Rom 8:13 (NIV) For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if BY the Spirit YOU put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Everything Jesus is teaching you right now is so you can put to death the misdeeds of the body. His objective is to teach and empower you to be able to use your mouth and your heart to confess and believe those things provided in the Bible. He is showing you how the heart and the mouth relate to each other and to you.

James 3:2 (NIV) We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he SAYS, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole BODY in check. If your heart gets filled with those things Jesus is guiding you into, then your mouth will be SAYING things that guide the behavior of your body in the right direction. The spiritual direction your body takes you is steered by your mouth. And the words of your mouth are governed by your heart. And the spiritual influence of your heart on your mouth is regulated by the input from your eyes and ears.

Luke 6:45 (NIV) The good man brings good things out of the good STORED up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil STORED up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. If you are going to confess the right things with your mouth and believe the right things with your heart, you are going to have to stop storing wrong, bad, and evil things in your heart. That is accomplished by you not looking at or listening to anything that is wrong, bad, or evil.

In order for you to control what you listen to and watch, you are going to have to go against the drives of your body. But, you can’t just make up your mind that you are going to regulate what your eyes and ears are exposed to. You can’t decide what is good for you to see and what isn’t. You won’t see anything wrong with many things Jesus won’t approve of. Your body will fight you when you start choosing only godly things to listen to and watch. Jesus is going to have to help you “do what it takes” to start controlling the input that flows into your heart and mind.

Rom 7:23 (NIV) But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. This verse seems to indicate that your body is always going to win over your spirit and your mind that is connected to it. But, that is not the case. It keeps looking impossible for you to make the right changes. But, this verse is just showing you that you are not your answer to this problem--Jesus is!

Once again, if you don’t get Jesus’ help, your body is going to insist on you looking at and listening to things that aren’t good for you. You will keep storing up more and more worldly and satanic things in your heart and mind. Also, your body will fight you listening to and looking at those things that Jesus wants you exposing yourself to. Your body will get bored, it will distract you and cause you to think about other things, it will entice you to go do something “fun,” and it will try to get you to disagree with those things Jesus is having you see and hear.

Rom 7:24 (NIV) What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? It isn’t until you get to the place where you see your need of Jesus’ help that things start to improve. When you see how impossible the situation is and reach out to Jesus, He demonstrates how wise, powerful, and loving He is. Those who don’t see the impossibility of their situation will keep trying to solve this problem with human effort. They will keep hoping that they will be able to get good enough to do it on their own.

John 15:7 (NIV) If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. What has been happening to you, as you yield more and more to Jesus and the Bible, is you remaining in Jesus and His words. That then opens up the opportunity for you to ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. Because of your remaining in Jesus and His words, your wishes and your prayers move into the will of God. You won’t be praying selfish, worldly prayers.

• STUDY: If you remain in Me and My words remain in you: In this system of growing spiritually, you have a study page first. Jesus is taking you into those things that help you remain in Him and His words remain in you. This guides you into what to pray for. If you are the controller of what you pray for, then much of what you pray will go unanswered. You will be praying for the wrong things or asking for them for the wrong reasons. Jesus is guiding you into those things you desparately need.


• PRAY: Ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you: In this system of growing spiritually, after your study page you have a prayer page. Once you have been guided by Jesus into what things you need to pray for, Jesus uses the prayer page to help you pray for those things He is willing to give you. As you start wishing for Biblical, godly things, your prayers get answered positively because you are asking for the right things; and, you are asking for them for the right reasons.