June 22, 2025 Devo

“Sin starts in the heart.” I want you to say that out loud. Then I want you to say it again. The reason this is so important is because we tend to think of sin as something we “do.” If we kill somebody, that’s sin. If we cheat on our spouse, that’s sin. If we rob someone, that’s sin. But what most of us don’t realize is that sin is something that starts on the INSIDE. Read this next line very carefully because most of us really don’t believe it. Our ATTITUDES are just as important to God as our ACTIONS.
Don’t believe me? Jesus unpacked it in great detail in Matthew 5-7. He said that lusting was the same as adultery. He said that anger and resentment were the same as murder. He said that greed was the same as idolatry. The point Jesus was getting at was that God wants to heal what’s going on inside of us, not just correct the behavior on the outside. In fact, if we dealt with ungodly attitudes, they would never get to become ungodly actions!
Think about it. If David had dealt with his lust, it never would have become adultery, deception, and finally, murder. That whole chain of contemptible behavior started with an unchecked attitude in his heart that became an avalanche of heartache and destruction. Our chains of destruction start the same way. That’s why we need to look INWARD.
How’s YOUR heart? Do you have anyone that you’re smiling at and talking nicely to on the outside, but you’re cursing on the inside? Do you have any attitudes of resentment or anger that you need to deal with? Do you have any jealousy or envy that you need to get honest about? Have you found your eyes wandering like David’s? Unchecked, unholy attitudes are toxic. They slowly destroy us from the inside out.
But they don’t have to. I invite you today to let God into some of those “secret” places. They aren’t secret to Him. He already knows that they are there, so you can be open and honest. His Grace, that can forgive the sin on the outside, can take care of the roots on the inside as well! Ask Him to heal your heart. Ask Him to help you let it all go. Ask Him to bring light to those dark corners. Ask God to do more today than to just help you live a Holy Life. Ask Him to help you have a Holy Heart. Because when we’re Whole and Holy on the inside, the outside will take care of itself. That’s God’s Word for you today.