God Wants Your Heart

September 24, 2023 | Charles Ficken



These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.


Discussion Questions


Start Talking 

  • Are there any moral standards or traditions that you hold to but you aren’t really sure why?

    • Maybe that is what your parents told you?

    • Maybe you read an article or heard a podcast that told you?

  • Have you ever met someone else who had very different moral views or church tradition views than you and you couldn’t figure out where they got that from?

  • Have you ever felt condemned because you didn’t hold to what someone else held to as a tradition or moral standard?

Read This

  • Read Mark 7:1-8

    • What were the Pharisees upset about in this passage?

    • The washing of the hands was a tradition of whom?

    • What was Jesus’ response to the Pharisees?

    • Read verse 8 again. What does Jesus say the Pharisees have let go of?

  • Read Mark 7: 9-13

    • Verse 9 repeats verse 8, do you think Jesus thought this was an important issue to address?

    • What does verse 13 say they are doing by prioritizing traditions over the commands of God?

  • Read Mark 7: 14-22

    • What does Jesus say defiles us?

What Now

  • What things do you do or rules that you follow that you need to reevaluate to see if they are truly from God or from the traditions of man?

  • Do you tend to be someone who feels like they need to DO in order to be good enough?

    • How does the doing serve God?

    • How does it serve you?

    • Which is more important?

  • Is your identity tied up in what you do?

    • Your job?

    • Your ministry or community service?

    • Your kids' sports, music, activities?

  • Psalm 46:10 says to Be still and know that I am God.

    • How often are you still enough to hear what God is saying to you?

    • Do you seek God first in your decisions, even about daily life things?

  • What steps can you take this week to reevaluate the why behind what you do and to seek God instead?


God is not someone we perform for…He is someone we be with.

Additional Series Resources

2023 Scripture Reading Plan

Song: Be Still & Know by Housefires

Book: Be Still and Know: Psalm 46 and the Stinkin’ Stuff of Life by Stuart H. Schwartz