"Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt." —Psalm 123:3
"What we must beware of is not damage to our belief in God but damage to our Christian disposition or state of mind. “Take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously” (Malachi 2:16). Our state of mind is powerful in its effects. It can be the enemy that penetrates right into our soul and distracts our mind from God. There are certain attitudes we should never dare to indulge. If we do, we will find they have distracted us from faith in God. Until we get back into a quiet mood before Him, our faith is of no value, and our confidence in the flesh and in human ingenuity is what rules our lives. Beware of “the cares of this world…” (Mark 4:19). They are the very things that produce the wrong attitudes in our soul. It is incredible what enormous power there is in simple things to distract our attention away from God. Refuse to be swamped by “the cares of this world.” Another thing that distracts us is our passion for vindication. St. Augustine prayed, “O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself." - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest
There are things in this world that are spiritually neutral. In other words, they don’t have a positive or negative spiritual consequence. The problem is that our discernment can become dulled to those things that have negative consequences but are acceptable in our culture but contrary to the Word.
“Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." - Proverbs 4:23
There are certain things in everyone’s life that we cling to, even though, in our heart, we know they are not right. There are things that we teach our children are wrong, yet we will sit in our living rooms and watch those wrong things being played out on the television screen or in a movie theater. What you allow in your home through music and visual media is a statement by you to your children that those things are acceptable. Do this. The next time you watch your favorite television show, count those things (words or relationships) that are contrary to the Word of God. Each one is a lesson. There is an old adage “Do as I say, not as I do.” Well, I would suggest that the lesson being taught in many homes is, “Don’t do as I say, do as I do.” I can remember when I was a little boy, my dad told me not to smoke because it was bad for me. All the while he was smoking a cigarette. What is the “real” message there? If you want to be like me, then you should smoke.
When we observe sin, vicariously, we convince ourselves that it is entertainment and not “really all that bad”. What we don’t realize is that our flesh is at the root of it. Sin is attractive to our flesh because our flesh is sinful. Look, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig! Whether it is language, life style, or sinful behavior … it promotes those things that are supposed to have been crucified in your life. Bottom line, if you crave those things, you have a sin problem. Hope you don’t stop reading my devotions because of that! Our country has a problem with violence and the most popular television shows are about people killing people. Parents fear their daughters getting pregnant before marriage, yet most movies and television dramas portray and promote extra-marital sex. The same media that is slamming men for sexual aggression toward women is promoting Victoria Secret in China, the world’s sexiest man, and promoting women as sex objects at every turn. Think about it Church! It’s the frog in the pot. Christians are being boiled alive … and they think the water is just right! Don’t try to vindicate yourself .. justify your actions .. confess and repent .. honor God in all you do.
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." - Philippians 4:8
Be careful that you are not turning your spiritual nature off when you turn your TV on, sit down in a movie theater or gather with other people.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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