WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION? PART 3: WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU?

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION?

PART 3: WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU?

Matthew 12:34 (NLT)

“For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”

In Part 1, we asked:

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOURSELF?

We discovered that what we consume matters because what we feed can grow.

In Part 2, we moved deeper and asked:

WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE YOU?

We learned that receiving something is not the same as being transformed by it.

What enters us must be processed.

The Word of God must move from our ears into our hearts, our thoughts, our decisions and eventually our lifestyle.

Now we move to the next question:

WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU?

Because whatever is happening inside you will eventually find a way out.

WHAT IS INSIDE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY SPEAK

Jesus said:

“For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”

Notice that Jesus did not begin with the mouth. He began with the heart.

The mouth is often a messenger. It reveals what has been stored within.

When pressure comes, something comes out.

When you are offended, something comes out.

When you are disappointed, something comes out.

When you are corrected, something comes out.

When you receive authority, something comes out.

When you receive money, something comes out.

When someone disagrees with you, something comes out.

Why? Because pressure often reveals what has already been stored inside.

You may control your words for a while.

You may behave well in public.

You may appear calm around people.

But life has a way of bringing out what is inside.a

THE HEART IS A TREASURY

Jesus continued in Matthew 12:35:

“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.”

The heart is described as a treasury.

A treasury stores things.

This means your heart is constantly receiving and storing something.

Words.

Experiences.

Beliefs.

Memories.

Offences.

Scriptures.

Attitudes.

Values.

Fears.

Faith.

Wisdom.

Unforgiveness.

Love.

What you repeatedly allow into your heart can eventually become part of what you produce.

That is why Proverbs 4:23 says:

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Your heart is not a dumping ground.

You cannot keep storing everything and expect everything that comes out to be healthy.

WHAT ARE YOU PRODUCING?

This brings us back to our main question:

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION?

Sometimes the answer is not found in what we teach. It is found in what we produce.

A father may teach his child to respect people, but what does the child see when the father is angry?

A mother may teach her children to forgive, but what happens when someone hurts her?

A pastor may preach love, but how does he treat people who disagree with him?

A Christian may preach faith, but how does that person respond when life becomes difficult?

A leader may teach humility, but how does that leader behave when given authority?

People are not only listening to what we say.

They are watching what flows out of us.

YOUR CHILDREN MAY LEARN MORE FROM YOUR RESPONSE THAN YOUR SERMON

The next generation is constantly observing.

They watch how we handle pressure.

They watch how we handle money.

They watch how we speak to people.

They watch how we respond to correction.

They watch how we treat our spouses.

They watch how we treat people who cannot help us.

They watch how we behave when nobody is applauding us.

They watch what happens when our prayers seem unanswered.

They watch what happens when we are disappointed.

And sometimes, without realizing it, we are teaching them.

Your reaction can become a lesson.

Your attitude can become a model.

Your words can become a pattern.

Your lifestyle can become a curriculum.

That is why this series is not simply asking:

What are you feeding yourself?

It is also asking:

What are you producing for those coming after you?

WHAT FLOWS OUT OF YOU?

Take a moment and examine yourself.

When you are under pressure, what flows out?

Anger?

Prayer?

Insults?

Patience?

Fear?

Faith?

Blame?

Wisdom?

When someone hurts you, what flows out?

Revenge?

Unforgiveness?

Silence?

Prayer?

Forgiveness?

When you are corrected, what flows out?

Pride?

Defensiveness?

Excuses?

Humility?

A willingness to learn?

When you succeed, what flows out?

Pride?

Generosity?

Arrogance?

Gratitude?

When things go wrong, what flows out?

Complaining?

Despair?

Faith?

Perseverance?

These questions are important because what flows out of you gives you a glimpse into what has been developing inside you.

THE NEXT GENERATION WILL RECEIVE WHAT FLOWS FROM YOU

Think about a tree.

A tree does not produce fruit by accident.

The fruit reveals something about the tree.

Jesus used this kind of picture when He taught about trees and their fruit.

Matthew 7:17 says:

“A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.”

The fruit is visible.

The root may be hidden.

In the same way, your inner life may be invisible to people for a while.

But eventually, something will become visible.

Your words.

Your behaviour.

Your decisions.

Your relationships.

Your reactions.

Your priorities.

Your character.

These are some of the fruits people experience from what is happening inside you.

And somebody is eating from that fruit.

YOU ARE FEEDING SOMEBODY

This is where the message becomes personal.

You may think you are living only for yourself.

But somebody is watching.

Somebody is learning.

Somebody is following.

Somebody is being influenced.

Your child may be learning from you.

Your younger sibling may be learning from you.

Your colleague may be learning from you.

Your church member may be learning from you.

Your student may be learning from you.

Your disciple may be learning from you.

Someone may be receiving something from your life without you knowing it.

That is why we must become intentional about what flows from us.

We are all feeding somebody.

The question is:

What are they receiving from you?

WHAT IF WHAT YOU ARE PRODUCING IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO PASS ON?

This is where the gospel gives us hope.

You may look at your life and realize:

“I have been producing anger.”

“I have been producing fear.”

“I have been producing bitterness.”

“I have been producing unhealthy words.”

“I have been producing negative attitudes.”

“I have been passing down things that I do not want the next generation to receive.”

The answer is not to pretend.

The answer is transformation.

God can change what is happening inside you.

Romans 12:2 says:

“Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”

God does not simply want to change your appearance.

He wants to transform your thinking.

He wants to transform your heart.

He wants to transform your character.

And when the inside changes, what comes out begins to change.

START WITH WHAT IS INSIDE

Sometimes we spend too much time trying to control our behaviour without allowing God to transform our hearts.

We say:

“I will stop shouting.”

“I will stop being angry.”

“I will stop speaking harshly.”

“I will stop complaining.”

But lasting change requires more than external control.

We need God to work within us.

That is why David prayed in Psalm 51:10:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”

David understood something important.

The problem is not always what is coming out.

Sometimes we need to ask:

What is happening inside?

Because when the inside is transformed, the outside begins to reflect the transformation.

LESSONS TO LEARN

1. WHAT IS INSIDE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY COME OUT

Pressure, relationships and circumstances can reveal what has been developing within you.

2. YOUR WORDS CAN REVEAL YOUR INNER CONDITION

Pay attention to what repeatedly comes out of your mouth.

Your words can reveal what your heart has been storing.

3. YOUR LIFESTYLE IS ALSO FEEDING PEOPLE

People may learn from your actions even when you are not intentionally teaching them.

4. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOU ALLOW TO DEVELOP INSIDE YOU

You cannot control everything that happens around you, but you can become intentional about what you accept, meditate on and allow to shape you.

5. GOD CAN TRANSFORM WHAT YOU PRODUCE

Your past does not have to become the permanent pattern of your future.

God can change the heart, renew the mind and produce something different through your life.

KEY TAKEAWAY

What Enters You Matters.

What Happens Inside You Matters.

And What Flows Out Of You Matters.

Because somebody is receiving what is coming out of your life.

Before you ask:

“What am I feeding the next generation?”

Ask yourself:

“What is flowing out of me?”

CALL TO ACTION

Today, observe yourself.

Pay attention to your words.

Pay attention to your reactions.

Pay attention to your attitudes.

Pay attention to how you respond when things do not go your way.

Then ask yourself:

What am I producing consistently?

Is it something you want the next generation to receive? If the answer is no, do not simply try to hide it. Take it to God.

Ask Him to work on what is inside you.

Choose one area where you need transformation and begin intentionally working with God in that area.

Remember:

You are feeding somebody.

Make sure what flows from you is worth receiving.

PRAYER

1. Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.

2. Lord, help me to recognize what is developing inside me before it becomes harmful to others.

3. Lord, remove every attitude, habit and thought pattern that I should not pass on to the next generation.

4. Lord, let my words, actions and reactions become a source of godly influence to those around me.

5. Lord, transform me from the inside so that what flows from my life will bring life, wisdom, love and grace to others.

NEXT PART PREVIEW

PART 4: WHAT ARE YOU PRODUCING?

Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT)

We will move from what flows out of us to the fruit our lives are producing.

Because it is one thing to ask what is coming out of you.

It is another thing to ask:

What kind of fruit is your life producing?

What are people receiving from your character?

And what kind of fruit are you leaving for the next generation?

Grace and peace be with you until we meet again in the next part of this life-transforming journey.

God is speaking, are you listening?

Prince Julius Nenebi-Darkson

(EL-PJ God's Penman)