For God it has never been about the pretense. God has spent the entire time trying to teach us that he is most interested in what is happening in our heart. Keeping a list of do’s and don’ts is easier for people because they can check things off as completed rather than continually submit to the leadership of God. Often, when our heart is committed to God, the do’s and don’ts are rarely an issue, but the reverse is not true—If we are focused on the do’s and don’ts are the focus—then self assurance and pride often at the center of a person’s heart.
In our lives, we need to not only examine our actions but also our attitudes. Until we are living with an attitude of submission, our actions are not necessarily an indicator of our walk with God. God calls us to seek him first and seek a heart of righteousness—then all the other things will be added to you. We have to focus on our submission to his leadership and then relax as we honor him with our actions.
God Bless You
Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 15 It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.[h]”
17 Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. 18 “Don’t you understand either?” he asked. “Can’t you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? 19 Food doesn’t go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer.” (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God’s eyes.)
20 And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. 21 For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
Walking With God 