What’s Growing In Your Heart？ - August 23, 2026

Well, I've been meditating on this um this thought.

I hope it'll be a help to you.

It's on uh what's growing in your heart.

What's growing in your heart?

See, whatever's on the inside is gonna come out.

If you're an angry, bitter person, no matter how much you try to hide it, it's gonna come out.

If you're a sweet, generous, giving person, it's gonna come out.

Uh and so I want you to turn your Bible to Matthew chapter 13, Matthew chapter 13.

Matthew 13 · chapter mention Matthew 13 · chapter mention

And Jesus says, he speaks a parable in verse 3, and he says, Behold, a sower went forth to sow.

And he says, And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up, and some fell upon stony places where they had not much earth.

Forthwith they sprung up because they had no deepness of earth, and when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprung up and choked them.

But other fell into good ground and brought forth fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirtyfold.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

A lot of times I'll get questions, Preacher, how can you tell if people are saved?

How can you tell?

Um, Jesus said this in Matthew 7, by their fruits you'll know them.

See, it's not just going to church, it's not just physical attendance.

That doesn't equal salvation.

Salvation is the gift of God, it's the regeneration of the Holy Ghost inside the individual.

It's not of works, it's it's really by the grace of God.

Now you say, how does that happen?

Well, the seed, according to 1 Peter 1, is planted into the heart.

The seed of the Word of God is planted into the heart.

You hear it, you receive it through your mind, it's planted into the heart.

And if you're a good ground heart, it will take root and bear fruit.

And if you're just um an attender, just a religious person, then chances are you will be one of the first three types of grounds.

There's four types of hearts we see that Jesus uh speaks about.

He says, Okay, you want to know the kind of the key to the parable here?

He says, I'll give it to you.

And uh he says this, look at verse number eighteen.

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom and understand it not, meaning you just don't understand it, then cometh the wicked one, that's Satan, the prince of the power of the air, and catcheth away that which is sown in his heart.

This is he which received the seed by the wayside.

So the wayside's kind of a hard, packed, highly traveled ground.

So when the seed of the Word of God goes in, it doesn't go deep into the earth, it just stays on the surface, and then Satan, like birds, come up and they eat and it eats it away.

So you can come to church today and hear a great message, but if your heart is hard, uh you'll leave, and Satan's just going to remove that out of your understanding and your thought process.

Then he says, uh verse 20, but he that received the seed into stony places, meaning it's a stony heart.

The same as he that heareth the word and with an and with joy receiveth it.

So this person is receiving it, they're happy, they're emotional.

Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while.

For when tribulation and persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

So the the stony ground heart is somebody, they get emotional, they're very excited.

Have you ever seen somebody there they're in church or so emotional and they're crying all the time, but then it's like the moment life gets hard, they have no sticking power, they have no staying power, there's no grit or endurance, they just they're f they're they're they're feelings led, is what it is.

They're not faith and fact led.

And it says the tribulation reveals this type of heart.

So, like if somebody cusses you out or somebody messes you over, if you get offended easily, and by the way, it's a choice to be offended.

You can choose to live offended or you can choose to live in forgiveness.

Well, this stony ground heart expects everything to be this happy-go-lucky experience, and when the troubles happen, they just they're offended and they produce no fruit.

The next person is verse 22 He also that receives seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

So the thorny ground is basically uh the heart that has all kinds of worldly things around them, uh, meaning they're all caught up in uh politics or money or work or sports, uh the deceitfulness of riches.

They always want more, so they'll trade church and Christianity for more work for the next job.

And uh and then what happens is the word is choked out.

You think about a seed going in, and it's it wants moisture, it wants sunlight, it wants um um you know water, but because of the thorns, it just like quenches that seed, so it can't actually produce anything.

And so we see some people they never produce as a Christian, they never they never have low love, joy, obedience, no follow-through because of these first three types of ground, the wayside, the stony ground, and the thorny ground.

These are different kinds of hearts.

Then we see the fourth type of ground, Jesus says in 23, but he that receives seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it, which also what's the next two words say?

Beareth fruit.

Now, remember the bearing fruit is uh the fruit of the Spirit love, joy, gentleness, meekness, the ability to have self-control, the ability to say, you know what, I choose not to be f um offended, I choose to love you anyways, I choose to be Christ-like, I choose to be generous, I choose to be godly.

Uh and so this person is is bearing fruit, and it goes on to say, some 100, some 60, some 30.

So depending on uh the seed and the person, they're gonna produce a different amount of fruit.

Now, you say, well, what kind of ground am I?

Well, that's that's my first point.

You need to, number one, check your heart.

You have to check your heart.

Uh the truth is nobody can see inside your heart.

We don't know why you're here today.

I mean, you might be here, I've seen people, I'm gonna go to church and get baptized just so I can um get my wife back after I've abused and abusive and rude to her.

It's just the wrong motive.

You don't do Christianity to try to win friends and influence people.

You do Christianity because you're lost, dead in trespasses and sins, and you're on your way to hell, and you ask Jesus to forgive you and save you.

The motive of the heart is very, very important.

And so you want to check your heart.

Now, look at look what it says over here in Proverbs chapter 4.

Proverbs 4 · chapter mention

Proverbs 4.

Y'all don't mind doing a little Bible study, right?

And I appreciate those of you who are following along, taking notes.

Uh, that's an indicator of a hungry student of the Word of God, that you're you're wanting the Bible, you're studying the Bible, you're growing in Christ.

Proverbs chapter 4.

Proverbs 4 · chapter mention

You know everybody in here today is not saved, right?

You know everybody in here is not going to heaven.

Like Jesus said, there be few that find it.

So just being in the building doesn't make you a Christian, just like being in a garage doesn't make you a car.

You you want to check your own heart.

Proverbs chapter 4, look what he says in 2023, keep thy heart with all what's that next word?

Proverbs 4 · chapter mention

Diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.

So you have to guard and protect your heart.

Your heart, I'll give you a few illustrations to help you understand the heart.

The first one is your heart's like a garden.

It would be crazy for you to start a garden and just not do any work on it and think it's just gonna produce.

No, there's there's thorns that can grow, there's thistles that can grow, you have to remove rocks, you have to till the ground, you have to put the seed in, you have to water it.

Here's my point.

Your heart's like a garden.

You have to take good care of it.

You have to watch it and tend to it.

Um what else is your heart like?

Your heart is also like a like a fountain.

Um whatever whatever's on the inside is gonna flow out.

So if you're a bitter, bitter, angry, contentious person, a controlling manipulator, it's gonna flow out of your heart.

But if you're a sweet, kind, good, godly, holy spirit-filled person, it's gonna come out.

Look, look what Jesus said.

Go over to uh uh to Matthew chapter number 12.

Matthew chapter 12, Matthew chapter 12.

Matthew 12 · chapter mention Matthew 12 · chapter mention

And look what he says in verse number 34.

Matthew 12 and in verse 34.

Matthew 12 and verse 34.

He says, Oh, generation of vipers.

Kind of interesting how Jesus talks to some people, huh?

He's not always like this, I'm gonna be nice with words, but he is kind.

He's always kind.

Kindness is telling the truth because you care about the other person.

Niceness is all about you because you want people to like you.

He says, Oh, generation of vipers, how can ye being evil speak good things?

For here's what he says, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things.

So if you're a good, godly man or woman, when bad things are happening to you, the goodness of God is going to flow out of you.

But if you're an ungodly pretender, maybe you're just a professor of Christianity, you're not a possessor, meaning he doesn't possess you, then when somebody is doing wrong to your system of fairness, you will basically start reviling.

And a reviling person is an ungodly person.

They reveal what's on the inside of them.

And so an evil person out of the evil treasure of their heart, they they they bring out as a fountain evil things with their words, with their their conduct, with uh with all these things.

So your heart is like a garden, your heart is like a fountain, but your heart is also like a filter.

Uh you say, what do you mean?

Your heart affects not only what you say, but how you hear people.

So if somebody says something to you and you have an ungodly, evil, bitter heart, you're gonna hear it as a bitterness.

Here's one of the ways you can tell an ungodly person is they can't receive feedback.

They just won't listen.

They make it all about themselves.

But a godly person will say, Hey, thank you so much for correcting me on that.

I'm totally gonna um, I'm totally gonna make an adjustment because I don't want to be a rude, crude, ungodly, hellish person to be around.

I'm gonna be sensitive, I wanna be wise.

So thank you.

The difference is how how you're viewing things.

You view things from your own lens.

Uh, you think about uh certain colored glasses, you ever had those?

I was a I remember being a raver when I was younger, and I used to get these like blue glasses when I'd go to these parties, you know, and I'd put these blue glasses on, and I live in a blue world and I have a blue window, right?

And all that type stuff.

And uh, but it was the lens.

It was the lens.

You take the lens off and everything changes.

Sometimes with your situations in life, because your heart is like a filter, um, you're hearing people the wrong way, you're seeing people the wrong way.

But if you're walking with God and you're basically saying, no, I'm gonna, I'm gonna clean the lens, then everything changes.

Which means this you've got to always be willing to repent.

You can always tell if somebody's not a very good Christian because they don't know how to repent.

Repentance is a very healthy thing.

It's like taking a shower.

When you stink, you should take a shower.

When your heart stinks, you should you should repent.

Look what Jesus says, Matthew chapter 7, Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Y'all enjoying this so far?

Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

It's just simple Bible, right?

It's just simple Bible.

He says this in Matthew 7.

He says in verse 3, why beholdest thou the moat that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

You know, there's so many times I'll sit in meetings and people they'll start fighting each other, and they have no idea they have this massive beam in their eye while they're trying to uh hit hit or hurt somebody else.

It's like, I thought you were a believer.

Shouldn't you pull that out of your eye first and deal with your own issues first?

And he goes on to say in verse 4, or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the moat out of thine eye, and behold, a beam is in thine own eye.

He's basically saying, take care of your own issues first, right?

This is why, as a pastor, a bishop can't just be somebody uh that it has no pre-qualifications.

He has to have his own family in check because it's a microcosm of what the church is gonna become.

And so, as a believer, you want to make sure you're constantly pulling the beams out of your own eye because it creates filters in what you're looking through.

And if you have an unhealthy heart, an ungodly heart, it's gonna come out with the fruit of the expression of your lips.

And so here's what Jesus says in verse 5.

Thou hypocrite.

Remember what a hypocrite means?

It means an actor.

It's a two-faced person.

You're putting on a mask.

And I gotta tell you, there's a lot of people in Christianity they put on a mask, they put on their Sunday best, they look good, they take a shower, but on the inside, they're they're ravenous wolves, they're evil, they they get bitter, they slander people, they're ungodly, they don't know how to pray for people, they don't know how to love those that despitefully use them.

They're actors.

There's a lot of actors in the church, and this is why a lot of times people they get upset and they leave the church because there's too many actors, uh hypocrites playing church rather than just being godly.

And so Jesus is saying, Thou hypocrite, first, here's what I want you to do first.

Cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the moat out of thy brother's eye.

So he's basically saying, handle your business first.

Like if you have ungodliness on the inside, go in your own stinking heart, go in your own stinking house, go in your own stinking mouth, go in, go in your own stinking closet, and clean it up, is what he's saying.

Clean up your world first because that gives you credibility when you're going to speak to other people.

But if you're always fixated and upset at what somebody else isn't doing, then you're the problem.

And so, number one, as you're thinking about this, check your heart.

Check your heart.

Umber two, check your mouth.

Check your mouth.

Now, as I was thinking about our mouth, our mouth, like Jesus said, it it's like a it's like a well, it's like a fountain, it's like a treasure chest.

It's gonna bring out the stuff that you're processing on and meditating on.

Uh you ever want I sometimes I wonder, like, why don't you ever post verses on your social media?

Why don't you ever share scriptures?

Why don't you ever like pray with people?

And I got to thinking about this.

I think there's a lot of people that are deceived.

They don't they don't want to preach the gospel, they don't want to um pray, they they wanna they wanna placate that they have all these friends with everybody else, but they don't want to actually be godly.

And I got to thinking, why is that, Lord?

Well, God showed me.

Look at first John chapter number uh four, first John chapter four.

When you love some someone or something, it comes out of you.

Like you want to talk about, like, listen, I love the Padres, I love to hate them, but I'm glad they won last night.

I'll talk about the Padres, right?

Working out.

I'm gonna talk about working out.

Uh the other day I went surfing with Bryson and Bryce and Ashlyn and Seven.

We'll talk about surfing.

It's great, right?

Um the same should go with God.

I want to talk about God.

I want to talk about the scriptures, I want to talk about the goodness of God.

Well, there's some people they don't ever want to talk about it.

They don't want to pray about it.

And I I wondered, why is that?

How is that?

And look what it says here in 1 John.

1 John 4.

I came across this verse, and he says in verse 1, beloved, that's the Christian, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone into the world.

So meaning you can't believe everybody that you hear and see, because there's fakes and phonies out there.

Then he says this, look what he says in verse number five.

They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.

You ever wonder why people don't want to talk about God and they're always talking about the things of the world and they have friends with ungodly people, they're always getting drunk and they're always getting high and they don't care about the things of God?

Well, they're of the world.

There's no conviction inside of them.

It says this, verse six, we are of God.

He that knoweth God heareth us.

Remember in the parable of the sower, Jesus said, He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

Just because you're here today doesn't mean that you're hearing me.

Jesus is preaching and everybody's not receiving it.

Because some are stony ground hearts, some are wayside hearts, and some are thorny hearts.

Well, here he says, We are of God.

He that knoweth God heareth us.

So if you have a walk with God, the Holy Spirit's on the inside of you, you're gonna hear your preacher.

Amen.

You're gonna hear your pastor, you're gonna be walking in the light because we have fellowship together with him.

He goes on to say, He that is not of God heareth not us.

Hereby know we the spirit of the truth and the spirit of error.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and every one that is that loveth is born of God, knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.

You guys know that song.

He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love.

You guys know that one.

I can never figure out when to clap on that song.

I don't got my rhythm going, okay?

But he he's basically saying here, the reason some people don't like want to talk about God is they don't know God.

Like I could sit here and talk to you about my wife all day.

I know her well.

I know what she likes, what she doesn't like.

I've spent time with her.

I love talking about how wonderful she is and how smart she is and and and things like that.

I've been spending time with her.

The same goes with God.

If you've been spending time with God, you'll love to talk about it.

Now, think about this.

Here he's basically saying there's different hearts, they hear the same truth differently.

Same thing in church.

See, some some people, love hears correction as help, but pride hears correction as an attack.

Bitterness hears kindness with suspicion, humility receives truth and grows.

So, whatever you continually allow to take place on the inside of you is going to grow on the outside of you.

Let's go a step deeper here.

You guys, who was the first murderer in the Bible?

Cain killed Abel.

Okay, now look what it says in 1 John 3.

Let's take a look at this case study, 1 John 3.12.

1 John 3, 12.

He says this, um, and let's actually look at verse 11.

Look at verse 11, and we'll do 11 and then 12, just get a little lead up on it.

He says this, for this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

So, one of the hallmark points of Christianity is that you love people.

Not just your friends, not just your family, but your but your enemies as well, because love is of God.

And it's part of the DNA, the spiritual DNA of who we are.

Okay, so now watch this.

Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one.

Well, who's the wicked one?

Satan, right?

So that means this.

There are children of God and there's children of the devil, right?

This is what got Jesus crucified.

He said, You're of your father the devil in John chapter, I think, nine.

So here we see, not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother, and wherefore slew him?

Why did he kill him?

Because his own works were evil and his brothers righteous.

Okay, so let's now go look at Genesis chapter 4.

Genesis 4 · chapter mention

Let's let's look at this deeper.

It basically says the reason he killed his brother is because his own evil heart was wicked and his brother was right.

See, there's some here's what I'm getting at.

Like, some people will hate you just because you're good.

They hate you because they ain't you.

Amen.

They hate us because they ain't us.

You guys know that phrase.

And it's because their own wicked heart is evil.

That's why, like some people, you don't need to sit there and argue with.

They're just going to argue, argue, argue because they're bitter, they're angry, they're jealous.

And some people you just gotta walk and step back from.

Because you can't fix that heart.

Only the Holy Spirit and them, they can fix that heart.

So as I get older as a pastor, I realize this, even working with Christians, like I'll let people have their blow up and their temper tantrums.

I'm like, Lord, reveal to them how ungodly their heart is being.

I'm not gonna go and try to force my way into convincing somebody else when they're not ready, willing, and able to admit their own faults.

What this does is it helps you step back to be patient and kind until they are given over to repentance.

Genesis chapter 4.

Genesis 4 · chapter mention

Now, some people are never given over to repentance.

Some people are wicked all the days of their life and they'll end up in hell.

It says this in verse uh 1, Genesis 4, 1.

And Adam knew his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.

And she again bare his brother, Abel, and Abel was a keeper of the sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

In the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought forth the fruit of the ground and offering unto the Lord.

Now, when you look at that, that's not a bad thing.

He's bringing an offering, right?

It's the same thing like you'll see some worship leaders here and people out there worshiping.

It's not a bad thing to bring an offering.

The big question is, is what heart are you bringing it with?

Because motives matter.

God's looking at why you're doing what you're doing, not just what you're doing and how you're doing it.

And so he's bringing an offering, the fruit of it of the ground, unto the Lord.

Verse 4, and Abel also brought a firstling of his flock and of fat thereof, and the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.

And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

You say, what happened?

It wasn't necessarily the concept of you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip.

I've heard that many times, it wasn't a blood sacrifice.

I think it has everything to do with the heart of why Cain was doing what he was doing.

And and you look at his brother Abel, he did it for the glory of God.

He did it because he wanted to worship God.

See, not all of us are here for the same motives today.

And so some of us, God's like, yep, I receive your worship.

Nope, I'm not receiving that.

Yep, I like the clean hands and the clean heart here.

Nope, I hate the impurity of the disobedience of what you're doing.

And God is the is the selector of which worship he's going to receive.

And so here, the one who is rejected because of their evil heart of unbelief gets ticked off and angry.

Now, whose fault is it if your offering is rejected?

Is it God's fault or your fault?

It's your fault.

So you have to take personal responsibility and say, okay, what did I do wrong?

But here's what I find with narcissists and egomaniacs and people who can't take accountability for their own actions is they'll look at their brother, they'll look at their sister, they'll go, Oh, you know what?

Abel's so good.

You're the golden boy, you're the golden girl, everybody likes you.

What it is, is it's a victimized entitlement heart that's coming from a place of insecurity and anger because they're operating from flesh.

And so now we see that Cain is very mad.

And the Bible says in six, and the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth?

And why is thy countenance fallen?

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted, and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

And unto thee shall it be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

And Cain talked with Abel, his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field.

Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and what did he do?

Slew him.

So was it really Abel's fault?

No, it had nothing to do with Abel.

Sometimes when you're doing right, you're loving God, you're bringing the good treasure forth, you're serving Jesus, and you have a brother or sister who's getting ticked off and angry with you.

It's not you.

It's their evil heart of jealousy and unbelief that they're vertically not right with God.

And by the way, when somebody's not vertically right with God, you can say and do everything perfect, and it's never going to amount to be enough.

This is why you can't fall into the trap of being somebody else's savior, because you'll always fall into the trap of their insecurity being baited along.

And what we find out is in the end, did this solve Cain's problem by killing Abel?

No.

It doesn't solve the heart problem because the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.

And that is a circumcision that has to come from God.

So when you're looking at people's verbal expressions, what's coming out of their mouth, you can find out what's happening in their heart.

In the book of Jude 11, it talks about he lumps some people together.

Korah, you can read it later, it's homework.

That Cain, he was of that wicked one.

He had a gross, wicked heart.

And it was really his issue.

Abel's righteousness exposed Cain's darkness.

It's the same thing in the home.

Like if you're reading, you're praying, you're loving, you're going to church, if somebody's walking in darkness, they're going to hate you.

But it's not you.

It's the God in you.

It's the light in you.

And you say, well, why don't they come to the light?

Because their deeds are evil.

When somebody's deeds are evil and their heart is dark, then they would have to repent in order, which means this, they would have to admit that they're wrong.

And somebody who's in darkness won't admit that they're wrong.

And so what you want to do is you want to back up and go, okay, let me see deeper by checking heart, checking mouth, and then as you're doing this, what you realize is a bitter heart speaks critically, a proud heart speaks defensively, a fearful heart speaks suspiciously, a loving heart speaks graciously.

A truth-filled heart speaks life.

Okay, let's go a step deeper here.

You ever look inside a home, some homes, and you look and you think, man, this family is very gracious and sweet, and their children love each other, and then you look at other families and it's like they're fighting nonstop.

I want to submit to you, according to Proverbs chapter 18, 21, it says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue.

Proverbs 18 · chapter mention

So whatever you're sowing out of your mouth, if you're sowing love and acceptance and appreciation and truth, you're planting and you're watering in that home.

This is why if you look at some marriages, it's like, man, these people love each other.

I promise you.

It happens with intentionality and fierce loyalty and defending against the wiles of the enemy and ripping out thorns and working through issues.

And it's not like, oh, they were just born that way and they're always happy.

No, it's a fight.

Amen.

It's a fight to keep all the wickedness out of the heart and out of the home so that there is love and there is fruitfulness.

But then you look at other marriages and you look at other families and you look at other churches and you're like, it's falling apart.

And it's because they've let neglect take place.

They've they've they they haven't tended to their own heart, they haven't tended to their mouth, they haven't tended to the filter of what they're looking at.

And so what happens is everything begins to fall apart.

And then remember this whatever you're meditating on on the heart is gonna come out of your life.

And so if you're constantly thinking about how messed up your church is, how messed up your family is, how messed up your children are, here's what happens.

Now the appraisal is so jaded, it's lopsided, it's a false balance.

Now all you see is their problems, their faults, their failures.

You're not realizing, hey, he or she's trying to be a loving spouse, he or she's trying to be a good son, hey, he or she is trying to be a good parent, hey, that person is doing this.

Here's my point to you.

Your heart is a filter that that that fills in a certain lens for you.

And if you're not careful, you will live in a very bitter, cantankerous home, and it will be your fault.

Or you could be like, no, I'm gonna do the difficult work and I'm gonna make sure it's not just my heart is being pure and sweet and godly, but my mouth is going to speak.

Man, you look wonderful today.

Hey, great job on this.

Hey, thanks for doing the dishes.

Hey, the project you did there is wonderful.

You're constantly speaking life.

Now let me ask you a question.

Which one's gonna come to you more?

The one that you're cursing and bitter at and you're writing down over and over, or the one that you're loving and you're being sweet to and you're being benevolent to?

I promise you this.

When you learn to use your words and your heart and your prayer and your meditation for goodness and grace and love, and you're sowing all the goodness out, the the babies, the children, the grandchildren, the church family, the ducklings, whatever word you want to put on it, when you're putting good stuff out for them, they will come.

But if you're beating them nonstop and they're never good enough, it's not their fault.

It's your fault.

This is a hard dose of truth, isn't it?

And here's the beautiful part you are the problem, but if you are the problem, you are also the solution.

Which means that you can change.

I can change, we can all change.

And by the way, it's not just a one-time thing.

Well, I said I loved her ten years ago.

No, no, no.

It's not just about lip service, it's about a heart connection.

Which means this, you have to constantly be building up that love inside your heart, thinking the right things, meditating on the right things, praying the right things, caring the right things.

Even if it's an enemy, even if somebody's despitefully using you, watch this.

When you're praying and loving and you're building up good treasures and moving it around, and then what happens?

Your deposits are ready next time you see them.

Oh, I thought about this, and I thought about that, and I thought about this.

I'm telling you, you can flip people like this if you will think and praise and use your mouth the right way.

Last point, number three, you're doing well.

Check your habits.

Check your habits.

Your lifestyle is like a house.

How many of you guys termites are eating at the house and you know it?

The wood is getting chewed away, right?

What about a little bit of water leaks?

What about when you shave?

I shave a little bit and sometimes my drain gets uh messed up, right?

Uh what about the tub?

Does the house ever kind of break down a little bit or the apartment?

See, here's my point to you.

You have to get in and fix it.

You've got to get in and clean it.

Which means your habits have to align with holiness and purity, which means you have to look around your relationships and think, okay, I need to be a wise steward of making sure that I understand my life, my home, uh, my relationships are under construction.

And I'm gonna constantly be needing to tend to them, to build them.

Every decision lays another brick, every repeated decision becomes a habit, every habit contributes to the person you are becoming.

It's in need of constant cleaning.

You don't clean your house once, you continually remove what does not belong.

It's the same thing with bitterness.

Now I don't have time to give you my other illustration.

Um I was gonna go over to Esau and Jacob and talk about what the difference was inside of there.

But I will say this to you.

Um just because your house, your front yard, your backyard was clean two years ago, you could be a complete pig today.

Just because you had this great love with your marriage ten years ago, if you haven't been tending to it, and actually, how about this word, cherish?

Cherish means to protect, to value, to hold in high esteem, to love, to honor, to actually like lift that person up like they're a prized treasure.

Like that was many of you who are married, you said that you would cherish that person.

You would honor that person.

You are in direct violation of your oath that you gave to God when you got married because you you fell into the trap of a bitter heart thinking, well, they don't deserve it.

You don't deserve it.

I don't deserve it.

This is about a commitment with you and God and checking your habits to say, God, help me to nourish and love and protect and to care for those that you've given to me.

And Lord, help my heart to be a heart of purity.

Help my mouth to be pleasing in what it's communicating with truth.

And God, don't let it just be five years ago, ten years ago that my house was clean, my heart was clean, my mouth was clean.

God, do it to me today so that so that my habit, my lifestyle, the people around me don't have to guess, is this Dr.

Jekyll or Mrs.

Hyde today?

Is this is this the flesh or the spirit today?

Help me to walk in such a way that my lifestyle has habits that are holy.

Now, in summary, I'll wrap it up.

Whatever's on the inside is gonna come out.

So my question to you is what's growing in your heart?

Is it bitterness, hatred, anger, or is it love?

Grace, mercy, truth.

Because a good person out of the good treasure of their heart will bring forth good things.

And if you have evil in your heart, here's the word, listen.

Repent.

Simply say, God, I am sorry.

Come into my heart, rip it out.

Now, if you haven't been doing this on a daily basis, you are a dirty Christian.

Yeah.

Isn't that right?

You're a dirty Christian.

You're filthy.

Yeah, you look good.

Your flesh looks good and clean, but your heart is wicked and evil and disgusting.

And the way we can tell is the way you're treating people.

If you're not loving people, you're you're and you're uh using and abusing them, you're dirty on the inside.

And you cannot export what has not been imported.

So import the cleanness and get rid of the evil, and God will bless your life.