And He said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) And He said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of 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.”
Here, Jesus lists several heart issues that “defile” a person. Let’s take some time today for a “heart check” and ask the LORD which of these are issues in our own hearts. Here’s the list Jesus gave, along with some definitions from Strong’s Concordance:
❑ Evil Thoughts - (depraved, injurious, bad, evil, harm, ill, noisome, wicked) discussion, internal consideration, external debate, dispute, doubting, imagination, reasoning
❑ Sexual Immorality - harlotry, idolatry
❑ Theft - stealing
❑ Murder - slay
❑ Adultery - adultery (also lust - see Matthew 5:28)
❑ Coveting - avarice (extreme greed), fraudulency, extortion, greediness
❑ Wickedness - depravity, malice, plots, sins, iniquity
❑ Deceit - trick, craft, deceit, guile, subtilty
❑ Sensuality - licentiousness (promiscuous and unprincipled, sometimes including other vices), filthy, wanton
❑ Envy - derelict, vicious, malicious, jealous
❑ Slander - vilification, evil speaking, railing
❑ Pride - haughtiness, appearing above others, conspicuous
❑ Foolishness - senselessness, egotism, moral recklessness, folly
I’m so thankful that “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9)!
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