heart target

And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him… all these evil things come from within and they defile a person.”

Mark 7:20, 23

My problems may be aggravated or occasioned by external circumstances, but externals are never the real problem. People don’t “make” me anger or cause me to lose control or are to blame for my unhappiness! Other people or their actions may be the circumstances to my problem, but Jesus is very clear that what comes out of my own heart under external pressure is the real issue for me to understand.

Jesus says even the wrong in my actions has its origin “out of the heart of man” (Mark 7:21). From the heart these actions flow. And Jesus does not mince words… He names the worst external sins ALONGSIDE external sins and equates them as equally evil! Look at the list in Mark 6:21-22:

• evil thoughts (internal)
• sexual immorality (external)
• theft (external)
• murder (external)
• adultery (external)
• coveting (internal)
• wickedness (internal)
• deceit (internal and external)
• sensuality (internal and external)
• slander (external)
• pride (internal)
• foolishness (internal and external)

The heart (a term that is biblical shorthand for the inner person composed of mind, will, intellect, emotions, thoughts, intentions, motivations, etc) is the source of my problems. My responses flow from my heart, and when sin or selfishness rule my heart, I shrink everything down to a micro-kingdom of one and then I sin. And in Jesus’ words, I am then “defiled” by my own sin that came from a defiled heart.

Thank God, Jesus is in the heart-replacement business! He renews minds (Romans 12:1-2)! He helps us put off from our hearts what is evil and put on what is good (Ephesians 4:18-32; Colossians 3:1-17)! He fulfills the promise of the New Covenant by giving us new hearts (Ezekiel 36:26-27). His Word and Holy Spirit guide us in all truth so that we can have good things flow from within our hearts and out into a new life (John 16:13).