Articles
Heartfelt Sin
Heartfelt Sin
Jesus stated so well the origin of sin, when He said, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23). It is not with God, but from within the heart of man (James 1:13-15). The temptation may come from without, but the sin comes from within the thought first.
Jesus ruined the Pharisees’ efforts to make sure the outside was clean. Jesus was not downgrading personal hygiene to prevent the spread of bacteria. He pointed to having our heart right every hour is the real need.
The sin of the heart is such an important topic because the ability to reason, to understand, to think, to believe, to decide, to purpose, to love, to hate, and to hope develop in the heart. Therefore, we need to be careful of the direction which we allow our heart to take, because the heart determines the good or the bad we will do. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good… (Luke 6:45).
For our heart to be good or evil is determined by the power of three principles.
(1) What we see and hear. Why are hearts set on good? Why are hearts set on evil? It is what we watch or the type material we read which move us to think and act a certain way. Our mind was made to seek God. A timely word is spoken in Psalm 119:10,11. “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee”.
(2) The power of association. Why do people say, “You’re guilty by association”? There is an obvious truth. People can “corrupt good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Spending time with evil people, you mimic their ways. For this reason, an exhortation came to Ephesus. “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11). It does not take a brain surgeon to understand associating with spiritually minded people brings out the best in you. To achieve a good heart, a person needs the influence of those who are pure and good in heart.
(3) The power of exercise. No one can “read your mind”, but what often indicates the thoughts of the heart are your actions. When a heart is fed lusts and unholiness, it will continue to act upon those things. On the other side, people who exercise themselves unto giving, kindness, and hospitality, which comes from a heart of godliness. Paul said, “godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). Pray God provides you a heartfelt love for holiness in word and deed to receive the promise of eternal life…
