Inside Out — Real Change Starts Within

*This devo goes along with our sermon series Faith - A Journey through Doubt, which can be watched here

Scripture: Matthew 23:26 (NLT)

“You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.”

It’s possible to live polished but not purified. That was the tragic reality Jesus exposed in the religious leaders of His day — they were masters of appearances, but blind to the inner decay. And it broke His heart.

Pastor Cory compared it to a coffee mug rinsed just enough to look clean on the outside — while layers of grime build up inside. You wouldn’t drink from that. Yet how often do we present ourselves that way spiritually?

Jesus makes it clear: transformation doesn’t start with external behavior — it begins in the heart. “First wash the inside,” He says. Real faith is not about looking holy; it’s about being changed by the Spirit of God from the inside out.

The world doesn’t need more well-rehearsed religious performances. It needs people who let God search their hearts daily — even the parts no one else sees. It needs people who pursue confession over concealment and holiness over hype.

Let’s be honest — there’s grime in all of us. But God isn’t overwhelmed by it. He wants to cleanse us, renew us, and empower us to live genuinely. Not perfectly, but purely — because the inside has been changed.

So pause today and ask: Am I spending more time maintaining my image or inviting God to transform my heart? You don’t need a performance. You need His presence.

Prayer: Lord, cleanse me from the inside out. I’m tired of polishing the surface while hiding what’s underneath. Search my heart, reveal what’s unclean, and make me new. Let my life reflect Your work in me — not a performance, but transformation. Amen.