The Holy Spirit is your guide to what is really valuable so you can bring the life and ministry of Jesus into your life and ministry.

If you can control what you consider a treasure, you can control your heart. If you can control your heart, you can control your mouth.

Mat 15:17 (NIV) Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?

God was trying to protect His people from disease. So, He required them to wash their hands. But, religious leaders made the washing of hands a law that put people in bondage. God does all He does because He loves us. Humans often turn God’s works of love into religious rituals that bind us and keep us from seeing God’s love.

Mat 15:18-19 (NIV) But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

We can see the nature of this list. Evil thoughts hurt people; murder ends people’s lives, adultery cheats marriage partners and destroys their love relationship; sexual immorality eats away at a person’s life like a cancer; theft takes away those things people have earned and depend on for life; false testimony causes people to be found guilty of things they didn’t do; slander destroys people’s character and relationships. You can see how much God cares about people and their relationships.

Mat 15:20 (NIV) These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’”

God still wants us to wash our hands; but He cares more about the heart that controls the mouth. The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart. Treasure controls the heart and the heart controls the mouth.

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.

The mouth and tongue control our body. AND, we do all our living out in this world through our body. So, the thoughts, feelings, words, and activities of our body control our life. If you work your way back through all of this, you will see that your treasure controls your life.

Treasure - Heart - Mouth - Body - Life.

If you want your life and ministry changed into the life and ministry of Jesus, you are going to have to let Him change what you consider to be most valuable to you.

Mat 6:24 (NIV) “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

This is an unbreakable truth. If our goals, plans, pursuits, and strategies are to earn enough money to do something or get something, then we are serving money. That means we aren’t serving God. This Biblical principle shows us that it is going to be one or the other. The only way for us to break away from serving money is to let Jesus change what we consider to be valuable. Our desires, studies, prayers, faith, and faith-action has to be set on letting Jesus heal our hearts and redirect our goals, plans, pursuits, and strategies. He is giving us the things to make a priority in our studies, prayers, faith, and faith-action.

Mat 6:25 (NIV) “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

This is the way we should feel and think about life. If we are going to yield to the life and ministry of Jesus then this has to become our goal. There will always be a conflict in our life and ministry, if we don’t get major spiritual breakthroughs in this area of value, desire, and concerns. This stronghold has to be broken so we can go where He wants us to go, say what He wants us to say, to the people He wants us to talk to. Jesus can’t be in charge of our lives and ministries if this issues of this life are governing our time, efforts, thoughts, and money.

Jesus is asking us to take a look at the lifestyle of birds; they have an approach to life that doesn’t look anything like the way we live. God is doing things for the birds that He wants to do for us. He considers us to be much more valuable than birds. If He can and is taking care of the birds, then we need to look at them and allow our faith and trust in our heavenly Father to convince us that we need to make this change in the way we look at life. It is going to take a miracle change in our hearts; but, God is able to make that change.

Mat 6:27 (NIV) Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

We can’t keep ourselves alive; It is only through the grace and mercy of God that any of us have lived as long as we have. Every minute of our lives is a gift from God. God wants us to give this gift of life back to Him so He can save, bless, and train people all over the world. He wants us to give Him our body so He can fill it with Jesus. Jesus is the total answer for us and all the people all over the world. But, few Christians are allowing Him to have their body so He can heal all these desperate and hurting people.

Mat 6:28-29 (NIV) “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Now Jesus is asking us to grow in our faith by looking at how well He provides for the lilies of the field. God has given them sun, rain, and earth to grow and live in. We would have never thought that a lily’s lifestyle had anything to do with the way God wants us to live. This may be one of the most difficult and strange concepts you have ever been faced with. Your body may be coming up with all kinds of objections and doubts right now. However, this is Jesus and He is your Lord and Master. Your “want&,#8221; study, prayer, faith, and faith-action needs to pursue this principle Jesus is teaching you.

Mat 6:30-32 (NIV) If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

This isn’t a principle that we can produce in our own lives. It is going to be a matter of you looking to God for the necessary changes in your life. He is going to have to make a lot of changes in your philosophies, beliefs, circumstances, goals, and hope. This is going to take a lot of miracles before you will be able to start considering this as a way of life. But, it will only start heading in the right direction when you agree to be led into it.

Mat 6:33 (NIV) But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Here is the way we use the second key to all of Christianity. Mat 7:7-8 (NIV) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. The way for you to find this new way of living life is to use the “seek” principle and start seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.

It isn’t a matter of us trying to change our lifestyle so as to match the birds and lilies. It is a matter of us looking to God for how He wants us to start living. Let Him know you don’t have any idea how you would go about accomplishing this assignment. Let Him know that you are saying “yes” to this principle of Jesus. Tell Him that you would like Him to start heading you in this direction. Ask Him to show you when it is time for you to make a certain change in thinking, feeling, planning, and pursuing.

Mat 6:34 (NIV) Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

This is the issue you need to pray about the most. Worrying about what is GOING to happen to you tomorrow is the major area where Satan can push you in the wrong direction. God has ALREADY provided for you today. But, WHAT IF He doesn’t do it tomorrow? Will His plans for you tomorrow be a lifestyle that you will agree with? Will He let you go under? Will you be able to pay your bills, have enough money to buy food, clothes, transportation, and housing?

These are the questions that have to be turned over to God. Jesus is asking you to stop worrying and concerning yourself with these questions and issues. Asking, seeking, and knocking is the only way that is going to happen (Matthew 7:7-11). Ask God to help you treasure His Kingdom and His righteousness (doing good and not doing bad to yourself, others, and God). Ask Him to help you start SEEKING these things rather than your earthly supply. Ask Him to help you get a COMPLETE change of what you treasure and consider valuable.