February 17, 2025

Week 7: What Defiles | Pray Through the Gospel of Mark

WEEK 7 – What Defiles

For the next 10 minutes or so, we are going to turn our attention to God in prayer. He desires to meet with us today. To talk to us. To share His heart with us. Take a few deep breaths and say the following prayer:  

God, You are here, now. And I am loved by You.   

Now take a moment and pray this simple prayer that can be said in the span of a breath.  

Jesus, You have made me clean.  

As I read the following passage from Mark listen with the expectation that God is moving towards you, to speak to you, through these Spirit-inspired words today.   

14 Summoning the crowd again, he told them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15 Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”  

17 When he went into the house away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about the parable. 18 He said to them, “Are you also as lacking in understanding? Don’t you realize that nothing going into a person from the outside can defile him? 19 For it doesn’t go into his heart but into the stomach and is eliminated” (thus he declared all foods clean). 20 And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, 22 adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, self-indulgence, envy,  slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a person.” 

What comes out of our mouths reveals what’s in our hearts. 

What we do reveals what’s in our hearts. 

Have you ever said or done something and thought, “Where did that come from?” Maybe you were feeling a significant amount of pressure or temptation. Your circumstances were squeezing you, the walls were closing in, and the outcome was a version of you that you didn’t like or recognize. Maybe it showed up in front of people you love and respect and you felt that sting of embarrassment and shame.  

And your first thought might be, “I’m a Christian! I should be better! I should do better!” And in that moment, you decide that you’re going to work harder at not allowing those words or that behavior to happen again.   

But the truth that many of us don’t want to face is that thing, whatever that is, was in you.  

Even as Christians, our sin is evidence that we’ve chosen, consciously or unconsciously, to do things on our own, apart from our relationship with Jesus, even though His Spirit lives in us to remind us who we are and to help us when we need it most. We are, in effect, telling Jesus that His way doesn’t seem to be working, and we need to get what we think we need on our own terms.   

And when we do this our experience of God’s love toward us is compromised because our actions revealed the pride in our hearts. The Holy Spirit doesn’t leave us. We still belong to Jesus. But we’ve chosen to do things on our own and our hearts are exposed. So, what do we do with our exposed hearts? 

 Jesus said that what comes from inside of us defiles us.

To defile means to make unclean or unfit to approach God. But Jesus, because of His sacrifice, makes His home in us, His presence makes us holy. We can come boldly to the throne of grace when we need it. We can ask for His forgiveness and His help. But so many of us are ashamed of what our actions revealed that we choose instead to try and manage our sin on our own. But Jesus invites us into deeper relationship with Him. He doesn’t just want to deal with the actions that revealed our hearts, He wants to deal with the source, transforming us from the inside out.  

Let’s pray. In the space between each line pray in your own words or sit quietly and listen for the still small voice of the Spirit. 

Lord, there are things that come out of me that reveal what’s in my heart.  

When I’m under pressure or I don’t get what I want, I choose to do things my own way rather than trusting You.  

This is sin that disrupts my relationship with You. You haven’t gone anywhere but I’ve turned my back because of shame.  

I humble myself before You, Lord. 

I choose now to look to You. I choose now to ask for forgiveness and to receive Your grace.  

You welcome me with open arms. You set me free from the sin that keeps me from abundant life with You.  

Your Spirit dwells within me. I am Your temple. I am holy, set apart for You. 

Hear the Word of the Lord:  

1The earth and everything in it,
the world and its inhabitants,
belong to the Lord;
2 for he laid its foundation on the seas
and established it on the rivers. 

3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not appealed to what is false,
and who has not sworn deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord,
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who inquire of him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.[c]Selah 

7 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates!
Rise up, ancient doors!
Then the King of glory will come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord of Armies,
he is the King of glory.    

Psalm 24