“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45 ESV)
Yesterday we explored the truth that what you consume will consume you. Question: do things ever come out of your mouth that you regret, that cause shame, or that make you angry with yourself? Yeah, me too. One of the greatest impacts of the things we allow into the doorway to our soul (our eyes and ears) is how it comes out later.
Paul reminds us: Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV) It shouldn’t surprise us that eventually the company we keep, the music we listen to, the TV and movies we watch, and the things that we read will change us. I want to challenge you today to be honest and examine your own life with this question: do I like the person I am and who I’m becoming? Go deeper and ask: does God like the person I am becoming, and do I honor Christ with my life?
I’ve heard it said that the best way to become a miserable person is to hang out with miserable people. As a computer programmer there is a truth that I learned early when writing programs: garbage in, garbage out. If you don’t like what is coming out of your mouth or the thoughts that regularly occur in your mind, what (or who) are you letting into your heart?
Let’s try a practical exercise for just a few moments. Grab a sheet of paper (go ahead, I’ll wait)… now write down all the TV shows you watch, the music you listen to most often, your favorite books, your closest friends. Now that you have your list, strike out any of them that you don’t think have a positive, Godly influence in your life. Take a moment to honestly pray over the list and ask God which ones He thinks you should strike out. Now that you’ve done that… what’s left?
I’ve had people call me fanatical in my faith. They’ve said that I’m taking this “Jesus thing” too seriously. Often, I’ve been accused of being closed minded because I only listen to Christian music, and I don’t watch TV regularly. I’ve had people make fun of me and tell me to lighten up… Through all this I am reminded of this Biblical truth:
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)
Satan isn’t playing games. He is looking for lives to destroy and he is more than happy to use whatever door you leave open to him to do it. Today I pray you would intentionally seek God’s will on what things are keeping you from a deeper relationship with Him. Start giving God each area of your life, don’t hold anything back, and watch how He helps you grow.
Father, I confess that so often I try to think that my own poor choices are no big deal. Lord, please remind me that the things that my heart treasure will change me. Help me to treasure things that please you and help me grow in my faith. Jesus, please give me courage to take my faith seriously. Help me to quickly spot the attacks of Satan in my life. Please close any open doors that he is using to attack me. Thank you that I have victory because of Your victory, in Jesus’ name, amen.
