I submit that the #1 problem in ‘Merica, the whole world for that matter is Heart Disease…and I am not even talking what kills more Americans physically….I am referring to emotional illness and all kinds of sin and evil from which comes mass shooters, abortion, divided families, unhealthy addictions, immorality, and a whole litany of issues.
This passage again tells us a lot.
Here is Jesus explaining it another way from Matthew 7:
14Once again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand: 15Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.”
17After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable.
18“Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, 19because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.)i
20He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. 21For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,j 22greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. 23All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”
“Guard your heart with all diligence,
for from it flow springs of life”
Proverbs 4:23
“Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake.”
Isaiah 59:7
Ultimately, we are our own worst enemies, at least the intrinsic sin we were born into, that we inherited by our flesh, from our hearts. There is no way on God’s green earth we can fix ourselves. We all are standing inside the bucket with no way to lift it sufficiently not permanently. Oh we have some partial remedies and surface level fixes. They may take the edge of for a few. Often times, we deal with the symptoms and not the core issues which ends up exasperating the original problem exponentially greater.
The mind of the flesh is death,
but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,
Romans 8:6
We need to look outside of ourselves for the answer. The one and only ultimate answer lies within our Creator. He gave us His word for our help. He sent His one and only Son to fix the ultimate problem of sin. Yet, it is a work in progress to a most certain extent. When Christ went back to Heaven until the time is right for His grand return, the Holy Spirit stepped in to the world in a fresh, new way. We need to lean on the Spirit, impregnate out thoughts with Scripture and pray like our very lives depend on it. Check this verse out:
“And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Romans 8:27
We have been instructed how to live. I guarantee you these recent mass killer of innocent people all the way back to Cain did not do these two things, the #1 and #2 commands God gives us:
“YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND;
AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
Luke 10:27
When we do that; love God and love others it all works out as we are promised in the passage following Romans 8:27,
And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.
Romans 8:28
Please don’t overlook a key word in that above passage…love.
We can’t make sense out of this fallen world. There is no logic in evil. We can’t possibly make sense out of nonsense. We can however do this:
“To the LORD I cry aloud,”
Psalms 3:4a
and He doesn’t leave us hanging for long
“and He answers me from His holy mountain.”
Selah
Psalms 3:4b
Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].
Psalm 3:5-6
Pondering Life : Pursuing God 