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You probably remember this song from preschool. Oh be careful little ears what you hear,…… It goes on to say, oh be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down in love, oh be careful little eyes what you see. It is very important if we want to remain pure and undefiled to guard our eyes and our ears. What goes in is what comes out. It is truly easy to see that in operation with kids. They do what they have seen others do. If parents are “cussers”, or are known to swear, even if you tell them not to cuss, they probably will. If you fill your eyes with impure images, that is what will be rolling around in your head all the time. So how can you guard your eyes and your ears? Wear eye guards and ear plugs!??? No, you watch what goes in them! Listen to things that are edifying. Watch things that are educational or entertaining without images that defile your life. Determine your boundaries, and make sure family members know them. Keep satellite channels safe and secure by not allowing contaminated programming into your home. Put safeguards on your computer so that kids don’t see or go to places on the web that they shouldn’t. Make your home secure, not just with lock on the doors, but with safeguards that guard your family’s life from being defiled by the world. It is worth every ounce of effort it takes to accomplish, because we want to be careful what little eyes and ears, see and hear. Most of all, live purity in front of your family. Let them follow you, like you follow Christ!

Do you have a clutter problem at your house? You don’t have to answer that, most people are collectors of some kind, and clutter is a problem in a great percentage of homes! Clutter isn’t very encouraging. In fact, when I see clutter at my house, I just get discouraged! Clutter means stuff, and most of us have way more stuff than we need, or our houses can even hold. Stuff is ok. In fact, you’ve probably heard this, it’s ok to have things, just don’t let things have you. When clutter is taking over your life, things have you. If you have a hoarding problem, it can make it appear like you don’t think God is trustworthy to meet your needs in the future, or you may be lazy, or tired, or overworked, of a mixture of all of the above. “My clutter is useful!” I’ve heard people say that, and I have said it before. My husband and I read lots of books, and as a writer, I keep most of what I read, for further study, or for research. As a writer, paper is a problem. For years, I wrote everything long hand, and I have boxes and boxes and many wordless books filled with my words that I hate to toss because I have some really good things written…..parts of books, Bible Studies I’ve done, newsletters I’ve written etc. Confession time, that is my clutter problem. If it is time to declutter at your house, think about this, each day, find 20 things that clutter your space and either put away, give away, or throw away those items. Before long, you’ll be having less clutter, and that means success!

2 Cor 7:1 tells us since we have so many promises, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates the body or spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. There is “stuff” that tries to contaminate us everyday. It could be bitterness, unresolved issues from our past, negative attitudes around us (or in us), or any other thing you can think of. We just can’t let anything past our heart. We are told in Proverbs to guard our heart, because out of it flow the issues of life. We are told to guard our lips….we can’t let just anything pass over them. We are to guard our ears and eyes. We need to watch what we hear, and what we see. To remain undefiled, we can’t let our senses be defiled. We need to be purified from the things that are negative and move ahead with a clean slate. Turn it off, walk away from the unbecoming conversation, or keep your mouth, eyes or ears closed. We need to deal with the next “issue” with a clean heart. That simple cleansing moment can make all the difference. Holiness can then be perfected in us. We can stay undefiled by the world, pure of heart, mind, and spirit.

Yesterday I quoted Is 58 which talks about the benefits of fasting. I know when I was a kid I couldn’t understand why they called it a fast, because it sure seemed to go slow. When I was young, when our church “called for” a fast, our family usually participated. Fasting has been a part of my life, from when I was a child. My mom and I right now are fasting for something in particular that we are believing for. So my suggestion to you during these last days before Easter is to just say no to your appetite every once in a while. Let’s say you really want a bowl of ice cream. You can picture how good it will look in the bowl, and even how smooth it will feel going down your throat. You feel like you realllllly want it. That may be a great time to say no to your flesh! Most of the time we say yes to our appetites, but this time, why not eat a banana? It is better for you, and would be just as good for filling you up. Maybe you could even say, I don’t need anything right now, because I can say no to my flesh. Maybe during Lent, you can begin to make healthier choices about what you put in your body. It will be good for your spirit, and great for your body!

There are times in the Bible when God asked for not only repentance, but for fasting and weeping (Joel 2:12). Most New Testament believers like to think that fasting is unnecessary, but it is a great spiritual practice, and oddly enough, the world of science is now even admitting that taking one day a week to totally cleanse your system by abstaining from food is very beneficial. Just like the Sabbath rest that we should enjoy, the body itself needs a Sabbath from food. Interesting, isn’t it. God is pretty smart! Go figure!

Is 58:6-14 talks specifically about the fast that God chooses. The benefits are amazing:
Chains will be loosed
Yokes will be broken
Oppressed will find freedom
You will share food, shelter and clothes for those in need
Your healing will appear
God will answer when you call
When you cry for help, God will be there
Light and strength will come to you
You will be like a spring whose waters never fail
Ancient ruins will be repaired and restored
You will find joy in the Lord
You will ride on the heights of the land
And you will feast on your inheritance!
Sounds like some amazing benefits from putting our body under. We always love saying yes to the flesh, but saying no on a regular basis can bring us into a new freedom in Christ if we take the opportunity to fast. During these last weeks of the Lenten Season before Easter, why not take one meal a week, and give that time to God. Spend time in His presence when you would normally be eating, and feast on His Word. You may find that areas in your life where you were deficient will begin to change. Benefits will manifest on your behalf, and it will be because of your obedience to repent and fast before the Lord. You’ll enjoy the “clean slate” feeling!

During this season of Lent, as we approach Easter week, I will be talking about introspection, or self awareness, and hopefully, each of us will personally clean up any attitudes or actions that are not in keeping with being a born again believer. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. If you have taken time to fast during this season of lent, or if you have been watching your thoughts, words and actions, and are endeavoring to be more Christ like, great job! If we think about what Jesus did for us, what a small sacrifice for us to choose to live full on for Him. Here is your dailyeword.

One of the benefits that taking time to be introspective gives, is helping us know if what we are doing is really God’s will for our life. One of the most important things that any person can feel is a sense of being totally at peace with God, and being in His divine will for life. There is no greater sense of purpose and fulfillment than doing what you know God wants for you right now. We do have different obligations at different times or seasons of our life, but during each season we can be at rest and have the sense of significance about what we are doing. When we see the big picture, pleasing God is the most important thing in life. God hates sin, and loves righteousness. We become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, at salvations. It is easier to try to justify our behavior than to just repent or wrong attitudes and actions. But quick repentance is the key to living at peace. I john 1:9 says f we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us!

The Words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life. Jesus said that in John 6:63. Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you? If it hasn’t happened by someone punching you out, it may have happened by circumstances taking the wind out of your sail. God’s Word is life to us. There is live giving power in the Word of God. We are to hold fast to the Word of life so that we can rejoice in the day of Christ. To have the words of life spoken into your life, it takes time in the Word. It is wonderful to have someone else give you a scripture just for you, but we can do that for ourselves daily. We can have a word for the day. God’s Word for us today. All it takes is opening up His Word, and letting His words breath life into your spirit. When we need to hear from God, He wants to speak to us. When we need His direction, He wants to give it to us. He is not withholding information, or wisdom, or insight. He wants us to hear His voice, so listen for it! Listen for it when you read His Word. What is He saying to you through the passage you are reading? What insight does he have for you about situation you are going though. What wisdom does He have for you that you might be able to pass on to someone else in your similar situation. God want to speak Words of life to us. His Words are spirit and they are life. They will revive dry bones, just like the scorched and lifeless Valley that Ezekiel spoke of in Ez 37. When we speak the Word of God, even to our own spirit, life will spring forth. Let’s become those who do that for others!

Jesus said that he who comes to him and hears His Word is like a man who built His house on a rock. The next verse goes on to say what happens if we build our life on the sand. Kaboom, there is a crash, a fall, and definitely destruction. Nobody wants that for their lives. But everywhere we go, we see people whose lives have been crushed. That is not what God wants for you! He wants us to stand strong, and to be firm, not tossed about by every wind that comes our way. So how can we do that? We need to make God’s Word a part of our daily life. We can read it before bedtime, or even before you get out of bed in the morning. You can think about even one verse all day long, and then you can do what the Bible tells us to do. What is the main idea of God’s Word? The whole Bible can be summed up in two thoughts…..Love God with all you are, and love people. It isn’t very complicated, is it? When we make those commands from God’s Word part of who we are, we are building our life on a rock. When we build our life on a rock, we can be sure that we will be solid and strong, and be able to stand when even the strongest wind comes against us. If things are shifting all around you, you can stand firm on God’s Word. He will never fail you.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17 gives us the answer on how to get more faith. It comes by hearing the Word. It doesn’t come by praying for more, or begging for more, or asking for a loan of faith from someone else. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word. How many times did Jesus say in the gospels, if you have an ear, let him hear? It is said over and over again. We are not just talking about physical ears here. Because we know that literally, we can hear one thing and it can go in one ear and out the other! We are talking about hearing with our spirit. Letting it get down on the inside of us, so that it becomes a part of who we are. As believers, we can’t line the Word up with our experience, we have to line our experience up with God’s Word. We know God’s Word doesn’t change, it does fade away or become obsolete, it never fails. So if we are looking for something steadfast to build our life upon, and a way to increase our faith, we build it on the Word. We listen to the Word, we read the Word, we study the Word, we live the Word, we meditate on the Word, we give the Word of God preeminence always! Day by day, moment by moment, we make it a priority. We listen to it on our ipod, in our car, while getting dressed. We go to church and listen to it from the pulpit, then we get the cd’s or the podcast and listen again and again. Repetition helps us hide it in our heart, and makes it solid and secure in our lives. So how does faith come? By hearing God’s Word. Take time today with your Bible, and grow in your faith!

Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Jesus quoted this verse from Deuteronomy 8 when He was tempted in the desert by the devil in Matt 4:4. What he was saying is that natural food isn’t the only kind of food we need. The Words of God in the Bible are food for us. They are just like a daily supply of manna that the Israelites received in the desert. Each portion of manna was just for that day. When we daily eat of the Word, we can be storing up for the future, but inside every morsel of God’s Word is strength for today. We have insight for today. We are given wisdom for today. Today we need regular daily portions of God’s Word. I grew up in a home where after each evening meal, we read the Bible together. My dad grew up in a home where they did that every meal. What a great heritage. It was a living example that the Word of God is as necessary as our daily food. So as we close out this month’s ewords talking about the importance of the Word of God, why not renew your commitment to the Word of God. It isn’t an option for the believer. Let’s be like that baby looking for milk. The word is what we long for, it is a resource that supplies strength for every challenge, and help and hope for every circumstance. God’s promises are here for us, right in the middle of His Word, for us to receive from and to benefit from. Take advantage of it daily.