Wow what a pleasure to read the below again, and how true. May God bless you the reader.


Mark 7 Things that proceed from a man that defile him, these things represent the true condition of a heart not committed or completely committed to Jesus. These things we will battle our entire lives, but as we learn to walk with God and listen to His voice, His personality and actions start coming out of us, and continue to build. Each of these things should be considered regularly and slowly because there are different degrees of falling into them, and it may represent an area in life you need to earnestly pray about. For instance there is stealing as in robbing a bank, and stealing as in keeping an employer's property as your own. They are both stealing and its something we need to be aware of and confess to God and repent from.
Evil thoughts- wishing others harm or misfortune
fornications
thefts
murders (anger is equated to murder)
adulteries (lustful thoughts is enough to be guilty)
coveting (jobs, cars, houses, etc)
wickedness
deceit (not quite telling the entire truth or telling someone something in a way that may mislead them, this one I'm afraid is quite common in the corporate world.
sensuality
envy
slander (saying negative things about people)
pride
and finally foolishness.
I don't think there is anyone of us who can say they have no troubles in any of these areas. They are probably deceiving themselves. As Jesus comes into our lives and we let Him live through us these normally defiling actions are replaced by the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22)
love (1 Cor 13 the entire chapter)
joy (not necessarily happiness but more of a general contentment)
peace (doesn't mean avoiding confrontation, but rather anger that is often associated with it)
patience (Job, but an even greater patience is Jesus Himself, He continually gives us chances)
kindness
goodness
faithfulness
gentleness
self control
I live with a whining dog. As I walk with God I'm struck as to how his relationship with me is a lot like mine with God. We keep him in a pen to keep him from getting hit by a car, poisoned, shot, because when he gets out he doesn't respond to commands. Sometimes God knows its best for us to be kept penned up. The dog whines wanting attention, wanting out, but his needs are met- he has water, food and a warm place to sleep. Is God meeting your needs? just maybe not in the way you think He should? Do you whine to Him? Are there things He knows that you don't? Is thinking we are capable of more than God has given us pride? The dogs whining bothers me because I know whats best for him and I get tired of hearing it, do we do that to God? I've also thought what behavior could the dog practice that would make me want to give him more attention. Obeying my commands is the biggest one, and sometimes we go on long walks in the woods and he has gotten some better when I've given him some freedom. I have to get him back on a leash when we get to the car, and that has gotten easier. One negative is that when he is free he likes to wallow in anything that smells bad, it makes me not want to take him walking and causes me to plan carefully when I do let him off. If God gave us the kind of freedom we want would we get into something that He disdains? Aren't we glad that we can whine to God and yet He continues to love us and forgive us, now that is patient.