Blessings in the Mighty Name of Yeshua Hamashiach!
Matthew 15:17-20 AMPC
[17] Do you not see and understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the abdomen and so passes on into the place where discharges are deposited?
[18] But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what makes a man unclean and defiles [him].
[19] For out of the heart come evil thoughts (reasonings and disputings and designs) such as murder, adultery, sexual vice, theft, false witnessing, slander, and irreverent speech.
[20] These are what make a man unclean and defile [him]
Pharisaical, works-based religion is still alive and kicking in the church today. But God has not called us to a lifeless existence of merely following rules. God wants our hearts and not our lip service (Isaiah 29:13). He is interested in inner purity, not outward ceremony. Authentic worship flows from the heart. In His description of true kingdom worshipers, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Purity of heart involves single-minded devotion to our relationship with God. An undefiled heart has no hypocrisy, duplicity, or hidden agenda. The pure in heart desire to obey God’s Word and please Him in all things. They do more than wash their hands and behave pristinely; they possess the innermost purity of soul.
Shalom
Pastor Williams