“For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.” (Deut 23:14)

In Deuteronomy, God specifically commanded the Israelites that they should keep their camp holy by covering up their physical waste, which is unclean to God. It may be difficult for us to imagine what unholiness feels like to God, but perhaps the revulsion we feel when we see something putrid is how God feels about sin. If God is so repulsed when He looks at sin, what might He feel when He looks at the depths of our hearts? Though we have not murdered or committed adultery, it is the lust, pride, bitterness, and other abominable things harbored in our hearts that cause us to rot within. Our sins create a barrier in our relationship with God.  Proverbs 15:8-9 tells us that the prayer of a wicked person is disgusting before the LORD, because their hearts are not clean.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Ps 51:10) Sometimes, we may not realize how filthy we are until God shows us the things within us that are offensive to Him. His standard of holiness is much higher than we imagined, and can only be attained through the power of the Holy Spirit. If we wish to imitate the Lord Jesus Christ, we must start with imitating His holiness, which begins with our hearts.