“His Last Words” audio devo by Teresa Hampton
Imagine what would happen if you were eating out with your family and the server, taking your order, asked, “How much poison would you like in your drink?” Say what? “NONE!”
Yet how many times do we sit down to watch a show with our family and, of the thousands offered on our network, it is hard to find a decent one. So finally we settle on one that has only some bad words and just one or two suggestive scenes. If we choose to watch it, we are accepting a “little poison in our drink.” Over time our minds and the minds of our precious loved ones will be poisoned.
The world has desensitized us with its immorality. We’ve dropped our discretionary guard. How can we achieve holiness when we allow poison, even small amounts, to seep into our homes via television, movies, books, magazines, computers and other devices?
Paul wrote about the necessity of putting off worldly things … Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God…Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry….But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds… (Colossians 3:3, 5, 8).
But, how can we put off anger, wrath, malice, and filthy language when we are siphoning it into our family room with the television or computer? When the mind is poisoned, sinful words and actions will follow. Jesus told the disciples, Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts…(Matthew 15:17-19).
How do we keep our minds free from lustful thoughts when we view sexual content on our devices? When the mind is filled with lustful words and images, sinful actions follow. Paul told the Corinthians, Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body (1 Corinthians 6:13b). He went on, Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body (1 Corinthians 6:18). He wrote Timothy, Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22). And he told the Thessalonians, For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
God does not want part of a person. He wants the whole person. He does not want to share His space or time with any corrupt thing. He is a jealous God! (Deuteronomy 4:24). The Christian must purge daily sin and continue to walk in the light (1 John 1:7-10). After purging the sin in our lives, we must fill the vacuum with good.
Paul told us what to put in its place. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness (1 Timothy 6:11). He said, put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him (Colossians 3:10).
God desires true righteousness and holiness, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:21-24).
The next time we are tempted to let poison enter our minds or enter our homes and poison the minds of our loved ones, let us remember that God wants us to be holy, righteous, sanctified, pure, and faithful and that leaves no room for “a little poison.” He will not share His space or time with anything ungodly. The Lord wants all of you and all of me!
Today’s Verse: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).
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