to the kindness and mercy of God by accepting His gift of salvation? You may do so by saying “Yes” as an act of faith in Christ.

(Dr. Jeremiah)

31. “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”

Matthew 5:17  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

 Romans 3:31    Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

 Luke 16:17     But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

 Galatians 3:17-24    This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.  For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.  Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.  Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.  Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.  But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.  So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

Jesus here began a discussion of the law and wanted to make it clear that He did not oppose what God gave Israel in what we call the Old Testament. He did not come to destroy the word of God, but to free it from the way the Pharisees and Scribes had wrongly interpreted it. Jesus wanted to make it clear that He had authority apart from the Law of Moses, but not in contradiction to it. Jesus added nothing to the law except one thing that no man had ever added to the law: perfect obedience. This is certainly one way Jesus came to fulfill the law. Even though He often challenged man’s interpretations of the law, Jesus never broke the law of God. Faith was never to be separated from the law but somehow man had changed faith into works apart from faith. The more laws they could follow without breaking the more righteous they felt they were. It is as if they were defining what it meant to be righteous by following in obedience to many of the man instituted obligations and rules.  The purpose behind obedience is not for obtaining righteousness but a person’s life committed to that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.  Don’t lose sight of this.  Too often people try to do good to outweigh what they have done wrong.  There is nothing wrong with doing good, but there is an absolute wrong when the good is an attempt to make oneself right before God.  Only faith, trust, hope, and reliance on Jesus Christ will right the wrongs in our life. 

29.c. “Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

 

1 Colossians 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

 Ephesians 2:1-2   And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience

 James 4:4    You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

 Romans 8:7-8    For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 Romans 5:9-10   Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Belonging to the race of Adam, we are born alienated from God. Then as individuals, we each choose to accept and embrace that alienation with our wicked works. God’s answer to the problem of alienation is reconciliation, initiated by His work on the cross (reconciled in the body of His flesh through death). In the work of reconciliation, God didn’t meet us halfway. God meets us all the way and invites us to accept it. This means that in Jesus we are no longer alienated. The difference between a believer and a non-believer isn’t merely forgiveness; there is a complete change of status. The desire to be saved means a desire to be made holy, blameless, and above reproach, not merely a desire to escape the fires of hell on our own terms. There ought to be a transformative change in us. Something that is  continually cultivated, nurtured, and persevered in. There ought to be a continual working, a persistence, in our desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all that we say, think, and do. Be steadfast and do not allow any worldly or fleshly desires move your feet down paths where Jesus Christ is not honored or glorified.  This transformative life never stops being transformed.  We continual to grow in our understanding and knowledge of the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ if that is truly the desire of our heart, mind, and soul.

28.s. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you”

 

Philippians 4:6  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Psalms 29:11   May the LORD give strength to his people! May the LORD bless his people with peace!

 Isaiah 26:3   You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you

 Psalms 85:8   Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly.

 Isaiah 48:18    Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;

 Luke 1:79   to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

 John 14:27   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

 Romans 5:1   Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Romans 8:6     For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

 2 Thessalonians 3:16    Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Peace of mind. How people are able to rise above fear, worry, anxiousness, confusion, hatred, and anger?  Everywhere we turn we are bombarded with fear, worry, anger, confusion by mainstream media news outlets and various social media outlets.  They tell us what we should be fearful of.  They tell us who to hate. They tell us we should be angry.  They tell us we should be anxious.  They tell us we should worry and what to worry about. These are all from the voice of those in darkness, without hope, and under the influence of Satan’s lies and deceitful deceptions.  This is what this world has to offer. It truly is a shame when Christians are influenced by these worldly thoughts. Paul is saying our lives will have trials and troubles and when we are blindsided our practiced response should be in humble prayer to God. Why? Because we trust, rely on, and have faith in God, the Creator, All-Powerful, All-knowing, and All-capable, Holy, Loving, Merciful and full of Grace… God.  There is a peace that passes all understanding. It can be found nowhere else but in God. And yet, Christians buy into the fear, worry, anxiousness, confusion, anger, and hate seemingly without one thought of God.  Have we drifted so far from Him that we have lost the ability to have peace in our lives? It is shameful to hear some of the thoughts and witness some of the actions Christians are doing. Is God ever limited? Is anything beyond the control of God? Do we even believe in the power of God? This world will offer many things to convince us where we can find peace.  It will tell us to listen and to follow them down paths with the promise of peace. When we allow ourselves to be influenced more by the world than by trust, reliance, and faith in God we are walking in darkness on a slippery slope of false hope that will lead to great grief, worry, fear, anxiousness, and certainly no peace.  We replace what God is able to do in our lives with false hope in what the world has to offer.  Does this make any sense? Will we ever find peace for our hearts, minds, and souls apart from God? Will God give peace to those who trust in and make peace with what the world has to offer. Oh that our eyes were more on the heavenly, holy, and eternal rather than on lies and deceptions the world proclaims. God is not limited in anything.  He is more than able to carry us through this life and into eternity with peace of mind no matter what occurs in this life. It is by intentional faith, trust, reliance, and obedience in Jesus Christ there is the hope of salvation, redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life. This is the beginning and completion of where we find and experience true peace.

27.y. “On the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak”

 

Ephesians 5:4  Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

 Proverbs 12:23   A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

 Proverbs 15:2    The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

 Jude 1:10   But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively

 Colossians 3:8   But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

 Matthew 12:34-37   You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,  for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 Romans 1:28    And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Paul’s appeal to the Ephesians was to be ever mindful of who they were in Christ and as such there ought to be a difference in how they speak and act even if the rest of the culture approves. They ought to know what is right, pure, and God honoring in their speech and actions. They ought to weigh every word in the light of God-honoring speech. As men, don’t have to spend much time outside our homes before we are bombarded with course language, filthy jokes, or other meaningless talk that adds nothing of value to our soul and certainly not toward God.  We need to recognize and be able to discern what is right, honorable, and pleasing to God.  The problem is we don’t recognize it as wrong or we shrug it off as fitting in.  This problem has many roots that are anchored to our heart, mind, and soul.  Neglect, complacency, remaining an infant in things of God, busyness, a lack of desire to honor and glorify God, wanting to fit in, shallow and stagnate knowledge of God’s Word, no hunger or thirst for His leading, and unwilling to fully commit to the will of God.  

Psalms says: Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge— the LORD—knows the thoughts of man