Mark 7:15, 19 & 21 (kankanaey)

"Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him.  Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.  For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body"  (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean)

Do we worry more about what is in our diets than what is in our hearts and minds?  As they interpreted the dietary laws (Leviticus 11), the Jews believed they could be clean before God because of what they refused to eat.  But Jesus pointed out that sin actually begins in the attitudes and intentions of the inner person.  Jesus did not degrade the law, but he paved way for the change made

clear in Acts 10:9-29 when God removed the cultural restrictions regarding food.  We are not pure because of outward acts - we become pure  on the inside as Christ renews our minds and transforms us into his image.

An evil action begins with a single thought.  Allowing our minds to dwell on lust, envy, hatred, or revenge will lead to sin.  Don't defile yourself by  focusing on evil.  Instead follow Paul's advice in Philippias 4:8 and think about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.