We can only be defiled by the things that come from within II

I thank God for you and I trust that this day will bring you great blessings as you meditate upon the word God has given us for this day.

Yesterday we established that our reaction on other people’s actions and outside pressures indicate the true content of our hearts. We also saw that those things that defile us come out of our hearts.

«And He said, „What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man» (Mark, 7: 20-23).

The vices cited in this passage of Scripture are the cause of all the relationship problems among people. Imagine a person whose heart is full of these vices and some others, but thinks that he is alright and that he is growing in the Lord. Yes, he is alright until God starts uprooting all these rotten things through the relationships with other people. If we do not allow God to take off our mask and change us, then the relationships with people will fall apart in spite of our claims to believe God.

But God does not desire for our relationships to be ruined. He wants to transform us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. God uses people’s imperfection to open our eyes to the uncleanness that is in us. If we humble ourselves before God when we see the expressions of these vices in our lives, then He helps us to get rid of them. He wants to change us through relationships. He wants us to see what we are truly like on the inside and how much there is still that needs to change.

It says in the Bible that human heart is deceitful and corrupt:

«The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of is doings» (Jeremiah, 17: 9-10).

Only the Lord knows the true condition of our hearts, and He wants to help us look into our hearts using the relationships we are involved in. Our views, actions and lack of actions, our words – all of these things cause particular reaction which determines the level of our spiritual maturity.

The way we treat other people is the obvious indicator of our spiritual maturity. We start treating people differently as God transforms our character. We start treating them better than before; it includes our children, spouse, friends, brothers and sisters. We start to treat all of them like Jesus would. And we do it not because they have changes, but because we have. When we change, people around us change us well.

So, what happens to us outwardly cannot defile us. We are defiled by the things that proceed from our hearts: our wrong reactions to the actions, words and behaviour of the people around us.

Allow God to help you — to perfect you and change you into the image of Jesus Christ!

I wish you God’s abundant blessings!

Pastor Rufus Ajiboye