Mark 7:20-23 – “And he said, ‘What comes out of a person
is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of a man, come evil
thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness,
deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things
come from within, and they defile a person'" (ESV).
The next part in Mark is about the Syrophoenician’s faith – the
woman who was not a Jew but wanted her daughter healed of a demon, and Jesus
said it’s not right to give the children’s bread to the dogs, and she said yes
but even the dogs get the crumbs, and then God healed her daughter because of
that statement, because of her faith.
So this all just makes me think about the heart, my heart. I
mean, this woman did not prepare this statement beforehand, she just had such
faith she wasn’t about to say, “Oh okay,” and leave Jesus because he said he
wasn’t going to heal her daughter. She was going to keep fighting for what she
came to him for, you know?
I want to be like that, where faith is so deeply
rooted in me that it comes out in everything I say and do. And I want faith to come out of me instead of evil thoughts, sexual immorality,
theft, adultery, coveting, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and
foolishness.
Oh Lord cleanse me of these sins and put faith so strongly
in my heart that it comes out in everything I do.
