This Ain't No Like-You-Kinda Love

Today I read Mark 7 and when I got to verses 20-23 in the Amplified Version, the subject of the heart and love got real. It reads…

²⁰ …What comes out of a man is what makes a man unclean and renders [him] unhallowed. ²¹ For from within, [that is] out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, ²² Coveting (a greedy desire to have more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; an evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride (the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man), foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness). ²³ All these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed.

Though I didn’t see it until today, I now do and hopefully, you will too.

If there is anything we do not understand, it could very well be attributed to the hardness of our heart. But let’s take that a step further.

If Jesus said that it is what comes out of a (wo)man that defiles him (or her) then it is possible for base and wicked thoughts to be in our heart. Base and wicked as in ‘worthless, depraved, injurious, bad, harmful, ill, and noisome.’ [1] Yes, you, my dear reader could have that in your heart.

The reason those types of thoughts are able to get into that big, wonderful heart of yours is because there is no Word (of God) there. The words, opinions, or ideas expressed by an unbeliever or ignorant Christians have penetrated that golden heart of yours simply because you do not know what the Word says about that particular subject. Because you don’t, the baseless, baseness of the world crept in, or worse, the wickedness found within the spirit realm.

This is why Proverbs 4:23 says,

‘Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.’

Keep your heart.

Keep as in ‘to guard, to protect, maintain, preserve, watch over’ – your heart. [2]

You have to do it. No one can do it for you.

The other things Jesus said that can be found in the heart are…

• Sexual immorality

• Stealing

• Murder

• Adultery

• Coveting

• Dangerous and destructive wickedness

• Deceit

• Unrestrained (indecent) conduct

• An evil eye (envy)

• Slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness)

• Pride (the sin of an uplifted heart against god and man)

• Foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness)

And yes, it is possible for any number of those things to be in that bright and shiny heart of yours, and if they are, and if there is a persistent problem, one that you do not understand, then it could very well be attributed to the hardness of that big, old heart of yours.

Subsequently, it should also be noted that it is possible to fall in love with someone who too, has all of the aforementioned in their heart. Does it mean they do not have the potential or the capacity to love you? Not at all. The Bible says that Solomon loved upward of seven hundred and fifty women. Seven hundred and fifty. 👀 Therefore, it is possible for him (or her) to love you, but those things should cause some alarm.

The way to avoid those things from getting into your heart while at the same time knowing when it is in someone else’s can be found in Hebrews 4:12 which says,

‘For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.’

But this is not what this post is about.

This post is about going beyond liking. And if you read until the end, you should be able locate exactly where you are in your love walk.

Let me preface this by telling you what the Holy Spirit revealed to me:

Some of what you thought was in your heart or what you thought love was, is in fact, incomplete. Not incorrect, incomplete.

It would behoove you to read the entire chapter of 1 John 4 but for the sake of your reading thermometer, we’ll hone in on verse 21 which says,

‘And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.’

This verse speaks specifically about the royal law of love which applies to the brethren, of whom you may not necessarily be in a romantic-I-like-you type of relationship.

Matthew 5:44 takes it a step further when it says,

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

As you can see, this too is not a romantic, eros (sexual), or phileo (warm, affectionate) type of love either which means there has to be a different kind of love for that resilient heart of yours, but what is it?

Well, let’s go to Mark 10:21 when Jesus interacts with the rich young ruler. The verse reads,

‘Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”

Notice it says Jesus LOVED him.

That type of love has nothing to do with the latter but is something much higher than what you and I thought which is the GOD-KIND OF LOVE. Remember, 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.' - John 3:16

Jesus loved the rich young ruler enough to tell him the truth about who he was apart from his money which means love is not just an emotion nor does it always involve relationship. It is a God-kind-of-love.

And one characteristic of the God-kind-of-love is that it corrects. Jesus didn’t care that the man was young nor was He impressed that he had money. Jesus loved him enough to tell him that if he didn’t do something about his love of money, he may miss out on eternal life.

Again, this is why on today, in the midst of national crisis and racial divide, God is letting us that that we have an incomplete knowledge of love.

That which we know about love is correct, but it is also incomplete.

When I saw that, I realized that the God-kind-of-love flew in the face of everything I thought I knew about love because the way I thought loved worked was that I had to first like you. In fact, before I would ever consider liking you, I would take some time to see how you moved. See what you were on before I made the decision to invest my time, my heart, and my energy into liking you.

This is when the Spirit of the Lord revealed that…

The God-kind-of-love is not a like-you-love. It is a God-kind-of-love, emphasis on God!

That means I don’t have to like you in order to love you, nor do I have to be in a relationship with you.

The God-kind-of-love far exceeds because when you think about it: Jesus did not have the time to like nor was He in a relationship with the rich, young ruler. He just…loved him.

So, to you my dear reader, I say this: You do not have to like nor be in a relationship with a Democrat, a Republican, a Black or YT person, or a citizen or immigrant nor does God require you to be.

You simply have to love your enemies with a God-kind-of-love which has nothing to do with the gooey-ness of your feelings or the googley-ness of your eyes 😊 because think about it.

God doesn’t always love you like that.

He loves you with a God-kind-of-love. So much so, that when you sin, He still loves you.

Does He feel good about you? No.

Does He feel good about your sin? Absolutely not.

Does He still love you? Without a doubt.

So, in these Karmelo Anthony, MAGA, rolling back civil and voters rights, high healthcare, gas prices, privacy violations, corruption, unemployment, mass incarceration and these war on Iran type of times, remember you’ve got the God-kind-of-love on the inside of you.

Love is the most powerful weapon on the planet. Maybe it’s time for you to use it.

Pray this with me: Heavenly Father, I repent for allowing the things Jesus mentioned in Mark 7:20-23 get into my heart. I ask that You help me to grow, develop and be perfected in the God-kind-of love. In Jesus’ name.

Sources

1 - “G2556 - kakos - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 11 Jun, 2026.

2- “H5341 - nāṣar - Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 11 Jun, 2026. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5341/kjv/wlc/0-1/>.