What You Think in Your Heart Determines the Path You Take

Good day, everyone. Let's turn to Matthew Chapter 15. I really spent some effort trying to find the theme of this chapter. What exactly is Matthew trying to express here? Regardless of how this chapter is divided into sections or sentences, what truly matters is identifying the overarching theme.

In the previous chapter, we discussed Jesus as the epitome of faith. Jesus primarily demonstrated faith, and His demonstrations of faith even exceeded our imagination. Jesus valued faith far more than what to eat, what to drink, or what to use. People usually value many things, but Chapter 15 immediately follows by saying: What you think in your heart determines what you can obtain.

How did I find the theme of this chapter? Actually, it was quite difficult to find because it seems somewhat disjointed. Why insist on stringing together these seemingly unrelated contents? I discovered that if they are not connected, many people can easily go astray. For example, some people see the testimonies and sermons on our website, feel they are quite good, and come to us full of faith. However, upon arrival, they ask very strange questions. Some say that everything about your church is great, but there's one problem: your pastor uses foul language and curses. They originally came seeking healing, but because of this one reason, they forgot their purpose.

In fact, what you think in your heart almost determines the path of your entire life. How is the path of one's life forged? The path of one's life is the result of one's own choices! Some people only reflect on how they became who they are at the age of fifty. Isn't that your own choice? Some people are abused by their husbands, but wasn't that husband your own choice? So often, we lack a crucial understanding: we blame this and that, but not the garbage in our own hearts.

The effect of a lifetime comes from the heart. If someone is corrected harshly for their bad habits, and their reaction is very strong, then dealing with it becomes more difficult. There was a sister who was correcting her mother, whose hygiene habits were terrible. This sister's husband also scolded her mother, raising his voice slightly. The elderly sister then sent me a message asking: Who exactly is pastoring me, and who should I listen to? She was throwing a tantrum, but not addressing her hygiene habits. Actually, the tactic of scolding was what I taught, and why did I teach it? Because I want people to live well.

If you want to help someone live well, you must deal with their bad habits! If you can't deal with them gently, you have to use more forceful means. I often use some rough methods, so don't ever think that I will say only pleasant things. Thank God, even though my words may not be pleasing, what you receive from me is love!

Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must understand today that the various things that happen in your life are basically choices made in your own heart. What is the greatest foolishness of man? Being self-righteous! We must be gentle and humble in our hearts, and carefully consider everything before we do it, and the results will be different.

Some Pharisees and scribes came to see Jesus from Jerusalem. I guess their purpose in seeing Jesus was probably twofold. They felt that Jesus was very powerful, that He could feed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish, and that He had performed so many miracles. He should be from God, but something didn't feel right. They were puzzled as to why Jesus' disciples violated the traditions of the elders. These people were filled with a lot of confusion, wanting to be Jesus' disciples, yet feeling that something was amiss.

In fact, people often have such confusion, and why is that? Because they can't distinguish between the primary and the secondary! If you want to find fault with Jesus, you can always find it; if you want to find fault with the Apostle Paul, you can always find it; if you want to find fault with me, you can always find it. But you have to grasp the main thing, which is what you ultimately want.

What you think in your heart determines what you can obtain! The Pharisees and scribes, on one hand, felt that Jesus was truly powerful, that His actions were beyond their capabilities; on the other hand, they felt that something was not quite right. If they were to list Jesus' flaws, I think there would be many. So they had some confusion, the biggest being why they didn't wash their hands before eating. Jesus' response was sharp, saying: Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? This immediately touched these people's sore spot!

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.' But you say that if anyone declares to their father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’ then they do not have to honor their father or mother with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.' (Matthew 15:3-9)

These Pharisees and scribes came a long way to find Jesus. If they really wanted to follow Jesus, what would their reaction be after hearing these words from Jesus? They would be very hurt, and not just a little. They thought, we have to ask Jesus, maybe He can give us an answer. But the answer they received was not an answer, and not only did it not solve the problem of washing hands, but the Lord Jesus pointed out a very harsh problem. The Lord Jesus said that they used the traditions of the elders to abandon the commandments of God. Isn't this fatal?

They thought, Jesus, why do you speak so harshly? Can't you answer properly? Our question is, why don't your disciples follow the traditions of the elders? Not only did you not answer, but you also said such harsh words, isn't this causing us to stumble? Didn't you say that woe to those who cause others to stumble? In fact, these Pharisees had never stood up.

We must all know that it is you who decide whether to fall or not. The Pharisees fell when they heard these words, so let's analyze what these people were thinking. These people were full of thoughts about the harsh words Jesus said, and they fell immediately. In fact, speaking harshly is one of Jesus' ways of speaking, and why is that? Because it is indeed a very serious problem.

For example, many of our brothers and sisters often bring out God's love. They think that with God's love, you can't say harsh words, you can't lose your temper. But what is the key issue? What do we value? If we value the way people speak, but forget the original purpose, then we have put the cart before the horse. Jesus was just testing these people. If everyone comes to us really wanting to solve their problems, don't dwell on our way of speaking. We are merely quoting God's words.

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules. (Matthew 15:8-9)

After hearing Jesus' words, these Pharisees could have chosen to say: Jesus, we were indeed wrong, we will come and study God's word properly today. We did indeed abandon God's word according to the traditions of the elders. What you said is indeed in the Bible. But these people did not do that, and in the end, they gained nothing. They thought that Jesus' words were too harsh, so they didn't want to be Jesus' disciples. The problems of a person's life have answers in Jesus Christ, but they insisted on staying outside of Jesus Christ.

What You Store in Your Heart is What You Will Live Out

Why are people like this? Because they are self-righteous. The Pharisees thought: I know the Bible better than you. I am a Pharisee, I am a scribe, I have received the words of God since childhood, how could I not understand? The Bible does mention the matter of washing hands. But what is the key issue? This requires people to think carefully.

But you say that if anyone declares to their father or mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God’. (Matthew 15:5)

Why did they teach this way? Because they thought the church needed offerings. We don't need offerings, we need people to honor their parents properly. We will not make an offering of what was originally for parents. If this church values money, it will ask people to offer even what they would give to their parents. Why? Because they think that the church, the temple, the priests, and the Pharisees need money more than parents do. What these people store in their minds is dirty, is valuing money.

The situation of people's lips drawing near to God but their hearts being far from God is very common. Does God not know this? Everyone, put your hands on your chest and ask yourselves if you are that kind of person. If a person's heart is far from God, there is a lack of grace and mercy in their heart. What you store in your heart is what you will live out. If you are a Pharisee and a scribe, what can you gain by coming to Jesus? Just a few harsh words.

Some people ask me, are you comparing yourself to Jesus? I am merely imitating Jesus. I often say harsh words, but my purpose is just to give everyone good things. What is popular in the church today? Jesus loves you, I love you, but they don't solve people's problems, nor do they rigorously examine whether it is truly God's word.

Why abandon the commandments of God and be a hypocrite? Today, let's ask ourselves carefully, what have we done, and what will we gain in the future? Some people are always afraid of me telling stories, and after hearing my stories, they like to apply them to themselves. But this is just a common phenomenon. If a person is full of selfishness and lives only for themselves, how can they obey the commandments of God?

If you cannot bless your family, how can you bless others? Some people have been following me for more than ten years, seven or eight years, three or five years, and even one or two years, and they often listen to my sharing, but what have they gained? Whom have you pastored? Whom have you blessed? These words are a bit heavy. I don't want everyone to end up with no path to walk, and why no path? Because your minds are full of your own affairs. So we have to think about why we are so unlucky?

There is an unlucky person who brings bad luck to every company he goes to. Although he is just a small employee, everyone who comes into contact with him is unlucky. People walk like this, from twenty to thirty, from forty to fifty, and they live, but it looks uncomfortable, why is this? This has to do with what people store in their hearts. The other day someone called me and talked all about his work. I thought, why don't people think about what they have in their minds? What you think in your heart determines what you can get, the Pharisees are like this.

Then the disciples asked Jesus, and Jesus answered: Listen and understand, what goes into the mouth does not defile a person, but what comes out of the mouth defiles a person. So how can what goes into the mouth not defile a person? Isn't it said that illness enters through the mouth? If you eat dirty things, can you not have diarrhea? How can what comes out of the mouth defile a person? The reason why people have these doubts is because they are confused.

These people came to ask Jesus again. Jesus said: Do you not understand even yet? Today we must understand this matter, what exactly we have in our hearts.

He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:13-14)

Can everyone understand? If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit. That is not falling, that is falling into a pit!

“Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (Matthew 15:16-20)

Do you not know that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? Can you accept this sentence? If you are studying medicine, you cannot accept it. This is just the completion of a person's physical biological engineering, nothing great. But some people take this very seriously.

When I first went to church, everyone ate buffet. Chinese people like to eat pig blood and blood tofu. They said that pig blood cannot be eaten, but I didn't know the reason at the time. Later I realized that this was who taught it? In Acts chapter 15, they said: Since you are not Jews, I will not embarrass you, but strangled animals and blood cannot be eaten.

Jesus is talking about, do you not know that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? Jesus never talked about what to eat, what to drink, etc. In fact, in Christian circle, everyone know well about what to eat and what to drink. Jesus said that these are not important, but from the mouth to the stomach, from the stomach to the intestines, from the intestines to the anus, and finally falls into the toilet.

People do not live by eating, nor by shitting. Some people do not agree and feel that it is trouble if people cannot shitting. In fact, this is not the case, because people live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. People must keep and obey the word of God, keep and obey God's decrees, regulations, and commandments! Can you understand? Jesus criticized people for not having faith, for having little faith. When we hear these words from God, we should know that people must have faith.

God will accomplish what we believe in our hearts

Then, Matthew's writing style changed and turned to this Canaanite woman. This Canaanite woman is very smart, she knows the purpose of her find Jesus. She thought, no matter what Jesus says to me, I don't care, I just want what I want. So people like the Canaanite woman are very powerful, and what you think in your heart is very important. The Canaanite woman heard that Jesus was passing by here, so she shouted: Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is severely demon-possessed. But Jesus did not answer. Why? Jesus wants to reveal the thoughts in people's hearts. Like the Pharisees, they are all self-righteous.

This Canaanite woman is very powerful. Jesus did not answer, but she continued to shout: Son of David! Son of David! Have mercy on me! My daughter is severely demon-possessed! Jesus' disciples asked Jesus, this woman is shouting behind us, please send her away! I guess this woman was quite close to them.

Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

This dialogue is nothing short of divine! I have rarely encountered a Canaanite woman with such intelligence and wisdom. This woman, whose daughter was severely possessed by a demon, would never forget what she truly sought. She thought, Since Jesus is passing by my place, it is advantageous. I must obtain what I need, no matter what. Whether you give it or not is your business, but I must have it.

Jesus said, It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. The woman was quick-witted, saying, Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table. This Canaanite woman thought, I don't mind being a dog! Does calling me a dog make me one? Even if you call me a dog, I will not waver inside. This Canaanite woman did not get entangled in petty matters—whether to wash hands before eating, whether the words were pleasant, whether there were insults. What was the result? Jesus said, Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.

What did Jesus want to highlight? Or rather, what did Matthew want to highlight? To emphasize that what is inside a person is faith. You must believe that God is a good God, and though God's words may sound harsh, He is the God who heals us. Whether God simply wanted to test this Canaanite woman, we do not know. But we know that this Canaanite woman indeed obtained what she wanted. How did she obtain it? It was what she carried in her heart that enabled her to obtain it.

All such people are clever. I earnestly desire that everyone can be clever. Wherein lay the strength of this Canaanite woman? I must obtain what I need, and with firm faith, I will certainly obtain it from Jesus.

In fact, many people dampened my enthusiasm back then. They said, Was it God who called you to serve? Surely not? I firmly believed: Whether it was or not is not important; it is enough that I believe it is. I want to serve God, and even if God has not chosen me to serve Him, someday, I will make God choose me! What kind of faith is this? It is that I know clearly that God will fulfill what I believe in my heart. And what is it that I want? It is simply to set the captives free and release the oppressed.

Did I want a good job, to become a millionaire, to have a good life, to marry a good wife, to have a good son? No, I did not want to live an ordinary life; I wanted destiny, I wanted to set the captives free and release the oppressed.

The thought in my heart is, I must, by all means, do what is precious in God's eyes. I know that God will fulfill what I believe! This faith is truly both flexible and powerful. Many people think I am forcing God to fulfill things, but that is not the case. It is because God is very willing to fulfill what I believe.

If God did it for the Canaanite woman, why would He not do it for me? The Canaanite woman only asked that her demon-possessed child be set free and believed that God would grant it to her. What did I ask for? I asked for the captives to be set free and the oppressed to be released.

A sister called me, her mind in chaos, feeling as if many threads were pulling her scalp upward, which must have been very uncomfortable! If a thread is tied to the intestines and pulled, is it uncomfortable? Yes, it is. So, if it is tied to the head, is it uncomfortable? Yes, it is. She had been in this state for quite some time.

She would feel better for a while and then suffer again, repeatedly, not fully delivered. One day, I resolved to believe that I must set her free, so I personally ministered to her. This sister was very blessed, and I believed that God would fulfill what I believed, because I teach people to carefully observe and follow the word of God. I said, Take your hand as a sword and cut all these threads! Come, pray with me! And she was healed.

I thought, it doesn't matter how many times these symptoms appear. I gradually discerned that many things are spiritual matters. Is gesturing like cutting with a sword really a sword? In the eyes of the devil, it truly is a sword. Because I believe it is a spiritual sword, a sacred object with the power to cut off demons.

When we read Journey to the West, we often read about this person having treasures and that person having sacred objects, and these things produce effects. For example, the golden band on Sun Wukong's head is a kind of sacred object. When the band-tightening mantra is recited, Sun Wukong's head is constricted unbearably, and he cannot remove it. In the spiritual world, there are all kinds of sacred objects. A head tied and wrapped with threads, in my words, is the sacred object of a weasel spirit. You have your sacred object, and I have mine. My sacred object is what I believe!

I surmised that Jesus often used saliva and mud to anoint people's eyes and tongues, and these were actually the sacred objects of Jesus Christ. We see Jesus using saliva and mud, but what demons see in the spiritual realm is completely different.

My mother has a senile dementia demon. Sometimes she is confused and very annoying. Now she is much better than before, but the demon has not been completely driven out. One day, I told the person serving her to take a stick, but we couldn't find one, so they found a plastic rod with a hook on the end. The demon began to speak through my mother's mouth: This thing of yours is powerful; it is the whip of God! I found it very interesting, this was originally a revelation, in the spiritual realm, it is not a plastic rod, but a sacred object in the spiritual realm. Why? Because I believe it is a whip from God, and it is.

Moses had a staff, just an ordinary staff, which turned into a snake when thrown on the ground and turned back into a staff when picked up. How did it change? God made it change. Was Moses afraid of holding this staff? What if the staff turned into a snake while he was sleeping at night and bit him? It couldn't bite him. Because God has the final say!

Our Hearts Must Return to God

What exactly is in your heart and mine today? Do you have Mingding Destiny in your heart? If you do not have Mingding Destiny in your heart, and your heart is filled with your own things, sometimes even self-righteous, then your whole life will be accounted for by the things in your heart. The things in your heart will be reflected in whom you bless and whom you shepherd. If you have been a believer for many years and are still just a believer, that is really inexcusable.

So, letting you rise up to serve is not for anything else, but to let your heart return to God. Do not worship God with your lips, nor worship God with money alone, but worship God in spirit and in truth! We must carefully observe and follow God's word, take on the Mingding Destiny He has given us, become a serving person, and become someone who truly pays the price for Jesus Christ.

Sometimes I find people very strange. I asked a brother if he had called the person he was shepherding, and he said no, because he didn't remember. I asked him if he remembered to call his girlfriend when he was dating. He said yes, he would never forget that. I was very surprised, how could people become like this? What exactly is in people's hearts? Everyone should think about it carefully.

If the goal in our hearts is to live well in this life, then it is impossible to live well. If what is in our hearts is to make ourselves comfortable, it is impossible to live comfortably. Why are people living their lives? What is your core interest? That is, what is in your heart?

Some people say, I tithe, I attend Sunday service, and I pray. But God does not need this very much; what God needs is for people's hearts to return to Him. People must present themselves as living sacrifices to God; this is their reasonable service. I tell everyone very clearly that if the thoughts in your heart are all about things of this world—your work, family, children, house, car, etc.—you will not be well. If what is in your heart is God, His plan and Mingding Destiny for you, it will be difficult for you not to live in blessing and prosperity!

Follow God Closely Throughout Your Life

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the mute, the crippled and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel (Matthew 15:29-31).

Can so many of the lame, the blind, the mute, the crippled, and many other sick people be healed? I tell you, people receive what they believe. It doesn't matter if someone is born lame; nothing is impossible with Jesus. As a result, the blind saw, the mute spoke, the lame walked, the crippled were made well, and the deaf heard! How wonderful!

If I were on the scene and saw the miracles performed by Jesus, I would say, “Jesus, you already have 12 disciples, but I want to be the 13th. Even if you beat me to death, I will follow you!” If Jesus said, “I will only take 12 disciples,” I would say, “No! Take 13! I will follow you behind you!”

We must have this kind of character! What Jesus did was so powerful! Not only that, but I will also say, “Lord Jesus, I want to do everything you do. Next time you are going to do something, leave some room for me, let me try it first. You walk on water, and I will walk on water. You make the mute speak, and I will make the mute speak. You make the blind see, and I will make the blind see!”

Some people say that is God's sovereignty. But do you really understand what God's sovereignty is? God's sovereignty does not require a slave; God wants people of faith. I believe that God will give it to me. Some people say, “God hasn’t decided to give it to you, so don’t ask for it, it’s useless.” I know what kind of people God gives treasures to. God gives treasures to those who believe! That's why I eventually obtained all these things I asked for!

If we receive God’s power today, and the mute can speak, the blind can see, the lame can walk, and even people with cancer can live, isn’t that receiving a treasure? So, I am a person who has treasures in my hand throughout my life, I am seen as precious in God's eyes, and God is also my treasure, how wonderful is this! I will follow God closely throughout my life, walking in His will. Carefully observe God's commandments, and love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my strength, and all my soul! Is it tiring? How could it not be tiring? I do a lot of ministry every day, panting with exhaustion, but it’s good to be tired, because this is my Mingding Destiny.

This is always better than those who work nine-to-five every day and cook after work. Someone will say, If you don't cook, what will you eat? You can cook, but that is not our Mingding Destiny for living. Someone says, How can you live like this? If God gets angry, how will you live? Sometimes when I see how people in the world live, I feel it's really hard; sometimes when I see some self-righteous people, I say a few nice words and coax them, who told them to be self-righteous in their hearts?

Today, brothers and sisters, you must know, what else do we need once we have God? As long as God is pleased with me, what else do I need? So, my service is reasonable, it is a clever choice. Because what is in my heart is God's will. Therefore, everyone who comes among us is blessed. If you are not blessed, it is probably because the thoughts in your heart are hindering you from being blessed.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.” His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?” “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan (Matthew 15:32-39).

The previous chapter talked about the five loaves and two fish feeding five thousand people, and this chapter talked about the seven loaves and two fish feeding four thousand people. Whether it’s seven loaves or five loaves doesn’t matter, what matters is that Jesus fed these four thousand people! If they want to find fault, they can find many faults. For example, they have been hungry for three days while following Jesus, and Jesus only gave them food to eat. But what exactly do we want? What can we gain by finding faults? We gain nothing. Jesus did not turn bread every day; people think how good it would be if bread was turned every day. If people can look down on eating, God will definitely not let you go hungry; we really do not need to worry.

Living is a very simple thing; our God will definitely feed us, we just go forward with confidence. If you want to worry, worry about whether you are walking in the will of God; if you are afraid, be afraid of whether you have obtained Mingding Destiny; if you have concerns, be concerned about whether you are a person with Mingding Destiny, whether you love God with all your heart, all your strength, and all your soul. If you are a person who loves God, are you not more precious than these four thousand people? What did these four thousand people ask for, and what did that Canaanite woman ask for? It was only to be filled with bread and to have their sickness healed; they believed and received it.

If you and I are like that, a person with Mingding Destiny, God will give this treasure into our hands, so that we can rely on Him to be a blessing to this generation. We put our hands on our chests and ask ourselves, what exactly are we thinking in our hearts? If all you think about in your heart is how good it would be to get this bread, then it will be troublesome. It is nothing more than eating it and dropping it into the stomach, and then pulling it into the toilet, completing a bioengineering project. Jesus came to give us a demonstration, this is how to please God in His presence, the appearance of having Mingding Destiny!

Jesus Christ came into this world to bear the sins of people, to bear the sorrows of people, and to bear the diseases of people. Jesus also served very hard. In three days, He had to speak a lot and heal a lot of patients. Maybe Jesus can heal with one touch. If He has to touch four thousand people, it is really very hard. Not to mention whether there are infectious diseases and a lot of other problems. But Jesus simply did not take it to heart. Jesus gave us a demonstration. Jesus wants to raise up people like Him in this generation.

Today, I earnestly desire that if the brothers and sisters among us encounter many things, put your hands on your chests and ask yourselves, why is this happening? Have I carefully observed and followed God's commands, have I loved my God with all my heart, all my strength, and all my soul, am I a person with Mingding Destiny? Ask if we have owed God a lot in the past so many years? God has been gracious to us again and again, but what have we done?

Many people say I have offerings, but what does offering count for? We must offer our hearts to God to count. People cannot draw near to God with their lips, but their hearts are far from God. At this time, everyone puts their hands on their chests, bows their heads to pray to God, and tells God: I want to repent to you, I want to be a blessed person, completely tear down the selfishness inside, and completely return to you!

May God bless everyone!