Bad breath is the least of your worries!

Your best days, as a parent and as a family, are ahead of you! Your future is bright - not because of your jokes or story telling, not because of your career or money making capacities - but because of something far more important.

NBFamilies is committed to acknowledging, training, engaging, and holding parents accountable as the persons primarily responsible for the discipleship of their children.

It will happen. You kids will observe what is closest to you heart, and it will become important to them too – both good things and bad things.

Moses instructed God’s people to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” He said, “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.” Finally he warned that the passing down this greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) to their kids is to be their highest responsibility!

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. 7 Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

The wisdom of Proverbs 4:20-23 reminds parents, especially fathers, how essential is this responsibility.

Proverbs 4:20-23 My son, pay attention to my words;
listen closely to my sayings. 21 Don’t lose sight of them;
keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them,
and health to one’s whole body. 23 Guard your heart above all else,
for it is the source of life.

Jesus warned that the parent’s hearts are revealed by what comes out of their mouths.

Luke 6:45 [Jesus said] A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

Matthew 15:18-19 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a man. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, blasphemies.

What are our kids hearing come out of our mouths? What are our mouths revealing about what is important to us?

The heart is our vital, life or death generating core. A healthy heart produces a healthy life. A wicked heart produces a wicked life. A strong heart produces a strong life. A weak heart produces a weak life. A righteous heart produces a righteous life. The heart is our emotional and spiritual core, either in a positive or negative way, depending on our character. Is my heart a gospel-centered heart? Or is my heart an idol-centered heart?

Positive ways the heart responds:

• The heart cries out to God (Psalms 84:2).
• The heart rejoices in God Psalms 13:5).
• The heart sings to the Lord (Psalms 57:7).
• The heart expresses joy in search of God’s salvation (Psalms 105:3; 1 Chronicles 16:10; 1 Samuel 2:1; Zephaniah 3:14).
• The heart experiences joy and gladness when people devote themselves entirely to God and keep His commandments (1 Kings 8:61).
• The heart rejoices in God’s presence (Psalms 16:9; 33:21).
• The law of the Lord restores the soul and gives joy to the heart (Psalms 19:8; Psalms 119:111-112).
• The healthy heart is the vessel of wisdom (Proverbs 2:10; 4:21; 7:3; 10:8; 16:21, 23; 22:17; Job 22:22; 33:3; Isaiah 32:4).
• The healthy heart enables sensible decision-making (Proverbs 22:17; Ecclesiastes 7:2; Isaiah 32:4; Ezekiel 40:4; 44:5).
• The heart retains knowledge of God’s promises (Joshua 23:14).

Negative ways the heart responds:

• The heart can experience fatigue (Psalms 38:10).
• The heart can experience anguish (Jeremiah 4:19).
• The heart can experience bitterness (Psalms 73:21).
• The heart can experience despair (Psalms 61:2).
• The heart can experience disorientation (Psalms 22:14).
• The heart can experience fear (1 Samuel 24:5).
• The heart can experience sadness (1 Samuel 1:8).
• The heart can experience sickness (Proverbs 13:12).
• The heart can experience sexual seduction (Proverbs 6:25; Ezekiel 16:30).
• The heart can contain lust (Job 31:9; Proverbs 6:25).
• The heart can contain uncontrollable temptations (Job 31:7).
• The heart can contain wickedness (Psalms 141:4).
• The heart can experience an aggressive pursuit of dishonest and selfish gain (Jeremiah 22:17; Ezekiel 13:31).

In “Gods at War.” (Zondervan, 2013), Kyle Idleman complied six questions that can help you identify the false gods that compete with God for priority in your heart.

1. What Disappoints You?
2. What Do You Complain about the Most?
3. Where Do You Make Financial Sacrifices?
4. What Worries You?
5. Where Is Your Sanctuary?
6. What Infuriates You?

What has God revealed to you about your heart condition? What needs to be done to repair what you kids have been observing? Do you have any apologies to make (to God?, to your spouse?, to you kids?)? What are our kids hearing come out of our mouths? What are our mouths revealing about what is important to us?

Your best days are ahead of you!

Dr. Phil Sallee, Pastor
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